I'm also known as someone who finds pleasure in sharing ideas about living a joyful life. Therefore, I offer my thoughts openly.
To those of you who don't know me very well, please be advised that all of my interests are about social partner dancing. If you are interested in performance dancing or you are headed for the dance olympics, you will not find much of interest here.
Andrew
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"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." ~ Gautama Buddha
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Here's an article from my dance party website www.cofparty.com ....
SAME DRUMMER … DIFFERENT MARCHERS
When I'm viewing a room full of dancers who are known to me, I am always entertained by the variety of types of people and the many different styles that are applied to the same music. I'm not surprised about the personalizing of dance movements because I have come to understand that my friends have different abilities, levels of experience, and reasons for dancing.
One of my favorite dancers is a fellow who frequents a local dinner/dance place. His movements on the dance floor are, to say the least, quite eccentric. The other oddities about this fellow are that his wardrobe is somewhat unusual and he has the habit of whistling to the music while he's dancing. I have always noticed that onlookers who don't know him are always snickering and giving him the critical eye.
My silly dancing friend is consistently the happiest dancer I have ever witnessed. One could say that he always seems to be in a blissful state. The next time you are thinking negative thoughts about another dancer's "incorrectness" please allow yourself to judge not their style, but recognize their right to enjoy themselves at any level of competency. If you do that you may enjoy your own dancing much more and really appreciate the antics of my totally blind friend who would never be able to criticize your performance …he can't see you; and he's just too busy being happy!
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“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.”
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
3 comments:
Dear Andrew,
As a newbie to the Tango Scene, I thank you for your article, and would like to add a short story to back it up.
I was seeing an amateur Tango dancer for a while, who I became very fond of. Unfortunately, and I am sure this is the exception to the rule, she was an extreme Tango Snob when I expressed interest in this wonderful dance.
After accompanying her to many dances, and asked to not participate in any way, I fell in love with the romance, sensuality, and excitement that Tango created. I took some introductory lessons in an effort to be closer to this new world and my girlfriend, but still got the message "No Way"
Well, needless to say, I finally departed from this relationship, and have again resumed taking Argentine Tango lessons. After my first class, I attended a practice dance at the school, and was approached by a very lovely lady, who offered to help me get through this awkward "beginner stage." I was in heaven!!!
Thank you again for your kind words of encouragement, and I look forward to many nights of fantastic dancing!
Michael
Hi Michael,
People dance for a variety of reasons. "Tango Snobs" are probably the most insecure types. They simply don't seem to understand that tango is a very social dance. They are usually not very good dancers because they are too mental about the dance. It's usually a woman who has too much "male" in her mix. I would guess that your new partner is probably more feminine and knows about the sensuality and sensitivity that makes tango so wonderful.
Recently, at a milonga, I attempted to be kind to a woman who was standing on the sidelines for most of the evening. When I invited her to dance, she actually said, " Don't do any ganchos". That was a first for me. A rule maker! We can imagine what sort of lover she must be. It's not so surprizing that she is not invited to dance very often. I certainly will not dance with her again.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Tango Snobs (and all varieties of Dance Snobs) should remember that they did not come out of the womb knowing how to dance. Somebody danced with THEM when they were beginners. Amazing how a bit of knowledge can erase that fact from peoples' memories. Unless the potential partner is offensive or you are afraid they might hurt you (which might have been the case with your anti-gancho friend), nobody is that important that they cannot spare 3 minutes to dance with another person. How nice that Michael unloaded his Tango Snob and is now nice enough to spare others the discomfort she caused him. Her loss is our gain. :)
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