Tuesday, November 19, 2013

What are our favorites telling us?

A few months ago a friend asked me at a milonga which are my favorite tango couples. A tornado of names rushed through my head and I must admit that to come down to a handful of names was impossibly. The question was though anchored in my mind and every now and then some names were floating up to my awareness before disappearing again. I started curiously follow the process when a couple of names took positions compared to others, absolutely and relatively until I today can present the shortest list during these weeks and months.

I ask you to pay attention to the fact that this list doesn’t have numbers, but the order seems to be important for me – I do not clearly know why, but this is the only order my soul allows me to write them. In that way this list or anyhow the reasons for this order are secret, even to me.

So this is not a list about who is the best dancer in the world, but a list which tells something about my deepest thoughts and feelings for tango.  These names represent the tips of icebergs of my tango values and appreciations.

Here are the couples for time being stated by my unconscious heart:

Sebastian and Mariana
Charlitos and Noelia
Chicho and Juana
Javier and Noelia

And here you have my thoughts when I let my brain to form some ideas about this list:

Sebastian and Mariana
They have been the starting couple at all stages of this list. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they have been working together so long time, having had the time to know each other and creating a stable cooperation, partnering. The most astonishing aspect in their performances is the glowing elegance as no one else’s today! I noticed that I prefer to write performance to dance – must indicate a lot.



Charlitos and Noelia
Their musicality blows my brain! They are outstanding and even a video with them can make me cry certain days!




Chicho and Juana
Chicho is the King of rhythmic tango!  He is also a kind of renaissance person being a musician and painter too.



And Juana is a sweet partner with the toughness needed to dance with Chicho. I have chosen this clip because it shows so clearly the first one! Some other clips show how she gets focused when music starts.

(Jump to 40s and whatch for some time)



Javier and Noelia
Javier is one of the few dancers who does move my heart live on the pista as well as on video. His ability to create an elegant dance is fantastic.
Noelia did grow to her new role extremely fast! On the first video from March 2013 she was still dancing kind of Nuevo movements but already in Seoul in May she had found the way and I just love them in this video from Tylösand in June.




The consequences for me then!
If one my deepest values is elegance I maybe should start to think the surface of my own dance body! Leave those pieces of training cloths and gymnastic shoes at home and start to think of how the clothing could support a more elegant look! Or how should I think about my steps, how to choose the ones giving my dance a better look?
Am I showing respect to the music? If I would give a more focused value for the music – could it give a different experience to my partner too?

How about you?
I sincerely recommend you to let your heart and soul work on this question for weeks and I think you can get some surprising ideas, when you review the results!

Who are your favorite dancers? Which couples keep you watching their dance again and again?


What are the values you find when thinking of the reasons for these choices you made?

Are there some consequences for your dance too?




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A video in line with this posting

I just couldn't resist because I found this video extremely inspiring!
(If this link is not working try those below)
http://youtu.be/4znrNtLKDE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1YI2CKSyo

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally fantastic video! In line with this posting.
. . . so far i have my hearcut and training on track; the cloths are my next step!
http://youtu.be/4znrNtLKDE4

Janis said...

Four couples, none of whom are social tango dancers. Tango is a world of exhibitionists.

Noelia Hurtado's foot stomping blows my mind.

Chicho learned watching the milongueros, yet he doesn't respect tango enough to dance what he knows. He'd rather make money.

Feeling the music and being in the moment will make all the difference to a partner who doesn't see your feet.

LeadingLady said...

Yes Janis, these are the performers! I wrote this posting as an answer to a friends question about my.

I can get delighted by watching a Picasso painting even if I understand that I could never do the same.