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I don’t dance as much as I used to.
Not because I don’t like it.
My focus is on playing with my son when I am not working, and he is too young to join me at the milongas.
But yesterday I felt this need to dance.
I was working all day long listening to tango music in parallel, and both my body and my mind was telling me it’s time.
I kissed my son and wife goodnight and went out.
As usual, I didn’t start dancing right away.
I gave myself time to absorb the music and the environment.
When I danced my first tanda, I was not in the mood for the usual conversation.
You know: “where do you come from?”, “how many days are you staying here?”
Without thinking about it, I simply asked:
-What do you like most about tango?
Silence.
She took a while to respond.
Who asks this kind of question, right?
She doesn’t even know me, why did I ask that?
Did I just make sure that the next three songs are going to feel weird?
But before I was able to interrupt the awkward silence, she talked.
-Connection.
We danced one more song.
-You didn’t ask me “Connection with whom?”, she said at the end.
I asked.
-With myself.
-Why?
-It is my active meditation.
-Why do you need it?
-It helps me grow.
I smiled.
What if I kept doing that all night long?
What would I discover?
The next woman I danced with, simply said:
-I love to meet complete strangers, from anywhere in the world, and know that I have a language to communicate with them.
Beautiful, I thought.
I received many answers that night.
-Because tango shakes my soul, another one told me.
And then, it happened:
–To stay alive.
Words were not coming easy.
Was I supposed to ask more, or give her privacy?
I made a choice.
-What happened?
-I am pregnant.
-Congratul…
I saw something in her eyes.
I stopped.
–It will not make it. There is some kind of incompatibility with my body. We don’t know when it will happen, or if it has already happened by now. Just the certainty it will happen.
Once again, I didn’t know what to say.
The music saved me, and we hugged again.
In a split second many memories came back to my mind.
The moment we thought my father had commited suicide…
A friend of mine who lost two babies.
I had no power to influence those scenarios.
Or did I?
Maybe I could.
I looked down, and noticed the soles of my tango shoes.
They were getting unstuck.
They won’t make the night, I thought.
Maybe they feel insufficient too.
Insufficient to rise up to the situation, to do the right thing.
Maybe they also feel… small…
Can the shoes feel smaller?
Lucky shoes, you’ll always be a “44”.
Feelings are a gift and curse only for the living.
What am I thinking?
How can I be thinking of myself at this moment?
How can I be thinking of my experiences?
Was my mind trying to take me away from something I wasn’t prepared for?
Humans are weird creatures.
We worry about our shoes, and at the same time we brush off disasters we see on TV.
I came back to the moment.
How am I supposed to dance this tango?
No, not the specific music.
But this tango, a tango that follows such a revelation.
I felt her.
She was dancing and letting go.
She was dancing to feel alive.
I am not enough for this, I thought.
And then, I noticed something.
My right hand.
It was just a bit lower on her back.
Exactly. . . there.
We were dancing, but I was no longer dancing with her.
I was dancing with the life she was carrying.
Praying for healing…
Praying for a miracle.
Maybe the doctor was wrong, after all.
Hope.
I let everything go, delivered everything to more powerful hands.
I was dancing, trying to give a safe environment for that unborn life, saying at the same time my “Hello” and my “Goodbye”.
If I only knew where this simple question, this simple “Why?” would take me.
I continued asking this question to my partners during that night.
I was still afraid I might make them uncomfortable.
That was rarely the case.
There is a strong need in us to be understood, to be heard.
So people talked and shared.
That night I saw people that were smiling while dancing, but were passing through hard divorces.
And tango was there for them.
That night, I saw people… connecting with people.
What if we were all dancing to heal and be healed?
What would a milonga look like in that case?
That’s a milonga I wouldn’t miss for the world.
-What if we were all dancing to heal and be healed?, I thought again.
Update:
Something beautiful happened after writing the above blogpost.
I started dancing with women in milongas that had read it.
