Life: "Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything"

Winter break is ongoing. It is time for reflecting 2014 and for planning 2015.

It's still Christmas season. How about writing something preachy and religious-ish?


There is a verse saying, "Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything."

We regularly make wishes. They become our prayers and curses.

If we wish something positive about self or others, it's called a prayer.

If we wish something negative about self or others, it's called a curse. 

Worrying is a special form of curse. When someone worries, what she has in mind is something bad that is going to happen to herself or someone close. And if she worries vividly enough to cause physical and emotional fear responses, the bad thing is more likely to happen. Somehow.

We speak in two languages; logical and emotional. When we make a wish [in logical language] and put emotion to it [in emotional language], we speak louder (a religious person would say, in spiritual realm), and the wish is more likely going to come true. 

The original instruction says, "Pray and THANK god". See? It is a two-step instruction with logical and emotional steps. [I think in much more secular manner, so I personally see a third step, "your action", is necessary. But let's leave it aside for now.]


Anecdotal statements and many religions, even Napoleon Hill and other authors, seem to support this. I cannot explain how or why, but I am happy with leaving this without scrutiny. Although I am a scientist, I do not feel like dissecting all aspects of human life. There are life's mechanistic aspects beyond my knowledge, and I don't mind leaving them to religions and other anecdotal statements. In practice, it does not make much difference whether I am making psychologically biased and skewed observations in life, or we are living in the Matrix in which the system bends "reality" to our wishes.

I like something that works. I was not aware how pragmatic I am.

Anyways,..  we think and reason in different ways. The thought process of a person is unique to the person. It's like a physical habit. Each of us has a default thought process. And the default can lean to either prayer-rich or curse-ridden.

If a mother is worrisome about her kid and thinking about all the possible bad things falling on the kid and telling the kid not to do this or be careful with that all the time, I'd say she is cursing the kid. She is cursing her own kid most likely without even knowing it.

If she is thinking about all the positive blessing coming in the way of the kid, her thought process will be rich in positive prayers.

Like in this example, I see many curses are fear-based. That's why we need to be aware of our fears and know how to cope with them. Contrary to some belief, runaway emotions are highly detrimental to a person.


You are praying or cursing all the time. They influence your perception and become your reality. It's time for making new year's resolutions. Be careful what you wish for.

Dance: Comedic dance

Some dances are danced for show, for entertainment or for competition. They are different breed of dance compared with social fun dance.

Argentine Tango has two different aspects; social dance and show dance.

Most Tango songs have serious atmosphere (either dramatic or romantic). The music generally deals with serious emotions, too. Passion, love, lost love, lament, nostalgia, regret, complaints, etc etc.

Of course there are some exceptions. Happy, lighthearted Tango songs do exist (check out Biagi or Rodriguez). Yet, they are rarer, and pose challenge to some social dancers.

But I am not intending to talk about the songs today. I am going to talk about comedic style of show Tango dance. See this video for an example.

Los Guardiola: "El Choclo" (2013)


A branch of show dance presents comical side of the dance. Some Show dancers choose to present the dance in a comedic way.

Comedy is no easier than serious. Probably comedy is even more difficult than commonplace serious. It takes serious dance skills just to be credible on stage. In addition, to perform comedy, they have to know what "regular" serious dances look like, then add here or tweak there to be funny.

In fact, dance itself is hardly comedic. What makes a comedy is the preexisting context and an act that veers away from our expectation.

I like their mindset that chooses to use the high dance skills in comedic ways.

Why do I like the mindset? Probably because they are more audience-minding. They have to know the expectation of the audience, work with it, and show something that defies our expectations, ........to entertain the audience.

In other words, I find comedians (good ones) having more professional mindset; mindset as an entertainer rather than an artist (whose main focus tends to be the art itself).

Comedy, Parody, Satire, Humor....all have a place in the culture. They add depth and fun. We all need some laughter.

[Disclaimer: The YouTube video and the image are not mine. All rights belong to the original]

Life: How are you going to eat?

This is a year-end. It is time to think and plan for next year. That includes plans for some contingencies and emergencies.

