Mindfulness and Tango

These days a lot of people are striving to achieve Mindfulness.  There are a number of courses, lectures, day sessions that you can attend. In a sentence it is awareness, being fully absorbed in the moment, to achieve total involvement. My yoga teacher, Debbie Spencer, explained how Mindfulness can be achieved in the stillness of a pose or in the graceful movement between poses. Similarly in tai chi, Mindfulness can be achieved in the execution of the Form but not if you are thinking what comes next and rush into the next move.

All of this applies to Tango. Pauses in the dance are so important and enable the essence of tango to be felt and expressed. Also if the lead is thinking what am I going to do next - what move will it be - then the full internal beauty of the dance is lost. Less can be more, such that each step is taken with a proper connection with the partner and enjoyed to the full. A flamboyant move, admired by an onlooker, is nothing compared to a single step taken with true connection between partners in a full enjoyment of the moment.