The crowd is part of the zone, it's on the periphery. the woman that you are dancing with, the music (AL compas), and the floor are right in the heart of the "zone" (and, no the leader can never close his eyes).
I think the most important think to consider when you walk into La Ronda is your partner and giving yourself completely to them (for me it's all about connection, and communication)
Of course once in a great while "the zone" expands exponentially, the entire room and everyone in it even the building itself are inside like a strange dream where nothing can go wrong, it can be pretty amazing.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Relax Your Body, Free Your Soul!
I've been browsing a couple of cool books lately (always thinking of Tango naturally).
1. Conditioning for Dance
(Eric Franklin, published by; Human Kinetics ISBN 0-7360-4156-7) This book is loaded with tons of awesome illustrations that let the reader visualize things that are happening inside of your body when you are dancing (in my case, tango), it also shows many techniques that will improve posture, balance, axis...etc... and, as the title suggests conditioning. (they are trying to sell Thera bands, or at least are highly recommending the product, but I guess that's O.K.).
I got massive amounts of information about things instructors have tried to teach me in workshops etc.. but sometimes I need a picture (they are worth a thousand...).
2. T'ai Chi Classics
(Translated with commentary by Waysun Liao, published by Shambhala Classics
ISBN 978-0-57062-749-1) T'ai Chi interests me very much and some day I will explore it in great detail, but for now I found that the sections on breath control and Tan T'ien seem to be applicable to Tango (imagine that!) Eric Jorenson once made a joke in a workshop I was at about feeling each others "bellies" it really is where you center is,
by the way T'ai Chi roughly translated means "The Ultimate"
I also found the treatise by Master Wu Yu-hsiang very informative.
Yin/Yang, energy, movement, direction, meditation, how much more tango can you get!
1. Conditioning for Dance
(Eric Franklin, published by; Human Kinetics ISBN 0-7360-4156-7) This book is loaded with tons of awesome illustrations that let the reader visualize things that are happening inside of your body when you are dancing (in my case, tango), it also shows many techniques that will improve posture, balance, axis...etc... and, as the title suggests conditioning. (they are trying to sell Thera bands, or at least are highly recommending the product, but I guess that's O.K.).
I got massive amounts of information about things instructors have tried to teach me in workshops etc.. but sometimes I need a picture (they are worth a thousand...).
2. T'ai Chi Classics
(Translated with commentary by Waysun Liao, published by Shambhala Classics
ISBN 978-0-57062-749-1) T'ai Chi interests me very much and some day I will explore it in great detail, but for now I found that the sections on breath control and Tan T'ien seem to be applicable to Tango (imagine that!) Eric Jorenson once made a joke in a workshop I was at about feeling each others "bellies" it really is where you center is,
by the way T'ai Chi roughly translated means "The Ultimate"
I also found the treatise by Master Wu Yu-hsiang very informative.
Yin/Yang, energy, movement, direction, meditation, how much more tango can you get!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Real Milonguero
Ricardo Vidroit, He told me that I should take the tango and make it my own, I'm going with that!
Ahhhh! Eso Maestro!
I'm some where in this crowd, can you see me?!
I'm some where in this crowd too, can you see me?!
Ahhhh! Eso Maestro!
I'm some where in this crowd, can you see me?!
I'm some where in this crowd too, can you see me?!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Something I Strongly Dislike (incompetent instruction)
I hate it when I spend money for a lesson and get information that is completely WRONG.
This has happened to me in the past,and the wrong information (and the consequences of following the erroneous teaching) have made my tango journey that much longer and less pleasant.
When I hear a "teacher" telling several new students something that is going to screw up their dance it just drives me bananas. I am forced to bite my tongue (very painful! if only figuratively), and take the instructor aside to try and get them to understand the error of their ways after the class or during a break. Sometimes this works, often it does not. At least maybe they will put some thought into it and possibly change their ways for the better.
If anyone out there is guilty of this please STOP. (of course you don't know who you are!) Watch yourself on video, if any thing looks awkward or jerky your probably not qualified to teach others what you cannot do yourself.
Oh well, I'm going dancing!
This has happened to me in the past,and the wrong information (and the consequences of following the erroneous teaching) have made my tango journey that much longer and less pleasant.
When I hear a "teacher" telling several new students something that is going to screw up their dance it just drives me bananas. I am forced to bite my tongue (very painful! if only figuratively), and take the instructor aside to try and get them to understand the error of their ways after the class or during a break. Sometimes this works, often it does not. At least maybe they will put some thought into it and possibly change their ways for the better.
If anyone out there is guilty of this please STOP. (of course you don't know who you are!) Watch yourself on video, if any thing looks awkward or jerky your probably not qualified to teach others what you cannot do yourself.
Oh well, I'm going dancing!
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