***
There are some important questions in life. 

"How are you going to eat?" is one of them. My graduate adviser asked this question straightforwardly to me in my grad school days. I only had a vague notion at the time, and it was somewhat shocking to me. Being good at school work and getting a PhD is one thing. But living and earning is another. I was too naive.

Capitalistic world can be cruel. No one is obligated to feed you nor to pay your bills on your behalf. If your business fails, it's on you. If you lose your job, it's on you. Although there will be an urge to make excuses and to cite unforeseeable circumstances, still it will be on you.

Notion of self-responsibility and accountability is everywhere. You'd have to think long and hard for this question for yourself. In fact, most of us are forced to think about this. 



Surprisingly enough, not many answer options are there for this question.

(i)   Work                       Work for hour in exchange to your skills, or have your business
(ii)  Be dependent 1   Depends on close someone (Family member etc)
(iii)  Be dependent 2   Depends on an organization (Government, Church, non-profit, etc)
(iv) Have a resource     Cash, investments, pension, retirement fund etc


Option (i) "Work": 
Let's assume you are not the people with silver-spoon. We are usually told at a young age by family members that working is important. They told you this because it is important for your well-being over lifetime. I'd say it is out of their love for you. It's immediately relevant for feeding self. 

Many people don't bother asking the "how are you going to eat" question to someone who is not close nor significant. It can be a sensitive, even provoking, question. I am still thankful to the Professor who asked the question to me.

Option (ii) "Be dependent 1": 
Stay-at-home can mean you are choosing option (ii), if you are not "working (earning)" at your home. Although important as they are, domestic choirs do not bring money from outside. This is a risky strategy, especially if you neglect to develop other means to eat.

Option (iii) "Be dependent 2": 
Judging from the Republican's win in recent election, public sentiment is swinging toward cutting off social benefits by the Government or Military. Companies' pension plans can go belly up, or the payout may be "re-adjusted". Charity is arbitrary and you can lose it on their whim. This is another risky strategy.

Option (iv) "Have a resource":
We'd want to be in this position. How to get there, is another serious question.


****
This is a season for holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. Giving and Charity are encouraged particularly in this season. It is also a season to think of the scary abyss in life, to be thankful for what we have now, and to make plans for a better future.

This question actually is a more specific and urgent-sounding version of a lifelong question, "what are you going to do?". But the phrasing "how are you going to eat?" was perfect for a grad school student.

Dance: Leadibility of show/competition moves

I am working on a choreographed routine, so I had some time to think about dance for a show.


When we watch dance, our attention tends to be caught by flashy show/competition moves.

There are dances with strong social roots such as Argentine Tango, West coast swing or Salsa. People who dance the dance socially know what they see on social dance floor. The moves are the basics, and sometimes intermediate moves. We judge dancers by how well they perform the basic and intermediate moves, but not by what kind of advanced move they attempted. I still would't call them advanced if they attempted an advanced move and did it poorly.

On the show/competition, we will see "modified", advanced version of the basic/intermediate moves. It's an "ah-ha" moment.

But, how much can you really lead and follow the flashy move?

If you choreograph the move beforehand with your partner, anything is leadable/followable. If we assume that you both are capable of doing the move, then the execution is just a matter of sending and receiving a cue to initiate, and executing it with necessary support.

If you dance socially with a new partner, your success rate depends on the partner and her knowledge and willingness. Pure "lead/follow" may get you to a certain point of the move, but you cannot expect complete execution of the move. It's just like that.


This practicality rule is simple. But some show-oriented dancers (usually not very good ones I'd say) forget this. They expect the choreographed move would work with anyone they grab at the social party. No, it doesn't work that way. And it is your fault to have such unreasonable expectation.

Follower-Dancers with long history of social dance can have great ability of following. Yet, it is unlikely that her true ability starts shining at the very first dance. She is observing you at first, and assessing the new leader-partner whether he is trustworthy or has the ability to perform lead with care. 

So, in short, no, you cannot lead the show move with certainty on the social floor. I want this to be a "common sense".

