Argentine Tango! Those Blue Moon Moments.

I have learned that opening a dance floor for Argentine Tango requires determination, a willingness to dance with the wall, or to work solo on balance, pivots, and adornos in a mirrored hall. There are indeed evenings when no one is able to come dance Tango. 

This year I feel so fortunate to have found a dance floor within walking distance from my home. As well, I am able to afford to the rent, and so I may practice Argentine Tango every Tuesday from 8 pm - 9 pm. Of course I don’t want to dance alone. 

As this new venue is a proper dance hall, has off street parking, and is easy to find, more and more dancers are coming out to experience Argentine Tango.  This Tuesday three dancers who have danced on this floor before came to practice, there was one first time dancer, one dancer who has a few years experience in Argentine Tango.

The Blue Moon Moment? This Tuesday a very experienced leader came to the Open Floor as he was in need of Argentine Tango. (I understand this need very well!)  

I offered him the floor and asked if he would he care to teach. He politely declined and left me to it. Every week, as so many are new to this style of Tango, some having their very first encounter,  I offer an introduction to the basics of the dance. 

I discuss the “Four Relationships”, the one-footed principle, and this week, at the moment of my introducing the ‘one footed nature,’ to my great delight, our experienced dancer asked to participate with me, and help me show the importance of ‘one footedness.’

It was wonderful. He explained the importance of being one footed, and I partnered his explanation. So, those present were able to hear and to see Argentine Tango in process. The why of ‘one footedness’ was immediately apparent. 

Our visiting leader showed forward and backwards walking steps, the pivots, ochos and pauses while sharing his passion for the dance, and for the non verbal relationship which can indeed be the “passion” of Argentine Tango particularly when danced by a man & a woman.  

All this was wonderful to hear. Clearly, our visitor came from a culture where men dance. It was hard for him to believe that he was looking at the only open floor Argentine Tango group meeting in what is geographically the largest city in the United States. 

Further, when he realized that I danced the role of leader more often than I follow, he was incredulous. Ever the gentleman he finished his explanation and returned me the class. 

All who came to listen had an introduction (or review) of the importance of “shift weight in place”, the side step, the forward and backward walk with the emphasis one allowing your partner a place to step. After steps and practices in front of the mirror, we chose partners and danced. 

Those who have had several lessons partnered with those who had never danced. Our visiting dancer (I hope he returns!) danced with everyone. 

Now - some people comment that those who dance Argentine Tango are “snobbish” about the dance. I have not had this experience very often.  

I have been to one milonga where, after a two hour drive to attend, and after dancing with everyone in the one hour class, I sat the wallflower for two hours hoping for a dance. I had one tanda. I did not feel welcomed, and so I haven’t hurried back. 

I will try again another time of course.  Every group can have an off night, every teacher an off day. If we are kind and remember that we are on a journey together - I feel sure the journey will be joyful. 

As I type now, I remember the kindness shown me by experienced leaders, and experienced followers who gave me vital tips. In fact, most all the people I have met have been very, very kind indeed. 

To return to the evening, as the class time was ending, I asked our visitor if I might have a dance. I put my “girl shoes” on (I dance lead in a jazz shoe now) and was very happy to accept his instruction as how best to embrace. 

I am 5’2’’ barefoot and 5’6” in a stiletto. I am short anyway you shake it, and he was taller than I. However, as an experienced dancer, his advice on how best to embrace was impeccable.  So we danced. 

I can’t tell you the song, but I can tell you that I experienced the delight of the union, the passion and the magic that happens when one surrenders to the dance itself. I have not had a good dance for awhile now, and to be invited to gaucho, to molinette, to offer adornos, to move across the floor in the embrace of a skilled Tanguero was a pleasure indeed. I was glowing. 

Sadly no one caught the moment on video….. but I wil remember that dance for as long as my memory endures.  I have no idea if I missed a step, should have offered a boleo here or there, I was lost in the moment of this dance.

If you care to join us we dance every Tuesday at  SDS Performance Arts Center located at 5049 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32205. We dance from 8 PM - 9 PM. 

There is a $10 Floor Fee to help pay rent, cover costs, purchase supplies, and one day in the not to distant future, host a milonga! 

Visit us on Facebook to see all sorts of useful videos, and to stay up to date with Argentine Tango dances in Florida.