They also started asking people why they dance.
And some of them noticed something amazing.
After they asked that question, the dances became warmer, better.
They felt more connected, and the bodies of their partners felt lighter.
I did not see this coming, but it makes perfect sense to me.
What about you?
Yes, you.
The one that feels the urge to leave this blogpost since it is obviously over.
Scrolling in that blue platform is just a click away, isn’t it?
It’s your choice to leave.
I wish I could hug you before doing that.
I can’t.
So let me ask you this:
Why do you dance? (see other responses in the comments below, and maybe, maybe, add yours.)
Hug, and let go,
Dimitris Bronowski
Say it without words:
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Why do you dance tango?
I believe hugs have the power to heal. Heal minds, heal bodies, heal souls. Every time I dance, I simply say to my heart: use this hug to heal, to keep beating, to keep me close to the people I love. And I believe it will. And then I ask from my embrace to do the same for the person I hug. After that, steps don’t matter.
I think I am going to ask that question in between the tandas. Human nature is so amazing. I’ll come with feedback. Thanks for sharing your idea.
Thank you Roxana! But I wonder, what is YOUR answer? 🙂
I think your approach is an intriguing way to reflect on and perhaps articulate what tango means for us personally. What these moments give us. Whether there is a definable essence I’m not sure but I can certainly relate to what others have said and, maybe, that is all we can say, we relate to each other in a unique way. For me tango is a balm to both my existential angst and joy. Thanks for posting.
You are welcome Leon! Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts!
I answered that first. I think that tango is a spiral of experiences, the most fulfilling ones for me. A continuous transformation, in cycle of life – death – life, where I am in relation with myself, with the music and with my partner.
This article nailed it! It’s sooooo good. For those wondering why I dance…
I dance to spread joy, to make others feel alive and happy and confident in themselves. And to heal myself, and enjoy/express my own confidence. I dance to ward off the constant effects of depression. I dance to live, and to feel alive.
Thank you for sharing that thought Alexander! I noticed you have a blog and that you write poetry. Have you ever written something about tango? I would love to read it
I dance because I feel I connect better with people without speaking. I can’t imagine someone asking me a question that deep between 2 songs. I prefer to let our connection speak and if I ask someone where they are from that means I did not connect with them in dance. If I do connect I prefer to not speak to that person at the moment and would rather smile or laugh and leave it at that as speech for me interefers with the depth of the completely different level of connection that dance means to me.
Hey Snezana! You like silence? Let’s talk silence: https://tangoargentinofestivals.com/postshare/lets-talk-silence/ 🙂 Hug
You so have a way with words and with breaking down what to me are unspoken notions into beautiful components. Also a way with taking a response and amplifying it 🙂
Tango is a magnifying glass of what we have inside. If you have ego, and become good in tango, your ego amplifies. If you are humble, and become good in tango, you find more reasons to be humble. The beauty of tango is that takes our character and makes it visible to others through our embrace and dance. In this sense it makes visible what otherwise isn’t. This makes it easier for me to see what people normally miss 🙂
Thank you for your words
I am Emergency and Trauma doctor. I see sickness and death every single day. I watch regret, listen to cries of pain and experience defeat when patient patients succumb. There are good days and bad days but everyday is infused with a dose of adrenaline. Tango serves as an escape. Its 12 minutes of having a connection with someone and enjoying the moment. Its to dance with sincerity and passion… and enjoy every moment of it
Wow…! First of all, thank you for doing this, thank you for saving lives, what a gift to have.
“Dance with sincerity”… What a lovely way to put it, thank you. Do you feel tango is your way of letting all those daily emotions that you experience go?
I love dancing tango because it feels good. When you find someone with a good embrace, a good lead, I forget about anything else in the world. Furthermore I love the Milonga music and dance as well because it lifts my mood and takes me to a playful, happy place.
“I forget about anything else in the world”… Isn’t that a true gift?
