Have you ever felt as if you were the only couple on the dance floor,
that you and your partner were in a world unto yourselves safely cocooned in your own universe,
when all you were aware of, other than the music, was the warm, responsive movement of your partner?
This is Double Bubble Tango.
Don’t we all want this feeling, all the time? What is the secret?
#1. Create the bubble skin.
To be clear, it takes more than two to create a double bubble. All the externals that support the dance experience: the venue, the selection of the music, the dance community, the technical skill of the dancers, right down to the quality of the floor and sound system, all these elements come together to form the skin on the bubble.
If any one of these variants are askew, it is hard to relax into the bubble feeling. True?
Personally, I am continually grateful for all the effort and attention that is put into the Monday Night Tango Cafe experience, starting with Bob generously sharing his charming cafe to Vincenzo creating an exquisite fresh playlist every week, to all the faithfuls who conscientiously add their own special contribution every week, all in the spirit of making the evening as welcoming and pleasurable as possible to all levels of dancers. I am proud to say that together we have fashioned an inclusive, welcoming community.
#2 Get inside the bubble.
After the exteriors (the bubble skin) are in place, tend to your interior.
Take a brief moment before you commit to your dance partner to close your eyes. Do an inner scan. Breathe. Center. Collect. Find your inner axis. Relax your shoulders, soften your knees, firm up your core, awaken your inner dancer. Climb inside the bubble.
But of course you don’t want to be in your bubble by yourself, so …
#3 Make the bubble double.
Create a warm welcoming heart space for your partner and invite /him or her to join you inside.
Make eye contact. Smile. Extend your hand in invitation. Merge slowly and attentively into the embrace.
Don’t rush it. If you rush it, you miss the subtle, layered awareness of entering into a sacred encounter of another.
To quote Carlos Gavito, “Tango is a silent secret that you share with your partner.”