Argentine Tango - Breakthroughs in Awareness on a Tuesday Evening

Four people came to dance Argentine Tango on Tuesday night, two ladies and a gentleman. I facilitate as “she who has been dancing longest” as best I can. I learn so much every time we workshop and Tuesday we all had breakthroughs and awakenings of all kinds. 

As a child I picked up the habit of paying strict attention to what was before me to study. Regardless of the subject, I realized that the words of teaching were the backdrop for the realization of the experience of the lesson. 

I have learned much about Argentine Tango by actively watching the masters at dance. I have learned by watching myself practice dance in mirrors. I am excited now that by sharing and helping others learn that I am helped to improve my Tango as well as my ability to articulate and thus to grasp essences of the dance that I could not previously express. 

I hold an open floor in a large city that may well remain “The Desert” for this lovely walking dance. We have become a stable group of four - perhaps 5 for the moment. If you stumbled across this blog, and have no visual reference to Argentine Tango, I will include a dance at page end for your review. 

Some of us have good dance shoes, most are dancing in socks or a street shoe that makes the learning all the more difficult. Still, we carry on. Of course I do hope everyone will be able to manage to have dance shoes in the near future so that only good muscle memory is developed, but we work with what we have. I do think that a good shoe will help those who are falling off balance improve. 

I am very pleased that in group all are welcome. We have leaders and followers and any gender may dance with any gender. I dance lead more often than not, I dance follower to help a new lead understand the impact of their movements. The women in our group dance with each other more often than not, learning both lead and follow. 

I have strayed from the topic of the breakthroughs. 

Once dancer learned that at present close embrace is the best posture for dancing. Close embrace enables a more secure connection, and as this dancers balance is not yet well established, nor the idea of the axis has not yet been made fully clear (I know it takes time to find, and then time to perfect the ability to remain on axis throughout a dance) close embrace makes it easier to lead and follow. 

One dancer realized that when posture is erect, is tall, the spine is elongated that there is more room to take a long back step. This dancer had not fully appreciated the benefit of being “upright”. So - we had a bit of dance as to see why there was trouble in a lead and follow moment. 

I invited the dancer to “be tall.” To extend her body upward and to dance as if suspended from the ceiling by a string. Instantly, that dancers Tango improved. She was much easier to lead… her back step was a lovely glide. There was no hesitation as she was able to “hear” the lead, or you could say to feel the lead. 

This subtle lifting of her carriage made a great difference, and the she was able to realize, to take to the bone, the words that all of us hear time and again when taking our beginner lessons. 

The final awakening was mine - although I shared this with another dancer. We woke up to the same idea each in a different way. The concept was “The Connnection”. 

When leading, I kept “losing” her. I could not “feel” her present with me, and so I could not lead her, nor could she follow. Problem solving this matter, with his dancer as all are different, took some time and challenged me to be able to express connection in better English that I have used in the past. 

In the past I spoke in energetic terms…. but this was not helpful for her. 

To Teach/Learn/Establish connection it was necessary to demonstrate the physicality of the embrace, the importance of being present, of being in someones space, of holding and feeling held. So we had to work on “noodle arms” and to fix the passive embrace where the follower was only physically there - not engaged, not connected, not willing or able to be willing to listen.

So as we danced I had to point out that the follower had “lost the connection.” Her question was “How did I do that? “ I won’t type out for you all the language I used to describe connection, the goal of it, the purpose of it……. but I will share that the language I found that worked for us - that made the point clear is this.

“Connection is the distance that both dancers agree to keep between themselves.” I went on to say that this could be as few a no inches, or 4 inches, 12 inches etc.,  but that what ever distance was created in the embrace once that embrace was established as comfortable for both, was the connection distance. Now - as we were only working on walking as a couple, please know that his statement was given in that context to enable that dancer to stay present with that leader. 

(I do realize that many come to the dance floor with PTSD issues, and that it can take time for a dancer to establish trust in the embrace.  I hope all teachers remember that we come to Tango without shoes, from a history of violence or verbal humiliation, from a place where holding is not at all natural. )

This statement about a measurable fact worked. Of course it did not speak to the emotion between dancers, the magic of the artistic connection, however, those ideas were not critical on Tuesday night. 

So - she was able to be mindful of distance, and in so doing to feel the connection for the first time. I was a able to realize that esoteric talk about an emotional/physical event was not always useful and to add a new description to my efforts. 

I thank all my teachers!! 

Please know - I am not at all an Argentine Tango dance instructor… I remain "she with most time on the floor" and am still hoping for a partner. 5’ 6” to 5’ 8” would be lovely.