Tango helped me come back to my body and my senses from a heavy deppresion post moving to a new city. It also brought a beautiful community and wonderful friends.
I dance for connection, union, through tango I move from duality to oneness, to feel and to express emotions creatively. When approached with the right intention like you also said, it becomes highly nourishing and healing. Movement, music and hugs are all well known therapies. Put them all together and you have tango. It is super healing and equally heartbreaking when you show up and dont get dances. I admit, having a tanda with someone I’ve never seen before, as follower, is a risk I no longer take but if I were an experienced leader I would make more of an effort to focus on those ladies who are sitting.
Thank you for sharing Diana! You say “It is super healing and equally heartbreaking when you show up and dont get dances.” I would love to know why you find it heartbreaking. What are the expectations you have in your mind when going to a milonga? What are the requirements that you have that would make a certain night a good one or a bad one?
Why I dance tango? If you and your partner are hearing the music in a similar way, then I totally enjoy the tango the leader is creating, and at the end of the tanda we are breathing in sync and our hearts are beating together–magical to have a deep connection like that❤️
This feeling of being in sync with another human being is trully powerful Shirley. Thank you for noting it. Did you ever had a “sync” experience that was way stronger than others? If yes, how did that feel? What happened?
I started dancing 6 years ago after a divorce. People who dont know what tango is about say things like… women go to tango to find a new partner. No, sorry, that’s not it. We go to tango to find ourselves. After years of being what other people expected us to be, we dance to follow our heart beats. To discover our own smell, to face our fears and insecurities. To beat them. We dance tango to be whatever we want to be inspite of criticism and judgement.
We dance tango to become adults, in a world of eternal teenagers who only struggle to be accepted.
Thank you for sharing those personal thoughts Cecilia! I hope you managed to find yourself through that journey. Hug
I have had to be responsible for me and so many others all of my life, in so many ways. To be super responsible.
When I dance, I surrender, I listen, I am obedient, and in those three choices I am able to be carried, by choice, by another. To flow in a liquid like pattern around them like air around a moving carrier, and to, just for those moments, relinquish control and be freed to trust in someone else’s care. I become essentially a part of, and yet invisible, to the intent of another.
There are tandas I can remember dancing, years ago, that marked my heart forever. A tattoo on my soul that only the leader and I know about. This is why I return, in a search to surrender. Thank you for asking.
I love the opportunity to let my soul come out to play with another person‘s soul. It’s Tango on the inside for me. Allowing those souls to connect with the orchestra also puts me in touch with the joy those musicians and composer were emanating as well.
In my early Tango days, getting the mechanics and the body memory functional limited this experience. This is why I so hope that people would hang in there with Tango a good long time so they can get to the juicy parts eventually!
During the nine years I ran a monthly Milonga in Bellingham Washington, I had a phrase for my attendees to keep in mind: Give. Good. Tango.
What a wonderful endeavor this is: healing, happiness, connection.
Thank you for sharing this Rebecca! I saw your page (https://www.tangolife.biz/) and loved the “Give. Good. Tango.” tagline. Thank you for joining the discussion!
This is such a touching story, I have had many struggles including my son nearly dying of sepsis. Tango has helped me and I have laughed and cried through dances… x
This mush have been trully hard on you Louise! I am glad tango was there for you!
I dance tango to connect with that one individual who needs to feel loved in the moment we share. To connect with a person who had a stressful day but needs a soft embrace to melt away tension the stress caused. I dance it to share an escape from the pressures of the daily grind, if only for a few minutes, to transport ourselves to a utopia only our minds can imagine.
I was touched by this story.. Thank you, Dimitris
You are welcome Piotr
As a dance partner once said to me: to dance tango you must have experienced some level of suffering in your life.
So I guess I breathe out the pain through the abrazo.
Thank you Dimitris for such a beautiful and moving story.