Leaders, don't assume too much. If you want the move to be done with a new partner, make sure you can lead the move correctly and she can follow the lead first. In social floor, leaders who are solid lead for basics and intermediate moves are received much better than leaders of failing flashy moves.

In fact, the same goes for followers. If her feet are not quick enough in WCS for example (meaning her basics are still developing), yet she tries to do some dance (body rolls etc), she can feel awfully heavy and resisting. Since her correct positioning is unlikely to be done on time, I don't expect the dance would look good. [I'll talk about this in a later entry.]


For me, social dance is fun, because we don't know each other well at first. The way the partner move, the smoothness, and the feel,....all the figuring out and knowing process is a major part of the fun. And if she is good, knows the flashy move and is willing to perform it, it definitely adds fun, too.

Dance: Random thoughts during Fandango de Tango 2014

In Thanksgiving weekend, I attended Fandango de Tango event in Dallas. It was a 5-day event, but I only attended two milongas and a Tango show. It was a fun event. I saw friends whom I hadn't seen for a while, and met new friends including from New Orleans and San Diego.

***
This kind of dance event usually has three main ingredients; class (teaching-learning), show (demonstrations by professionals/visual entertainment) and milonga (social dance party/participatory entertainment). These three ingredients are different sports.

Milonga is a social dance party, and many people show up. In the setting, it can be quite evident that who is "good" at the dance, and who is at the time "not so good", with regrettable lack of better words.

I do not subscribe to a school of thought that claims everyone is good. I do see the difference between the two and many shades in between.

***
I perceive a good dancer as a dancer who moves well, knowledgeable in the dance, and who carries the air of sophistication, poise and appeal. 

In addition, a good social dancer should have the sense of communication, and willingness to achieve the best dance out of the occasion. These are particularly important for Tango. Good partner dance is a well-connected and well-enjoyed dance.

So there are two aspects you can work on for improvement; solo-individual aspect, and partner-couple aspect. If you are good as a solo dancer, you may have broader options and possibilities. But if you forget the partnering aspect, you may end up with a type of poor show dancers who cannot lead/follow. In Tango, it is common that great-looking athletic guy/gal lead/follow so poorly and felt so heavy.

***
Not all performer-level professionals are willing to join social dance (many are, of course). Their dance is tuned to "good" dances, and they are used to the good lead/follow by other good dancers who know what they are doing. After many "good" dancing, they became like a precision instrument. Rough handling or wrong treatments by the "not so good" may be unbearable, especially for a good follower. 

Besides, if they are professionals, their body and their dance is the main tool for their living, by which they eat and pay the bills. They wouldn't want the tool to be messed with. Being socially nice is one thing. But when the main tool for their living is at stake, it could be another story. I understand it if they want to exercise some discretion.

***

These are some of my random thoughts during the event.

Life: Naruto marathon

I grew up in Japan. While in there, I read a lot of mangas. It's a culture thing.

After I came to the US in 1998, I did not read manga at all for a while. I was aware that many mangas made to US through scan-translation and animetization.

Some time in early November 2014 I heard that "Naruto" was going to end in the main arc manga version on 11/10/2014. 

As I recall, Naruto was on the Japanese weekly manga magazine "Shonen Jump" forever, since even before I came to the US. But I never read it much in a coherent manner.

So I decided to read them all, 700 episodes in manga. It took a few weeks with some serious sleep time sacrifice, but it was quite an entertainment.

Some of my random thoughts and impressions.

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Naruto was initially described as a loser-underdog, who makes it through friendship, teamwork and hard work. It is a standard format for mangas in the magazine "Shonen Jump".

Later it turned out he is THE elite with incomparable pedigree. Come to think of it, they wouldn't seal/entrust the power of a tailed beast (something with the power comparable to nuclear weaponry) to random nobody. But this development made me wonder the validity of Naruto's preaching to an elitist kid Neji at the early phase of the story, in retrospect.

