這是在 tango 的 mailing list 上看到的. 請對阿根廷 tango 有好感的人務必看一下!
One day, I will go to Buenos Aires...
心岳
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango [mailto:TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of David Allen
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:31 AM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: My experience in BA
I would like to share my first experience on Buenos Aires.
A little background. I have been a dancer most of my life. I took up
Argentine tango 17 mos ago. My style of dance has been "close embrace" or
"on the body". I have been blessed with excellent local teachers as well as
traveling teachers.
I spent most of the month of September in BA. It was my first time. My
main objective in going was to study more intensely with Susana Miller with
the intention of improving my basics of tango, ie, presence, walk, posture,
balance, lead. I knew that I would learn steps as a result, however, I
would not have been disappointed if i had not learned any new steps.
My first day in BA I was taken to dance at Italia Unita. I was told all the
best BA dancers go there. I was scared because I did not know if I would be
able to get a milonguera to dance with me and I did not know if I did, would
my dance be good enough to get more dances. To my good fortune one of the
organizers of the milonga, Rubin, was close with Susana, knew I was coming
and got me initial dances. To the praise of my teachers and my many hours
of practice and dance I danced well enough and was able to navigate the
floor well enough to get more dances. Later in the day Susana showed up. I
danced a tanda with her on a very crowded floor. Afterwards more of the
milongueras in attendance gave me dances. As days went by I visited more
milongas such as La Ideal, Pavadita, Nino Bien, Club Gricel, etc. At these
milongas enough milongueras and milongureos that I had danced with and met
were in attendance that I was able to show my dance and get dances with new
milongureas. I discovered that if you were not known in the good milongas
it was tough to get a dance. When you did you had to show you could dance
and navigate the floor well to continue to get dances.
I danced about 7 to 9 hours a day, which included afternoon milongas, night
classes and night milongas. I took lessons mainly from Susana and also from
Puppy, Graciela, Lauren, Rubin and others. I enjoyed every minute and know
that anyone who continues to dance tango needs to experience BA. If I had
not taken any lessons while there, the level of milongurea that I was
prividledged to dance with alone would have improved my dance. I learned
almost as much dancing with some of the best and watching the best as I did
in classes. You do truly refine and solidify on the dance floor.
These are the understandings of tango I gained in BA: 1. They dance for
the pleasure of the dance and the experience that they get from each other.
2. They dance for the most part simply, very few complicated, showy steps.
Even thought they can do the complicated, showy even on a non crowded floor
most still danced simply. Their emphasis, #1 above. 3. The basics are the
most important part of the tango. What matters most is your presence,
posture, balance, lead or follow. The better the basics, the better and
easier the dance, the more you free yourself to hear the music and open
yourself to your partner so that you truly can talk to and listen to each
other through your bodies. 4. A good majority dance the "close embrace"
style because the experience you can have dancing on the body with another
person can not be had in any other style. Yes you can have an incredible
experience dancing "salon" or "open" style and yet the truly delicious,
sensuous, spiritual experience comes from that intimate, open heart, body on
body style. It is in "on the body" that one can have the "out of body"
experience. Once experienced, it is continually looked for in the next
dance. My good friend, Barbara, calls it "Chasing the Ghost". 5. In
conjunction with #'s 1 & 2 above they dance the music not the steps. They
dance the musical phrasing between the beats and are, at the same time,
always on the beat.
I was asked by my fellow dancers in Atlanta to describe what it felt like
dancing with that good, experienced milonguera. My response, "It was like
dancing with an oak tree that gave me her heart and I could move with a
feather". Due to their presence in the dance my lead became very sutle. It
was my hardest adjustment to make once back home, that of making my lead
less sutle again. Yes, I did get spoiled. My dancing definitely got
changed and improved in a deliciously marvelous way. I do dance now for the
pleasure and the experience and I was able to make the transition to dancing
the music and not the steps. Ooooooh, my oh my,
the things I could share.
Wow!!!! The greatest dance in the world. I truly do understand now how my
friend, Christina Johnson, was able to create a masterful "Relationship"
workshop using the Argentine tango as the basis.
Thanks for letting me express my thoughts.
Hooked on tango,
David