And much more for the deep understanding of the true nature of tango…. the way I see it
You are welcome Yelena! I wonder though, what’s your answer? Why do YOU dance?
That must be a healing experience Isabel. Thank you for sharing this
Thank you Dimitri for bringing another perspective of dancing and the why. The most I like about Tango is that it is giving my insecurities a place and feel for a moment secure and happy
A safe place, for expessing who we truly are… Thank you Sunay! I wonder, why do you think Tango feels like a safe place for your insecurities?
Dimitris, do you mind if I share your writing above. I think it is something I would love all the tango community to contemplate. I know I will….
Thank for believing in that message Kalli. You can of course share the link everywhere you want. But first and most importantly, I would love to know why YOU dance?
I like dancing tango for its intention of sharing, two minds and bodies willing to move as one couple. And then, in my tango, starts the game: like a just-fallen-in-love couple, provoking/challenging each other to enjoy their complicity, developing their unique way of speaking to underline the special relationship they feel, there and in that moment.
“to underline the special relationship they feel, there and in that moment” Beautiful, just beautiful… You seem to have a very playful approach to tango. Am I getting this right? 🙂 If yes, is that an approach you have in your day-to-day life, or it just happens in tango?
Yes, it is the way I interact with those very close, so best friends and partner.
But it is not only playful, it is also kind of challenging, more like “let’s see how far we can push it, and then let’s have fun of our failure”. In the end “failing” is part of the game, and failure after failure you push the limit of your shared feelings.
Ok so Tango has taught me not to assume or judge who or what someone is… Tango in my opinion is telling, I love it’s openess
Thank you for sharing, Dimitris… I dance because I want to live… When I have a good tanda – I just forget about all troubles and problems… it feels so good, so enlightening…
I read a beautiful research on brain activity where they said that the brain is calmer not when you are thinking of nothing, but when you are focusing at a specific activity and only on that. I guess that’s what tango does. Do you experience it this way?
It is my joy, my challenge, my frustration, my growth and pure bliss when I allow myself to just ‘be me’
My friend encouraged me to start tango dancing when I was getting a divorce. That process, still today, feels unreal and it was awful. I was in a place where I needed to feel love, and to give love. The love that comes from connecting with other people. Tango has truly healed me.
Anna-Frida, it seems that divorce has been the reason for many people to come to tango, based on the other responses in this blog post. It is beautiful how tango allow us to feel that someone may offer us moments of love without any expectation, simply for the pleasure of creation and connection.
Meg, I wonder, what is it in tango that you feel allows you “just be you”, that doesn’t exist in the outside of tango world? Hug
To get used to this feeling of not being good enough, but stil go out there and go 200% all in to make again a magical connection and dance together not like nobody is watching, but not caring about anybody or anything else than those you dance with at that moment. Total focus on each other, making the music come alive through our dance together. Getting that I-do-not-want-to-let-you-go hug at the end. And knowing that you were at least once again, good enough. Btw I started dancing in 1992, and about 100 days a year since 2014. Still learning, how to become good enough.
When I first experienced the magical moment of my mind flying away while dancing tango, I understood why so many people crave for that dance.
I dance tango to give and receive that hug that will travel my partner’s and my mind to a journey of inner peace and happiness.
Hey Naze! I wonder, where does your mind go when you dance tango?
It depends on the dance partner.
When I dance with someone I really enjoy, my mind is totally free to become one with the music and the dancing, communicating with him and expressing myself.
When I dance with someone I don’t match so much, for example a steef leader, I try through my hug and breathing to relax him so we can both enjoy the dancing.
This happens to me also when i dance bachata, because a hug can totally transform a person.
“Still learning, how to become good enough.” Beautiful Martin. I wonder, what is it that you feel allows you to “get used to this feeling of not being good enough” when you are in tango, that doesn’t exist in the other areas of your life? Also, from your response I get the feeling that you are dealing with it in a very positive way, which is beautiful. How does tango helped you deal with it in such a way?