It is a long story. In a long story, people change. Perceptions of the character's actions change (like Itachi's actions). Even a villain can show some decency or redemption, or get to explain the reasoning behind (like Danzo). That aspect is a true merit of long story in the world of oversimplified one liner characterization. You can see or learn that this world is more complex than a bunch of one liners and black-and-white characterizations that are common everywhere.

There are many (and I mean many) reflections and explanatory branches in the story. Sometimes they seem redundant and almost annoying. Probably it is necessary evil for a long manga whose each episode coming out weekly. In the real life we hardly get any explanations to what's really going on and why it is happening. In manga we get plenty of reminders and explanations. Certainly they can talk while they fight, and that doesn't happen in real life. It's so manga.

I like the view for leadership."It isn't that if you become Hokage (the leader) everyone will acknowledge you...It's the ones who are acknowledged that can become Hokage". 


The last part (the Ninja world war arc)  was a big epic, but a bit tiring. The "last boss" showed up one after another (Resurrected former-foes and ex-Kages, Madara, Ten-tails, Tobi, Kaguya, and Sasuke) with all time escalation for the final 200 episodes. What the heck with Rikudou Sennin and Kaguya popping out from nowhere?

It was evident that how video game friendly the entire Manga is. I am almost certain that the writers had game translation in mind from a very early stage. 


It was fun catching up on all the story in a few weeks. It was nice to see the characters grow.

I did laugh when I saw Gaara's hairstyle in the final 700th episode. They have grown indeed.

Dance: Techie/Feelie 2

On 11/15 Saturday evening I was attending OK/KS state swing dance championship. Not to compete, but just to watch and do some social dancing.

I danced, also watched other people's dances. That reminded me of the different stances and attitudes toward dancing of people.


I wrote a blog entry some time ago, about "Techie"s and "Feelie"s. (link to the article). Yes, you can categorize dancers to Techies (who value skills) and Feelies (who value how they feel about the dance).

Following the notion, let's categorize dancers to four groups with two axes; [skilled-unskilled]("Techie"-axis), and [enjoying-not enjoying]("feelie"-axis). 

Now, question #1. Where are you? Which quadrant are you in for this dance? 

And, that is not all. Question #2. Where is your partner?

In theory, there are 4x4=16 combinations for a couple (lead and follow) for any social dance situation. 


If both of you are in quadrant 1 (skilled-enjoying), that will be great. What we see in YouTube as pro's performances usually belong there.

What if he is "skilled but not enjoying for whatever reason (Quadrant 3)", and she is "unskilled/not-so-good-at-this-dance, but having fun (Quadrant 2)", how will the combination turn out?

This is a thought experiment.


Adding to the game, the quadrant you belong can change. Generally, skills don't change quickly (unless you drink a lot or something), but enjoyment can change quicker.


I read that in some European events, it is banned to ask professionals for social dance. That is probably due to some "consideration" not to turn the Quadrant 1 pros to Quadrant 3 unhappy pros by swamping them with Quadrant 2/4 people.


Well, I hope some of you have as much fun as I had out of this quadrant chart.

Dance: One-day Tango workshops in Tulsa 11/8/2014

OK Tango event in Tulsa, OK, has been run by several people who want to promote Argentine Tango and the Dance community in Tulsa and surrounding cities/states. They invite instructors and have milongas. The event has survived some changes in management/organizers, location and sponsorship, and is still going strong.

Last weekend (11/8/2014), they set up an opportunity for two afternoon workshops, dinner and a milonga with live music by the members of the Q-Tango, Albuquerque-based Tango band. 

The instructors were, George and Jairelbhi Furlong from Dallas, and Erskine Maytorena of QTango. George and Jairelbhi had a Sacada class, Erskine and two other band members taught musicality. They duplicated two classes and taught in two rooms, so the attendants would get the same deal, one class from George and Jairelbhi, one class from Erskine.

At the end of the two classes, the dancers (George and Jairelbhi) and the musicians got together, and demonstrated dances with live music in front of all attendants. To demonstrate that the music is "the boss" in Tango, the dancers danced to the same song twice, but the musicians played the song in very different styles. The dancers danced the same song very differently, accordingly to the very different play styles. That was a great presentation for musicality and improvisation.  


