Have not been in much of a tango mood lately. Don't know if it's because of the high volume I've been getting at work, the crazy ass weather in the Bay Area, taking care of my mom (she's better now) or just overexposure. For the past couple weeks I've been keeping it almost strictly in a practice mode with A. We've been attending the advanced class with David and Mariana on Wednesdays which has been really refreshing for us. I'm not one to take many classes and apparently people know this about me, as colleagues were expressing surprise at my attendance. D and M structure the lessons around an extended sequence which they demonstrate piece by piece and deconstruct along the way. The point is not to memorize the sequence but to understand how the elements interconnect, which will in turn hopefully give the dancers greater insight into making different connections as well as gaining proficiency and possibly devising new variants of the elements. It's fun and challenging to get outside of my comfort zone which admittedly is something I tend not to do, although in principle I know it is necessary to keep growing. And this class leans toward modern concepts (single axis, centrifugal force, contradictory leads, etc.) which I haven't really explored in depth, although for the most part I have previously studied the movements to some degree and can manage fairly decently--again, somewhat to the surprise of those who know my conservative dancing tendencies.
Aside from the workshops, A and I do our regularly scheduled practices on Thursdays and Sundays and beyond that I haven't gone out much, maybe one or two milongas per week. And on the occasion that I do go to a milonga I've been averaging maybe one tanda for the evening, sometimes none. That's fine. I think that by the time summer hits I'll probably get more energy and incentive to get more active again.
Teaching both roles to beginners - Interview with Melina Sedo
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https://youtu.be/Zguman6TaLk?si=6fLhXKMQa-DCiPIh
Sent from my iPad
4 days ago
3 comments:
Hi Malevito,
Sometimes just the simplicity and directness of a class or practica is more appealing than the whole milonga thing.
I hope your mom is feeling better.
(Off topic--Have you ever been to Cafe Trieste on Sundays? I'm just curious to see who goes there or what they've heard about it.)
Hi TB, how are you?
Ah, I don't know if I'd call this class simple, both for the complexity of the subject matter and also the challenge of working on such complex movements in a space fairly packed with students. But it's like tango vitamins. Not to characterize it as all work, because it's also a lot of fun and just plain fascinating.
My mom is fine, thanks. Think she just caught a nasty bug which preyed on particular vulnerabilities.
RE: Cafe Trieste--I've only been there once or twice, it's not convenient for me since I'm in the East Bay and also it's at the same time that my partner and I practice in Emeryville. But on the times I went I got the impression that it's a friendly and very casual atmosphere. The level of dance was generally not terribly advanced, though.
Anyway, thanks for writing, abrazo!
No you're absolutely right. By "simple", I meant that you were skipping the behavioral complexity and social milieu of a milonga, and can concentrate more on just the dance.
Cafe Trieste is just a short train ride from home for me, but I have still to make it there yet. At this point, I'm less interested in advanced moves than friendly people who will dance with me once in a while.
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