My Tango Diaries

El Arranque Milonga The "Milongueros" Warning: Blasphemy ahead. One note of warning about statements like "The milongueros do this" or "don't do that" or whatever. The milongueros are all different. Some of them are rebels. Some of them are very conservative. Some are shy and quiet - some are boisterous and gregarious. There is no one prototype milonguero. And as a tourista, how would I know a "real milonguero" from another 80+ year old dancer who started tango during the 90's and dances beautifully?  Now that I've danced with a dozen or so guys all fitting the description (old enough to have been dancing in the 40's and 50's) I'm very suspicious anytime someone says generically, "the milongueros do/don't [fill in the blank]." Maybe at that milonga, on that night, with that music, when he was in that mood, your milonguero did _______.  Maybe he does it (whatever it is) all the time....

After reading the very quick read " The Flinch ", I decided to knock a few things off of what I call my 'Flinch List' every day. It really just follows the advice most people have heard of 'every day, do something that scares you.' Not scare in the "I'm going to go taunt a bear" kind of thing. That should scare you. There's a reason that scares you - because taunting bears will get you hurt. But some things scare us that aren't life-threatening, and in fact are probably very good ideas. They're just usually very uncomfortable ideas. Here's an example. Taking the route to work that requires me to walk across a large highway (even though there is a crosswalk and walk sign) doesn't scare me exactly, at least not the way a bear would. But it does make me flinch a little inside. So I skip it. In fact taking any other route than my "normal" route gives me a little flinch response inside. I am very much ...

I am very slowly, and very badly, learning castellano for my trip to Buenos Aires. I still know very, very little - barely the essentials - and I have very little confidence using what I do know. But it's a work in progress. I am (mostly) enjoying the adventure. One surprise, although it shouldn't be, is how it is changing my dance to suddenly be able to understand some of the songs. Let me state for the record that you do not have to understand Spanish to enjoy dancing tango - after all, a great deal of it is instrumental. I was told that very statement again and again, in very reassuring and encouraging tones. But the truth is once I started understanding more of the lyrics, everything changed. I had learned some of the lyrics already simply by looking them up for myself - there are loads of great websites with translations (I've listed some of the below.) I don't know specifically how my dance has changed - I do know that how I understand and interpre...

Image courtesy of www.morguefile.com In between practicing and dancing as much as I can get away with, I've also been working with some great teachers one-on-one. Daniela Arcuri, Javier Rochwarger, Enriqueta Kleinman, Silvina Valz . . . .  I've been working, and working, and working . . . Familiar Territory I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that in private lessons, I face very few surprises. I can feel my balance falter, so when my teacher comments on it, there is nothing to say but, "yep, I lost my balance there." When he or she says I'm not extending enough, or stretching through my toes, I know I'm not - I can feel it. I'm "breaking" at the waist, still - another result of not being able to hold myself stable. The list goes on and on - but almost it's always the same list. The same fundamental issues. Strangely it sometimes takes me a little while to realize they're the same issues. Occas...

Picture courtesy of www.morguefile.com Cherie's recent post here : has got me thinking. I hear about that attitude of entitlement (that a teacher/organizer etc. owes someone a dance) at the milongas so much these days. Is it my imagination, or is it getting worse?   :-/   Community building is hugely important, especially in smaller tango communities - welcoming and engaging new and visiting dancers is crucial.  However, to give the impression that one is owed dances or obligated to dance with certain people can create very uncomfortable situations. According to Javier Rochwarger, and several other teachers I've asked, it's especially harmful to carry that attitude if you to Buenos Aires. As I was told, no one owes you anything at any milonga.  Dancing with Teachers Cherie brings up another point that I've been having trouble with lately. I very rarely look for dances from teachers, especially my own current teachers, during milongas. In ...

Photo courtesy of www.morguefile.com . While I dance I can not judge, I can not hate, I can not separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. This is why I dance. - Hans Bos It seems like I keep having the same conversation over and over about my upcoming trip to Buenos Aires. "Are you studying with [ famous name] ?  Or, [another famous name] ?  Or, how about [ this other famous name] ?"  No. No. and No, not that one either. For three reasons. 1. I'm going to see/study with friends who have been so positive and so supportive of my dancing and blogging for the last 3+ years. They are my priority. I'm going to study with Cherie and Ruben , Alejandro Gée , Iona Italia , and one of my tango partner's teachers, Natacha Iglesias .  How much I'm able to study with them, or with others, will depend of course on scheduling, time available, and my own stamina.  There are so many more people I wish I could study with and visit - people I...

The Church of Tango by Cherie Magnus Find it on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Church-Tango-Cherie-Magnus/dp/0615573541/ Cherie has been an inspiration for me from the time I started tango (and my tango blog) over three years ago. She has been the voice of encouragement and wisdom and now, after reading her memoir, I have a sense of why that is. Her book is not a "tango book" per se (at least now how we normally think of them) - it is really a memoir of the life that brought her to tango. It is a taste of how tango (and dance in general) changed her life. In fact if I have one complaint, and really it's not a complaint as much as a meek request for a sequel, it would be that her book ended too soon. (Una tanda mas, Cherie!)  I wanted to know more about her tango life, though much of those thoughts, experiences, pieces of tango wisdom, can be found on her fantastic blog - http://tangocherie.blogspot.com/ . The beginning of her book conta...