Musings on Tango, Sensuality and Spirituality
(No, not too much communion wine. And we seldom drink at milongas. Read on.) The hangover. Reflections on the night before the morning after … I took time to revisit the previous night’s dancing. What stuck with me, what I cared to hold on to, what opened me up emotionally and stretched my heart, was quite … Read more
It is a stroke of genius that the Tango ritualized eye contact – the cabeceo – as the first and critical element of the dance proposal. This is where it all begins: Eyes connecting from across the room with an affirming nod, raised eyebrows, a look of permission, acceptance, expectation.
Within all the busyness and distractions of flare and finesse that attract attention – the dance that everyone recognizes as the Tango – there is a dance that no one can see, a secret sheltered by the couple. It is as close as your partner’s cheek, as soft as her breath, as delicate as a … Read more
About every six months in our community, someone sounds the alarm: “There’s a creep on the dance floor!” Everyone panics, especially me. No one wants our dance community to be creep-free more than I. But are we surprised? Should we be? Creep happens. The Creep Factor The versions of creepiness I hear or have experienced … Read more
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
“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