Some thoughts on dancing...
What's your level? Your command of the basics determines your level as a dancer. There are two sides to this dance: physical and emotional. The physical side involves the movements while the emotional side deals with interpretation of tango music. Your body is the hardware, music is the software. You will need to master both sides if your wish is to dance well.
Master the Basics! Many people don't understand what doing basics mean. They equate it to beginners and want the shortest way out. Beginner means 'a person starting to learn something'. Basics means 'the material needed to be mastered in order to do something well'. The basics are first taught in the beginning classes, then you continue to practice for the rest of your dance life. Basics is the class you want to excel in to become a good dancer. Once you have mastered the basics, only then you may consider yourself an advanced dancer. There are no shortcuts. Invest a considerable amount of time doing basics.
Master the Basics! Many people don't understand what doing basics mean. They equate it to beginners and want the shortest way out. Beginner means 'a person starting to learn something'. Basics means 'the material needed to be mastered in order to do something well'. The basics are first taught in the beginning classes, then you continue to practice for the rest of your dance life. Basics is the class you want to excel in to become a good dancer. Once you have mastered the basics, only then you may consider yourself an advanced dancer. There are no shortcuts. Invest a considerable amount of time doing basics.
Paying your dues The problem common to most dancers is retention of class material. Many of us have attended hundreds of classes and probably retain 10%, at best, of the figures shown to us. We try to memorize pattern after pattern in the first year and as if tourists in a foreign country, we still carry a phrasebook in our heads always trying to find the right way to say something. We never get to master the language of dance. Yes, dance is body language and we should learn how to speak it well. We must learn proper grammar while expanding our vocabulary. There are only three major movements you need to know: to walk, to do an ocho and to do a giro in musical time. Everything else are added alterations to these three movements. Start with a handful of universal patterns that could keep you dancing all night. Simple things first. Learn one thing a week and master it. Make note of your strengths and expose your weaknesses and address them accordingly. Be good at one thing then build on it. If you do one thing very well then you have a reference for excellence for the new things that come your way. A handful of moves done well weighs more than a truckload of mediocre moves.
What matters is not how much figures you know, it's how you express them.
What matters is not how much figures you know, it's how you express them.
Musicality simply means listening then dancing to the music. Pick one song and memorize it. Hum the melody while tapping the rhythm. Listen to all instruments independently and notice the fills. Learn to distinguish foreground and background, melodies and counter-melodies. You don't have to be a musician, if you can sing "Happy Birthday" then you have no excuse not learning one tango song. If you can hum one song from beginning to end then you can say you have basic listening skills.
Don't just move because you know a cool step. Instead, find a place for that move in the music. Yes, you may have a wide vocabulary of movements and you are able to dance with physical precision, however, if you do not understand how to dance to the music, you will never fully experience the joy of dancing. Learn also how to not-move beautifully. Silence is equally as important as movement. Listen to a lot of tango music so you can improve your musicality.
Don't just move because you know a cool step. Instead, find a place for that move in the music. Yes, you may have a wide vocabulary of movements and you are able to dance with physical precision, however, if you do not understand how to dance to the music, you will never fully experience the joy of dancing. Learn also how to not-move beautifully. Silence is equally as important as movement. Listen to a lot of tango music so you can improve your musicality.
Floor-craft There are three connections to be aware of when dancing: First: you to your partner Second: you & your partner to the music! Third: you & your partner to everyone else on the dance floor. Magic happens on its own.
Milonga Etiquette:
In a practica setting, share your knowledge or the lack thereof with others in a friendly manner. Improving together is much more enjoyable. Contradictions are normal since there are stylistic and technical differences in the dance depending on who you study with. Find out what works with you best and eventually you will develop your own style that can be adaptable to a whole range of dancers.
Milonga Etiquette:
- Let the leader enter the floor first to create a safe space and prevent the follower from getting run over by dancers already dancing.
- Keep the outermost circle moving in the line of dance. Look for room to dance, not for an audience.
- It is a social floor and we all share the same space. Your movements should be equal to the ratio of floor-space to number of dancers. Simply put, don't take too much floor space and learn to share evenly.
- Limit the conversation between songs and start dancing when the floor starts moving.
- No teaching in a milonga! Find a spare room if you want to teach, better yet, rent a studio and teach.
- If you must do wraps, boleos, ganchos, volcadas, colgadas & other flashy things, proceed with caution and never put your neighbors or furniture in harms way.
- Escort the follower back to her seat or off the floor.
In a practica setting, share your knowledge or the lack thereof with others in a friendly manner. Improving together is much more enjoyable. Contradictions are normal since there are stylistic and technical differences in the dance depending on who you study with. Find out what works with you best and eventually you will develop your own style that can be adaptable to a whole range of dancers.
