"Beginning Argentine Tango" was a book project published in 2012 January. The scope was to provide basic working knowledge to dance Argentine Tango to the readers to get them started. As such, the main target reader was someone who has not danced Tango, or who has little knowledge/experience for the Tango.
I've had another "twin" project idea. Basically, it is another "how to" book for Stage Tango.
The Tango world is very diverse, and major division is between Social (Salon) Tango and Show (Stage) Tango. I wanted to provide a "how to" book for each.
The second book will be aiming at providing "how to" knowledge to dance Tango in public for a "Show". The knowledge will aid improving your dance overall, because, it is focused on taking your dance to a (high) level good enough for a show. It applies to your special occasions, such as wedding, anniversary, or a dance showcase.
These two Tangos require very different mindsets for the dancers. No wonder many perceive the difference as a division. One is centered to yourself, your partner, music and the moment. Another is for the audience and for the entertainment of the audience. In both cases, your dance may be seen as a service, but the people you serve are different.
It is natural that the second project should contain materials for more advanced dancers.
Many exercises should be applicable to other dances, though. In fact, many of these exercises came from contemporary dance and ballroom dance. Tango has Tango-specific moves and aspects (and I'll add Tango specific exercises). Yet, general disciplines emphasized in other dances are useful and applicable to Tango as well.
Many things happened since 2012 January, and this twin project has been delayed for so long. I am considering resurrecting this project and starting working on it. A trick to write anything is to write habitually. Let's see whether I can gain momentum for this writing project.
Here is an example of the "how to" exercise. I'm planning to write these in this blog occasionally.
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[Generally the "exercises" will be categorized to three levels: "For All levels", "For the Intermediate", and "For the advanced".]
Exercise ## (For All levels):
Your dancing will make great progress when you learn how to imitate other people's move or choreography precisely and on the spot. It is an essential skill for professional dancers to be able to pick up the moves by the choreographer accurately and quickly.
Good dancers are good movers. Even if two people do the same move, one may be perceived better than another. Why does this happen? It's the body usage. This exercise is the first step to change and improve your body usage to be more pleasing one.
Overall, this exercise is the first step to gain the critical "precise and quick imitation" skill.
(i) Get a large mirror that shows your whole body; or have access to a large mirror (such as ones in dance studio or gym). So you can watch how your body/dance/movement/posture look like.
Ladies, you wouldn't do your make-up without a mirror, would you? Just like a mirror is an essential tool for your make-up , a large mirror is an essential tool for your dance for a show.
If you have never danced in front of a mirror, you may feel psychological resistance. Forget self-consciousness, and silence any inner un-constructive critique saying it's narcissist or you are not good enough. You are doing this for your improvement toward the show-worthy. For the purpose, you have to see what you are doing now with clarity.
(ii) Do Zeroing/calibrate your body
When you move your body, few think of how you look from someone else's standpoint.
And, what you think your body is doing may not be the same as what your body is actually doing. For example, try lifting your both arms to your side, parallel to the ground. Many will find they are unevenly lifted and not completely parallel to the ground. Another example; try to stand up straight with your spine elongate as much as possible. You may still be hunching with crab legs in the mirror.
Zeroing/calibration is an act to re-adjust and match your image in your head and your actual image on the mirror.
Body image can be very personal, and is a subject for biased or skewed perception. You may need to take time to be able to "see" it.
Good news is that what you see in the mirror can be changed by yourself. If you look hunched, change it. If you are not bending your knee as you thought, change it. When you are doing a move "right" on the mirror, remember the feel. And repeat it until your body does the move "right" without thinking about it.
Re-train your body to be able to move as you want it to move, and to be able to assume a posture as you want your body to.
This is the first step for you to appear in the show in the way you want.
.....[several exercises for the Zeroing to follow].....
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PS
If you have a topic you'd like to see in the book project, please email at yamadahy825@gmail.com
I'd address or incorporate the topic. It would take a few to several months for this project to complete. So there will be some time. Thanks!
