Next Practica de la Leona - Sunday, August 11th!

Another Tango Practica de la Leona - August 11th!

When: Sunday, August 11th

(NO CLASS THIS WEEK)

PRACTICA DE LA LEONA: from 12:00pm-3:00pm

Where: 8650 Spicewood Springs Rd #104 Austin, TX 78759 (Austin Bellydance Studio)

Cost: by donation. Donation is not required to participate.
DJ: Patrick Stallings

(On the opposite end of the shopping center from Big Lots - near Cupprimo and Liberty Pharmacy.)

A map can be found on Bahaia's "Instruction" page here. )

Description: The next Practica de la Leona will be Sunday, July 28th from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm at Austin Bellydance Studio. Come practice what our wonderful visiting instructors have been teaching us with wonderful friends on a great floor!

Bottled water will be provided along with snacks. Feel free to bring treats to enjoy or share, but please understand that the owner of the studio would prefer that we keep food, and non-water beverages away from the dance floor and enjoy them instead in the back room area.

There is plenty of free parking in the shopping center, plus places to eat etc.

Please send any suggestions, feedback etc., any time - and thank you all for your support and ideas. Also, Betsi would be happy to rent out her studio space for any classes, workshops, private lessons etc., and for the summer, the schedule is very open. One time bookings are $30 an hour for the space. Weekly bookings are $25/hr. Please contact Betsi Robins (Bahaia) at bahaiatx@yahoo.com for more information.

abrazos y besos!

Comments

Ganchos . . . again . . .

(Image courtesy of Emilie Boudet: http://www.emilieboudet.com) From the Facebook comments on my "Expressing the music or dancing for tables" post: "But adornments can become problematic when they interfere with something I'm trying to do. (I have enough trouble as it is). Some of these are basically harmless and don't really bother me that much. Like some ladies insist on doing a gancho whenever I lead them to step over my leg. I'm mostly amused by this. Some girls just like their ganchos and will seize any opportunity to do one." Predictably, I have several problems with the above behavior. First of all, they aren't "their ganchos" ! The gancho for the follower is led. It is my (nearly fanatical) opinion that it should never be an adornment or something the follower just decides to do on her own . As someone who is now attempting to learn to lead, the last thing I want to see, or heaven forbid feel, is a stiletto heel near my crotch ....

"Proper" Tango Shoes

Periodically someone, usually a man, will be bring up the topic of "proper tango shoes." If he's referring to the problem (and dangers) of trying to dance in flip-flops, or mules, or platform shoes etc., those are definitely valid, and very helpful points to be made. The likelihood of damaging your feet is very high without the proper support of high quality shoes. My problem comes with the idea that the *only* proper tango shoes have 4" stiletto heels on them and fetish-worthy embellishments. (Okay, I'm pretty keen on the embellishments myself.) "goofy ballroomy shoes are a turnoff... get rid of them..." - Alex Tango Fuego (granted this is from 2007), http://alextangofuego.blogspot.com/2007/10/to-dance-or-not-to-dancebrutally.html And, in the comments on a blog post, Anonymous said... " This is a controversial one. If a follower isn't wearing tango shoes then it's usually a good sign she's not particularly good." From Ms. Hedgeh...

Expressing music or dancing for tables?

Too much of a good thing? As sort of a follow-up to my thoughts on technique, I've run into a little snag I'd like some feedback. When I get compliments about my embrace, I'm absolutely elated. When someone compliments the way my walk feels, I feel accomplished. Compliments about my musicality - ditto. When I start getting lots of compliments about my foot work, however - I get worried. I shouldn't right? A compliment is a compliment, and should be taken graciously. It's certainly meant as a positive thing. It's a good thing if a dancer's feet are pretty - why else would everyone wear those silly, yet gorgeous, shoes? But like Richard Dreyfuss staring down his plate of mash potatoes in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I can't help thinking it means something. Something not good. I don't mean like a backhanded compliment - but more like a fear that my priorities have unintentionally shifted. Maybe it's a community thing. Online I very often r...

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