Tuesday 26 January 2016
Can another body be seen as an extension of your own?
Have you experienced a strong connection with a partner when dancing tango? Ever wondered where that might come from?
Well, there seem to be some scientific explanations for the phenomenon. Thanks Alex Tango Fuego for sharing this fascinating Scientific American article.
Friday 22 January 2016
Favourite milongas
Great music, a good standard of social dancing, respectful & harmonious dance-floors and friendly organisers. That's what we look for when attending milongas in Buenos Aires.
Thanks to Carlos Neuman of Milongas Buenos Aires, you can get a taster of what to expect. It will help you decide where you would feel comfortable. He has thoughtfully put together videos of many of the popular milongas for the entire week!
They're all delightfully different in character. Venues vary. Some cater more to solo dancers (cabeceo skills required), whereas others, especially the outer-suburban milongas, are more group-oriented. DJs play a big role in attracting regular dancers. You may see the same faces in more than one of them.
Here are a few of our haunts:
El Beso (Thursday) - watch out for the cabeceo at the start of the video
La Milonga de Buenos Aires (Friday)
La Baldosa (Friday)
Lujos (Sunday)
El Maipu (Monday):
PP
Thursday 7 January 2016
Food for thought
Ever wondered why some people don't seem to look in your direction when a new tanda starts? There are so many possible reasons, quite apart from lack of confidence with the cabeceo-style of invitation.
Many of these possible reasons would be beyond your control eg. your height, the person's mood, musical preference, etc. So, no need to take their lack of interest personally.
However, there are some things we can influence. In any social setting, personal hygiene, dress and the way we conduct ourselves will affect how others respond to us, of course. And in the tango social event which we call a milonga, additional factors come into play, not least of which are your social dancing skills. (By the way, I don't mean how many volcadas, ganchos and decorations which you can squeeze into one tango!)
- Are you easily able to dance with the music and with your partner?
- How comfortable and enjoyable is your dancing for your partner?
- Can you dance on a busy and disciplined dance-floor without collision or kicking someone ... and enjoy it?
Veronica Toumanova has some food for thought for all of us in her piece called Why tango dancers lose interest in improving their skill.
PP
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular posts
-
I love the creative process of DJing, and watching dancers respond to the emotional journey created by the music. But DJs take care! Musi...
-
Having been immersed in the tradition of Buenos Aires milongas, I still feel compelled to use the ‘cabeceo’. Cruising around the milongas wi...
-
If you like an invitation to dance in the form of an outstretched hand, a tap on the shoulder or a more formal Would you care to dance? , th...
-
Sometimes our eye-sight doesn’t serve us well, and our use of the cabeceo suffers accordingly. There have been times when a lady has acce...
-
Some interesting comments appeared on the previous post: Just follow the leader . Andy highlighted the challenge of the woman's role ...
-
Ladies, we may sometimes lament the gender imbalance at milongas. Perhaps we dance less than we’d like. But have you considered some of th...
-
Ever found yourself dancing with someone and regretting it? Were you unsure of what went wrong? Do you still have no idea of how to preve...