Musings on Tango, Sensuality and Spirituality
Tell me how to improve my dancing and I am intrigued. (I may even care enough to practice.) Tell me how I can become a better person through my dancing and I am inspired. This goes right to my heart’s core. Growing the power center through Tango. Reflections on a lesson with Deborah Sclar, an … Read more
Do you ever get halfway through a dance and suddenly get hit with the thought, Boring. Same old same old. Going through the motions. What is the North American default response to boredom? More stuff. Stuff more stuff into the dance. Learn more steps, more tricks and flicks. Be busier. Dance faster. The Tango bumper … Read more
This week, June 6, 2024 was celebrated as the 80 anniversary of D-Day, the decisive battle between the Allies and the Nazis on the shores of Normandy in WW11. Fortunately, I have been spared the experience of living through (or not) the horrors of war, as are millions even at this moment. My response of … Read more
It takes three to tango: You, me and the dance between. I have no other explanation for the odd stuff that happens between my partner and I when we dance. Case in point: the other day I got nervous while dancing. A performance, no biggie, but I thought I should apologize. Except that my partner apologized first – … Read more
Every time I create space for my partner (as a lead) I am sending her out on her own to explore, express, be creative, have fun. In the interval as I patiently wait for her return, I am enthralled by the skill and energy that my partner invests in beautifying the dance. When she reconnects in close embrace, we are both enriched by the elegance and creativity that has been added to our shared experience.
“We search for something that will seem like truth to us; we search for understanding; we search for that principle which keys us deeply into the pattern of all life; we search for the relations of things.” The Log from the Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck (February 27, 1902–December 20, 1968) “Blessed are those with … Read more
My daughter and I are sitting at an outdoor patio cafe overlooking Kitsilano Beach, downtown Vancouver, idyllic. Two young gentlemen (I use that term in the broadest sense of the word) sit down at the next table and begin spewing mouthfuls of sexist slurs. My daughter, straight out, calls them on it. “I’m gay and … Read more
We are haunted by the spectre that we are alone, islands unto ourselves, neither belonging nor beloved. Our entire lives, we strive to bridge that gulf, to find belonging in a community, to claim a special place in someone’s heart, someone’s arms. We are social creatures. Our sense of self comes from being in relation, seeing … Read more
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love.” Simone Weil “Love is the quality of attention we pay to things.” J.D. McClatchy. Attentiveness Deep attention is one of the most precious treasures we can share. Attentiveness is … Read more
“We practice technique to get to know our own bodies. And then we take what we know of ourselves, our movements and musicality onto the dance floor to join up with our partner.” Carolina Bonaventura, milonguera y profesora. Me First Who knew? Sure, there was always the airline stewardess reviewing the safety pamphlet before takeoff, … Read more