I am new to Tango but not to dancing. I dance as a way of meditating and because I love the sensations it creates in my body when my dance is flowing with the music.
But in Tango I have found even more than that. The connection with a dance partner in Tango can be so beautiful and deep. It can take the dance to another level. It can release so many feelings: love, empathy, trust, eroticism, friendship, sadness sometimes….It is a very special dance. I am so glad I found it.
You seem like a very receptive person Jane. Many people seem to be going into meditation for the same reasons as they do for tango, so I loved to see that you find something even deeper in Tango than meditation. I personally find it more difficult to experience connection through meditation (although it is possible), than with tango. The element of connection is in a sense necessary and that makes this dance so beautiful. Do you share this opinion?
Yes for me the element of connection in Tango is very special and important for this dance form. I feel it is about sharing yourself with another. Traditional meditation has always felt like going into myself. The other dance forms I have done besides Tango were all solo. I could meditate with them because they took me out of myself due to the focus and concentration required to do them.
Tango seems to take me into myself and then if the connection is good I can share that with my partner.
Thank you for your reply Dimitris. It is good to think about these aspects of Tango and try to express them in my own words.
Tango allows me to express what I feel is the truest part of myself, and to connect with someone in such a way I haven’t found anywhere else. It’s the bliss of feeling perfectly in sync with myself, my partner and the music, such as we become one being gently gliding across the floor – being completely in the moment, a state of flow with an embrace that makes the background disappear, a connection so deep and fragile at the same time.
It’s like coming home to the human essence, the raw emotion and yearning for connection with another soul. Tango allows me to recharge that need for connection in a disconnected world and heal through connection in difficult moments.
“a state of flow”. Are you familiar with the work of Jamie Wheal and Steven Kotler? They wrote a beautiful book that when I first read thought to myself: that’s exactly what people look for in tango. Just a thought
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062429663/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=networksofinf-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062429663&linkId=fdce35afe205d61ea1ec8b898e523799
I had heard about the concept of flow at work and have experienced it a few times in that context, but tango feels like a different kind of flow, less intellectual and more energetic/spiritual. Thanks for the book tip!
Yes, most people hear about flow in that context. But a flow state is actually a well defined circle of 4-5 specific chemicals in the mind. Interestingly enough, these are the same chemicals that tango boosts 🙂
Because dancing tango is like dreaming. It lets you to have some feelings and sensations you never have in the real life. You cannot think about anything and just live a short period of time only at the emotional level. Of course you`ll never know what kind of dream will come…but…every time there is a hope it will be a nice dream with intense feelings and emotions.
“You cannot think about anything and just live a short period of time only at the emotional level. ” That’s exactly what I love about this dance Aliona! I hope one day we dance together 🙂 I wonder, does this feeling of being only at an emotional level last for a long time after the milonga ends? Or is it concentrated only during the dance? (or does it start on your way to the milonga? 🙂 )
Oh yes! sometimes it lasts after the dance finishes! And sometimes I can recall the feelings of a few exceptional dances even a long time after they happened! That`s the beauty of good dreams 🙂 I would love to dance with you one day !
Thank you, Dimitris, for this beautiful idea. Last summer a friend of mine and me realized that we dance tango because it keeps us normal: when I embrace someone I feel that we are both just human and all filters, roles and everyday obligations and formalizations are forgotten. I like to think of it as an act of rebellion.
“Normal rebels!” That has a nice sound to it 🙂 I am very curious. Could you explain what you mean when you say that you dance to “feel normal” and then saying “it is an act of rebellion”? It seems a bit contradicting, but only because I am probably missing something
Even though I already answered during our tanda (connection with myself), I also think that, for me, it is like an infinite discovery of myself (my state of awareness).
