2.10.2009

Tango lesson 3

Sometimes, the small Armenian man who teaches you tango will explain quite clearly:
"torso over hips, move with your whole body, always keep your feet in contact with the floor when moving, extend the leg backwards, don't shift your weight so soon."

You generally nod in understanding before puffing out your chest and following your partner down the scuffed dance floor.

But sometimes the words sound a little garbled in your head and your nod is a little less confident. Your partner is feeling gimpy because of a capoeira incident and you're mostly hungry, but you puff out your chest bravely anyway. 

Turns out, your torso and your hips aren't talking and insist on moving in two separate directions, your feet have decided that they might like salsa instead, and your balance is off pouting in a corner with your cranky hamstrings.

The Armenian tries to work with you and you start to get it, but that's when the arms decide to show you who's really boss, and you have to admit defeat.

LESSONS OF THE DAY
  • Always eat before class.
  • It'll be better next time.
  • Better shoes are in order.
  • Practice. Practice. Practice. 

7 comments:

Henri said...

Your partner is interested in practice too...

Mtnhighmama said...

Better shoes are *always* in order!

Well, I'll be damned! You're still dancing. I think I might have squealed a little bit when I checked in and found 3 (three!) tango posts. That's enough to put you in my feed!

So, how's it going? Are you loving it? Is it driving you batty with the inconsistencies?

Get music. Listen to it all the time. The music is the soul of tango. Once you have the music in your body, the rest becomes easier, but the tango, the music, it's complicated and most of us aren't used to really listening to it.

As for shoes, don't spend a ton on them yet. Get some decent ballroom shoes with a not too high heel, and use those for awhile. When you know you really love tango, THEN you invest in the $200 comme il fauts with lovely spots and red trim.

ad said...

Mtnghighmama! Thank goodness you resurfaced! I was starting to worry about you and the babies!

I am still dancing - thank you for the positive reinforcement. Tango presents the exact balance of challenge and accessibility that appeals to me. I love the triumph of learning a new step. And then I've driven completely batty five minutes later when the whole concept floats swiftly over my head.

AARGH and YEAAAAH!

I will definitely take your advice about the music and the shoes. It's such a beautiful movement of the body that I cannot bear to stop now. Sigh.

New post forthcoming... I had another lesson tonight and plenty more revelations have landed :)

Elizabeth Brinton said...

oh, how much fun is this? A tango baby. Fasten your seatbelts.....

ad said...

I look forward to following in your footsteps!

Tha Connoisseur said...

The picture of that shoe is making my left eye twitch incessantly.

ad said...

Sometimes I so can't stop staring at the beautiful shoes that I'm not listening to my teacher...

Polka dots...