tango touch

It isn’t romance or desire. It is presence. It is the courage to be open, to meet another human with tenderness, curiosity and sensitivity. The steps may invite us in, but it’s the feeling that makes us stay. Shar

For those of us who are at risk of despairing in these dark times, consider the inspiring words of Leonard Bernstein, the famous Jewish-American composer and conductor, who spoke defiantly in the face of the rising spectre of Nazism: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music (and dance) more intensely, more beautiful, more devotedly than ever before.”

Ever wonder why Spanish romance songs always talk about el corazon? Does the latin temperament know something about human nature North Americans don’t?

Moments of intimacy: reflections the morning after on the night before …I thoughtfully took time to revisit the previous night’s dancing. What stuck with me, what have I kept, what opened me up emotionally and stretched my my heart, was quite surprising.

A little word: pause.
But it encapsulates one of the foundational elements of tango. This is the heart of the dance. This is what gives it its soul; those moments, however fleeting, when the couple creates time and space to join together, connect, to listen to the other, to attune to the press of body against body, feel a heartbeat, share a breath. Some call this the tango high, tango heaven.

In tango as in life.
As we are in our bodies, so we are in the world. This is not just about looking good or dancing correctly; it is about embracing life.

How do I nurture an appreciation for the magic and mystery of tango?
(even when I am screwing up the steps or dancing with my least favourite partner)

Answer: Breathe in the WONDER.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Question: Do you have to be psychic to dance tango?

Answer: No, but it helps.

Here are a few of the magical mysteries that I experience in tango. Let’s explore.

An invitation:

Let’s play the tango improve game next milonga by responding to whatever dance step our partner makes with a “yes, and.” If it is not the response we were expecting or desiring, we can chose to welcome it as an invitation to be creative. 

With my hand extended
I invite you, my partner,

for the briefest of moments,

to nurture with me

this delicate warmth.