Cherie has a post that is very interesting. A lot of dancers are not paying attention to where the hands hold and unintentionally place stress and create tension on the shoulder. The leader's left hand should face to his ear and should under no circumstance pass the follower's shoulder.
My left hand when the partner is about my height:
Javier's left hand:
The follower feels relax, comfortable and connected in both cases. No stress to the wrist,arm and shoulder.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Left hand
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Private with Silvina-III
My mind was elsewhere this afternoon. Took the wrong exit about three exits before getting off to Harlem and ended up going to Triboro bridge and paid $6.00 toll fee to head back to the office. So I circled around Manhattan and back to Queens and entered Manhattan again. Fortunately, there was no traffic. And I luckily found a parking spot right outside of Silvina's place.
Surprisingly met an acquaintance, she just finished the lesson with Silvina. The whole thing reminded me back in BsAs going to Javier's place taking privates with him and Andrea. Same situation, private students were coming and waiting one after another. Good teachers are all having the same routine.
A little greeting with sweet Silvina who was listening to the voice message I left to her while I took the wrong exit. Small chitchat and we were ready to work.
Danced a little, didn't feel settled yet. Talked about embrace a bit. Then another Di Sarli. Ok the right turn was better as we worked on it last class. This time the left turn. She patiently broke down the movement and explained the mechanics, energy and rhythm. We spent about fifteen minutes working on the left turn before she and I both felt I had it down.
Then she introduce the concept of fourth eye. Together the space behind, I found them very challenging to visualize and coordinate. "I didn't sign up for this." I joked " I am only here to learn some tango." I actually understood it, but it would take me some time to apply it into the dance. The few moment that I used it, I felt the space and the volume between the body had expanded. That feeling was very pleasant.
I asked her for a few exercises that I could practice at home while she is away on tour. They are all exercises to help to develop disassociation and smooth and grinding pivots.
At last, we spent five minutes on walking. She taught me how to engage the core to walk. I walked back and forth a few time. She was kneeing down to correct the position of my foot. Then she danced with me twice. The second time she murmured something in Spanish and smiled at me: " You got it, you got it. "
" The first class when I danced with you, I had to accommodate you and work with you on the music." She said. "Now your walk has cadence. I feel the same like dancing with El Falco Danny, Oliver... I could just dance. "
" There is another dimension when you walk like this. There is more you can express the music with cadence. " She continued " No more using the upper the body to express the music."
A powerful walk is so much more than just walking. At that moment, I felt like I really didn't know much, although what I'd known was much more than a lot of dancers. That was it. Walking technique again concluded my last private with another excellent teacher. I thanked her a few times for giving me another way of looking at tango in merely three classes. Till July when she comes back from her tour with Oliver, I have a lot of things to work on.
On the way down, I felt very fortunate to find an amazing teacher so close to home. I am a lucky one...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Denver bound
For the first time in three year, I got a cold. I guessed that I caught it on the way back from Chelsea milonga on Friday night. It was raining and windy. I just had two burning hot tandas with my favourite (you know who you are. :-) ). I felt my inner Javier came out. Without cooling off, I took off in rain...
It was so bad that I had spent the whole Saturday laying in the bed or sofa. Water, pills...more water and pills. I needed to get over it soon. I am going to Denver for the memorial day festival. It was highly recommended by Flo, a dear friend with whom I met in BsAs. If someone who has gone to BsAs twelve times tells me that she enjoys this particular festival, then it is probably good enough for me to check it out.
I wasn't a big fan of tango festival. I always like small intimate milongas and hate big crowd (other than milongas in BA, where there is seat and the custom of cabaceo). But the Yale tango festival has changed some of my opinions about festival. Even though at Yale, I had danced with mostly acquaitance. I had a fun time nonetheless.
And I am meeting a friend with whom I met in BsAs. We are planning to have a night of fine wine, great dinning and hot tango. There, one more incentive to fly five hours to Denver for a fun weekend...
Selfishness
An old Chinese proverb: "The heaven punishes those who aren't selfish." There is nothing wrong about putting oneself first. One's own selfishness, however, shouldn't do damage to the common interests of others. In this case, a lot of others.
If one is smart enough or business savvy, one should know that tango business isn't a business that will make one rich. There aren't enough customers out there to make it a big business. There are what, less than 100, 000 dancers in the world? At most, it is a multi million dollar business. Split among all these people involved in the business, there isn't enough to make a few millionaires. If one doesn't have the passion, what's the point of being in this business? If one has this passion about tango, then one's intention will not hurt a great deal of people's common interest.
The following letter comes from a respectful person in NY tango community: Mr Richard Lipkin.
Dear NY Tangueros,
As many of you know by now, Michael Foster is running a milonga in an area of Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport that for many years has been used by Tango Porteno as its rain location. I am, by this letter, explaining why I have decided to take the unprecedented step of removing his listing from the New York Tango Calendar.
If you do not know Michael Foster, you can familiarize yourself by reading his own words:
http://www.newyorkt ango.org/ ohtango.pdf
His terms for dancing on Pier 17:
http://www.newyorkt ango.org/ taa/11.html
During the past winter, Michael approached the Seaport Museum that controls Pier 16, the restaurant Skippers on Pier 16, and General Growth Properties the organization that runs Pier 17. In each case he represented himself as the person to deal with concerning tango on the piers. Michael has never had any role in running Tango Porteno although he has taught a few lessons in the past.
This attempted hijacking of what is arguably New York's premier tango event cannot be allowed to succeed. Unfortunately damage has already been done. Although the Seaport Museum refused to deal with Michael, I believe the attention he drew to Tango Porteno has resulted in our being obliged, as a condition of continued dancing on Pier 16, to pay a floor fee or rent. Unless an alternative source of funding is found, this cost must be passed on to you the dancers in the form of a "donation" or admission charge. We are working with Skippers to lessen this but passing the hats will no longer suffice.
If too many people will not pay this donation, currently estimated at $5, the dancing will be over on Pier 16.
Sincerely,
Richard Lipkin
Although I've danced tango just over two years, and last year was my first year attending Tango Porteno, I instantly loved it. This is an event that has been going on for the past nine years during summertime. Always free, until now... I don't mind paying for the donation or any reasonable amount of entrance fee to support the event. That's not the point.
The point is that the spirit of celebrating tango is tarnished now that a donation or entrance is mandatory to keep this event going. All because of a single person's ego and personal interest. That's is the worst and most despicable kind of selfishness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