A feeling of pure presence and focus right? Thank you for your tanda, it seems it has created something beautiful that we were not aware we were creating 🙂
Dimitri your story touched my heart, I have been in that place as the lady in your story. I am sure she went home feeling happier. It is too bad not many leaders want to be so kind.
I dance tango because it transports me to a place where nothing else is important. Just the connection with another human that hopefully feels the music and the rhythm as you do. It is magical. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Kindness makes the lives of all of us fuller Mirta. I danced again with the same lady two days later. There were a couple of misunderstandings on my leading, and we ended up laughing so hard I was starting to cry. A beautiful experience 🙂 I see tango as a magnifying glass of our emotions. So I wanted to ask: what is it that you feel should change in the world of tango to become more human?
Ειδα το αρθρο στο facebook….ακολουθησα το λινκ για να το διαβασω.”Καταπληκτικο” σκεφτηκα…..και μετα ειδα το ονομα που το υπεγραφε.
Χαιρομαι πολυ που σε ξαναβρηκα εστω και διαδικτυακα.Παντα εγραφες υπεροχα.
Οσα μοιραστηκες μαζι μας ηταν απεραντα ειλικρινη και ανθρωπινα.Σ’ευχαριστουμε…
Ωωωωππ! Καλώς τα παιδιά! 🙂 Ευχαριστώ Ευη! Θα χαρώ να διαβάσω τις δικές σου σκέψεις αυτή τη φορά… Γιατί χορεύεις τάνγκο;
My approach to tango is exactly like the author of the post describes. Music and dance (in general, and tango particularly) heal both mind and soul. It’s not simply about forgetting problems for mere 12 minutes or so. When I dance, I “switch on” my empathy for the partner, the moment I form abrazo. I forget about the outer world completely, then try to expres and pass my emotions and feelings, soaking deeply in music. No matter I cannot dance all these complicated figures and I am not perfect technically… I give myself and this receives the beautiful feedback from tangueros
” I “switch on” my empathy for the partner”
this is beautifully said Sylwia! Empathy is such a healing emotion, both for the giver and the receiver. Have you experienced a similar type of empathy in other activities?
Actually, yes, many times. During religious ceremonies.
That’s a beautiful observation of what happens in a Milonga, and a deeper reflection about Tango itself. For me, a “perfect” tanda is indeed as an active meditation, in a sense as you don’t think, you simply feel. When one can get to that point it’s extremely rewarding, because one can really feel the connection with the partner, the music in the present, in a an unique moment of being.
It’s like being there without being there, hard to explain in words. It’s like both dancers just become one and simply fly thought the music, or run down like a river, adapting to what happens with extreme softness, a kind of a sensation of continuity and flow. It’s amazing and unique. At the end one just comes back to his/her normal state and accepts it, still feeling the effects of such an experience, and slowly comes back to earth.
Beautifully said. Joao, I wonder, do you have any other forms of meditation that you are involved in? If yes, what do you think is the main difference when it comes to tango?
Yes i do practice a little bit of Chi Kung and Tai Chi, that also implies a meditative state.
In Tango, because one has a partner and the music as guidance, the experience is quite different, more integrative and joyful.
YES!!!! Finally, I read something that I’ve felt but never expressed and have never discussed before or heard discussed before. Dancing to heal and be healed. Dancing to reach into the soul of another being. Dancing to understand the nuances of how the body can store so much joy and pain and life experiences. Dancing to touch that vulnerable yet precious heart in each being, and then to take care of it, give it warmth, and give it tenderness, and give it love. Dancing with the manifestation of this wonderful being in your embrace. Dancing in the moment. Dancing with peace in your heart, and in doing so, there is joy and peace in every step.
Share with you a beautiful poem… 🙂
“Take my hand.
We will walk.
We will only walk.
We will enjoy our walk
without thinking of arriving anywhere.
Walk peacefully.
Walk happily.
Our walk is a peace walk.
Our walk is a happiness walk.
Then we learn
that there is no peace walk;
that peace is the walk;
that there is no happiness walk;
that happiness is the walk.
