My Tango Diaries

Part II of Un Tal Gavito Vol 3 Review Remarks on Waiting, Beauty and Simplicity Gavito and Duran's comments continue, as they describe the beauty of simplified, slowed down movements and how emotion is expressed in the absence of a movement, rather than in a multitude of movements. After Gavito's remarks about intention and moving from the heart in the dance, Marcela added her own comments about the intimate conversation going on at all times, with all parts of the body, between the two dancers. One example she takes issue with is the woman looking like she is "shining her shoes" on the man's pant leg, before the step over after the man's "sandwich". Marcela stresses almost more the caress of her own leg, "the sensuality is in the closing of the legs, with the ankle and knees touching." In the video, embedded in the previous post, you can see the beginning of the sandwich ("el sanguchito") and Gavito's movements, in which he v...

More from Un Tal Gavito, DVD Volume 3. I like this at least as much as the first DVD, but I think that both volumes are essential. What I liked so much about this portion is after they do their initial demonstration dance (shown in the video above), the scene changes to Gavito and Duran sitting at a small table, with Gavito smoking as usual, and they discuss the dance, the intimacy and intention of it. Gavito: This last dance was a dance of intentions, a dance of a silent language, of movements that don't exist.... It's a way of moving from the heart... This is for me, like trying to describe music, which is an abstract thing. It's extremely difficult to express, difficult to evoke, and I think, like I said in another conversation, if music is abstract, I think poetry gets at this, and there are some beautiful tango lyrics that say this poetically, so when we dance I think we're like painters that paint with the music. We paint on the floor, with small brush strokes, w...

(Pictured above, Carlos Gavito and Marcela Duran, photographed by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward .) So far I am slightly less pleased with Disc 2 of Un tal Gavito . The moves and sequences are larger in this series, and open the embrace frequently. That said, I believe this is another example of something I've noticed about many (frequently Argentine, though not always) teachers, where a sequence or step is taught with the purpose demonstrating and refining a technique rather than for the pattern itself. Far more than the previous DVD, the movements in this part of the program are focused on maintaining balance and control of one's axis (with the exception of the very first sequence, salida in carpa (or deep apilado or lean, for which Gavito is famous). Side Note: I was very happy that he explained and demonstrated salida in carpa (led from the back ocho) because I find it so beautiful and intriguing - exemplifying, for me anyway, the power and beauty of surrendering completely to...