My Tango Diaries

(picture from Morguefile.com . Used with permission.) "Leap and the net will appear." - Zen Saying When he walked in to the milonga, no one I was sitting with knew who he was. I was tired, so sore, and apprehensive. I tell people, and write in this blog, how important it is to give first, trust first . . . to risk first . But not that night. It was probably selfish, and certainly antisocial, but I kept my distance. I didn't introduce myself and welcome this new dancer to our community like I usually try to do. Since so many others were doing so, I let them make the first move. I just waited. I danced with safe friends that I knew would look out for me to try to shake off the bad feelings I had come in with - both physical and mental. Finally, I saw him dance with La Milonguera. She looked radiant and deeply happy in his arms. Dancing with her, he looked like such a calm dancer - the eye of the occasionally whirling storm around him. I coul...

Responses to the interview questions are still filtering in and I find that some of my original assumptions (some of which I wasn't even aware of) have needed adjustment. The original questionaire can be found here . The biggest assumption I had made was that those people who credit their tango experience with improving their physical health would attribute that improvement *only* with tango. In fact about a third of the respondents said that they got just as much benefit from other forms of dance. Tango may even be their favorite form of dance at the moment, but those respondents cited that it was dance itself, physical activity and connection to the music, that brought the benefit. Other observations: - Very few of the respondents have cited strong connection to tango music itself (I am referring here to traditional tango music) as part of the experience of health improvement. Any music that makes you dance seems to be the important thing. Of those participants who did find parti...

I've had a couple of people ask, so rather than try to explain - I, as usual, looked for a video to that showed it instead. This is a classic performance of Sattriya Nritya from India that demonstrates mudras used in dance. Only this dancer does it about 200 times faster than I can. PS - to D. (as opposed to drj), if you never look at the videos, you might be missing the good bits. :-)

The digital quality of this video is a bit poor, which is a pity. The dancers interpret the music beautifully in places and music feels remarkably appropriate to tango. I may have to look into this band some more, as I really like the writing and the vocalist. The spaces in between Two minds and all the places they have been The spaces in between Description from YouTube, "This beautiful song by Stateless inspired us to make a tango music video. Danced by Moti and Gabrielle For tango information see www.organictango.com." Wake up look me in the eyes again I need to feel your hand upon my face Words can relay nice They can cut you open And the silence surrounds you and hunts you I think I might’ve inhaled you I could feel you behind my eyes You gotten into my bloodstream I could feel you floating in me Words can relay nice They can cut you open And the silence surrounds you and hunts you I think I might’ve inhaled you I could feel you behind my eyes You gotten into my bloodst...

Like anyone with a pain condition, I have a pretty sincere fear of injury. I can't help it. I just find myself being extra careful, eventually avoiding activities that might lead to getting hurt. Pain itself is less debilitating sometimes than the fear of pain. I'm dancing again, but I still have the fear of injury. The difference is now I'm afraid that I'll miss a dance class or won't be able to dance if I get hurt. Of course dancing makes everything feel better - while I'm doing it anyway. Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order. ~Samuel Beckett

My friends have abandoned me for the dark side... Salsa classes... :-( Now I'm on my own for Tango classes - both Argentine and Ballroom. So how brave am I?