We walk for ourselves.
We walk for everyone
always hand in hand.
Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Print on Earth your love and happiness.” (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Much gratitude in my heart that you share this post.
May you walk with peace, love, healing, and joy in your heart and in your twinkle toes, Dimitris.
Thich Nhat Hanh rocks big time! 🙂 What a beautiful poem! Thank you for sharing this D! I hope to see you around more often, sharing your thoughts! (if you are in the newlsetter you will be notified (you can do it here: https://tangoargentinofestivals.com/ ) ) Hug!
I dance Tango Argentino to receive and give joy.
There are serveral ways that joy mainfests while dancing, it can take many forms, and it happens with very different partners.
Thank you for sharing this Carsten! I noticed that you have a milonga (http://blog.neunmalsechs.de/tango-argentino/milonga-armonico/milonga-tango-armonico-english-version/). Thank you for giving us ways to dance and enjoy tango!
I dance for a lot of reasons, it depend on my life/year/day situation and mood, my last lessons, my health, sleep amount at night, food, sometimes even on moon. But I choose a partner for dancing by thinking if I want to make him (and our tanda) happy. I dont look for best, youngest, most famous dancers – I am at a level where I can dance with whoever I like. I go with my sixth sense, look into their eyes and try to feel the connection. If they resonate smth in me and I in them – we will dance. Otherwise I smile and wish them best. I never check dancers first on the dance floor, but sometimes it happens that I see a person first there and I know immediately- I could make him/her happy. Pity, sometimes when they Look into my eyes during my mirada later, they don’t feel the call of my soul.. but I wish them best.
Thank you for sharing that Laura!
I haven’t danced in 2-3 years. For whatever reason I clicked to read this beautiful piece and all the memories of tango came back. Even thou I was never really good at it, I loved it with all my heart. It physically made my heart ache…that is how much I loved it. That human connection, that sadness, that joy…it was heroin to me. It’s still like a cologne of the man I once loved…brings all back in a second. Thank you for capturing it so beautifully.
Why do I dance tango–
When I get into the embrace, I’m no longer me, yet I am me. I am a part of the music, I am a part of the embrace, I am a part of the connection. All my focus is on that connection to my partner, connection to the music, connection to how my partner is listening to the music, and connection to how I am listening to the music. So it’s like I’m existing in that space and yet I don’t exist. I lose myself and trust my partner for the 12+ minutes with expectation for the same from my partner.
I dance tango searching for all of the above. Where I can fully connect with another soul…
Here’s poem I wrote related to why I dance tango…
I hear you.
I feel you.
I see you.
I am here.
Do you hear me…
Talking to you with my arms
Talking to you with my hands
Talking to you with my feet
Talking to you with my heart
Do you hear me…
Sharing my vulnerability
Pouring my spirit
Showing my inner child
Hugging you with my soul
I’m not standing in your arms
Just to selfishly take what you are giving me
You are standing in my arms too
I am here giving, sharing, opening up too
So hold me, hear me, talk with me..
Because when you do,
I’m safe, secure, understood, protected, expressed, connected…
Because when you do,
you’ll truly experience not you, not me, but us.
Because when you do,
I’ll think of you when I hear a song…
Thank you Tara! That’s beautiful! I just shared your poem on facebook, it should definitely reach more people! Would you like to share it as well in the Tango Thoughts group? https://www.facebook.com/groups/270237183881018/
For me, the joy and heartbreak of Argentine tango, the thing that keeps pulling me in deeper despite the frequent trials and tribulations, is the challenge. The challenge of connecting with myself in an authentic, holistic way that connects well with my partner, and with potential partners, and with the music of the moment. The challenge of appreciating and responding well to differences, to bring out the best of a partnership. The technical challenges. The challenge of responding in a way that does honor to beautiful music. The challenge of being quiet, waiting, watching, listening, and feeling.