The Gift

The woman had been dancing for only a short while, but had the ability to give herself to the tango & her partner. Later, she told a friend: “It felt like I was being taken on a tour of a village that he knew well, pointing out the important and interesting places to me, the places that he loved. It was like receiving a gift.”

The man obviously knew the music well, knew its changing dynamic, its different emotional highpoints. The woman was prepared to listen to his body and move with his energy. He felt privileged by the trust that had been given.

No figures and sequences, no choreography or show, just two people, the music, and entrega.

Bob

Vegetarian tango!

Do you want to avoid being treated like an item on the supermarket shelf? What's vegetarian tango?

I always look forward to the insightful chats with milongueros which Mónica Paz posts on her blog.  This time we are treated to Oscar "Cacho" Dante reflecting on tango. He's a gem with an amusing turn of  phrase, like those quoted above.

For the record, I love my greens. But when it comes to vego tango, I think I'll pass!
PP

The importance of detail

After our tango class, R (one of our students) was at home relaxing; watching snowboarding competitions on TV. A remark from one of the expert commentators resonated with him so much, he felt the urge to share it with us today. 

"What's really important is to do the small things really well".

One of the great voices of tango

Enrique Inocencio Troncone would have celebrated his 99th birthday on Saturday 10 March.  Never heard of him? When Ricardo Tanturi  needed "a different voice" to replace the distinctive and most successful Alberto Castillo, he knew about Enrique's abilities. But before joining Tanturi's orquesta  Los Indios, Enrique needed to find himself a suitable stage name. Thus emerged the romantic and intense combination Tanturi and Campos.   For anyone interested, Todotango provides an interesting insight into how and why the stage name was chosen.

Enrique Campos' voice became another significant instrument in Los Indios, one of the great and very popular dance orquestas. Occasionally, I've heard a few dancers complain that they don't like dancing to sung tangos. Some say this is because they can't understand  the lyrics.  But you don't have to understand a word of Castellano to get the feelings throughout La abandoné y no sabía, Una emoción, Oigo tu voz and Recién, to name but a few. Thanks to Derrick Del Pilar you can simultaneously listen to these great tangos, read the original lyrics & the English translations. And as for dancing the emotions of Tanturi con Campos, Javier Rodriguez and the late Andrea Missé's performance of Oigo tu voz in Sydney last year gives me goose-bumps.

PP

How do I tell him?

Sometimes we float on a cloud of blissful ignorance. Most of us are afflicted by some form of myopia.  Yet ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law. Just try to explain to a police officer that you didn't know about a speed limit.

OK, at most milongas the organisers won't impose a fine for anti-social behaviour, but most socially aware adults would certainly disapprove of those who make us feel uncomfortable.There tends to be a fairly common understanding in social groups about these matters. Lacking the courage to confront a person directly, people often grumble about the offending behaviour amongst themselves.

Are any of these "oversights" familiar?
> Too busy to take a quick shower before heading to the milonga?  No problems, just spray on some deodorant or cologne.
> No time to iron a clean shirt?  Easy, a T-shirt will do.
> Forgot to brush your teeth?  Just pop some breath mints.

Sorry, that's simply not good enough in this intimate dance. Your dance partners won't enjoy being subjected to that, despite your superb dancing skills! Most of them will simply be too polite to say anything to you, but that won't stop them from thinking it and having second thoughts about dancing with you!

On the other hand, those ladies and gentlemen who make an effort are considerate to those they dance with.  Looking and feeling good also helps boost the confidence.  And in this dance, we can all do with that!

PP