George and Jairelbhi drove from Dallas for the workshops (about 5 hours drive one way). Since they had their own milonga the next day, they drove back after the workshops. Traveling dance instructor's life seems quite busy.

The QTango members were on their way to St. Louis, then New York, for music festivals. They came, taught, played in the milonga, then went. Traveling musicians' life seems quite busy as well. 

The management, Cindy and Walt, made these arrangements. The event attracted about 50 people, mostly from Tulsa area. Some, including me, came from Oklahoma City. A few others came from Arkansas.

Occasional Tango events popping up in smaller cities are supported by efforts by these people; management/organizers, instructors, musicians, and dancers. I appreciate the background efforts by all the people to make things happen.

PS   A little nugget. A Tango song comes with a main mood among following three moods; Happy, Romantic, or Dramatic. Taking time to figure out the main mood of the song helps to interpret the song and dance with better musicality.

Life: Not my circus, not my monkeys.

There is a Polish phrase circulating in the net for some time; "Not my circus, not my monkeys".

The phrase is supposed to mean, "not my problem".

I like the literal image (circus and monkeys). The image is quite funny. Also, everyone can relate to situations the phrase can be used. No wonder the phrase went viral.


At the same time, the phrase made me ask myself, .."then, what ARE my circus and monkeys?"

There are some things I get involved in directly. There are some things I can influence on, control, or change. There are things I do professionally or otherwise. There are things I have been trained to be able to handle more efficiently than the untrained.

They are my circus and monkeys.

Is Ebola outbreak my monkey?  For now, it is not.

Is a religious fanatic beheading someone my monkey? For now, it is not.


I seldom comment current affairs and news in this blog. Because, I think they are not my monkeys. At least not the monkey I need to take care of with urgency.

Sure, I can offer my opinions. But in many cases, I am not fully informed nor knowledgeable about all the news coming up. Or, I am not in the position to tackle the monkeys firsthand. If I have to base my opinion on some hearsay report about something I am not an expert in, how much can I even back up the opinion? That kind of opinions are useless. 

I'm sure this stance is very different from that of trolls. Politicians are in the position to address to people, so they (better) rely on experts, even if they themselves are not very familiar with the monkeys.


This phrase reminds me of the importance of focusing on my own circus and monkeys.

Book: "Tango Stories- musical secrets" by Michael Lavocah

I finally got to this book in my book pile. And thinking, "I should have read this book earlier."


Simply put, this is the best book ever written about Tango music in the most practical manner (from a dancer's standpoint). The book is great reference. It is very educational yet entertaining. Great starting point for advanced understanding and appreciation for the classical Tango music.


The book chapters focus on a musician/band/topic. For example...

Excerpts from Summary for Part 1, which talked about the "Big Four" Tango bands. The way the author described them really captures their characters. Very insightful.

" D'Arienzo: the King of the beat. Irresistible, foot tapping beat, but a raw deal for the singer. Contrast: None!...

Troilo: best orchestra for the singers. Contrast: staccato-legato...

Pugliese: passionate and intense....Driving beat: la yumba (emphasis on 1 and 3 beats)..Contrast: hard-soft...

Di Sarli: great command of the melody, did everything with the strings. Always danceable..."



Even better. The author has a website where you can listen to the playlist.

http://www.tangomusicsecrets.co.uk/

I can easily imagine this book as a textbook for a college class for Tango music.


In this era of Googling, YouTubing and information overload, we may think we can find anything online. It may have a point, but more important ability than a simple Google-guided search is to know which information is valuable and useful (and which one is untrustworthy, trash or even harmful).

This book and the information about Tango music is a gem. Fully recommended.

Dance: WCS Newcomer/Novice judging criteria

Last night our West Coast Swing (WCS) dance club had a Jack and Jill contest. Jack and Jill is a contest style in which the contestants draw a (new or unfamiliar) partner on the spot and dance to a song not announced beforehand. So the contest is supposed to mimic social WCS setting. 

The little contest was for fun, and in part for preparation for the state contest the club is hosting this year. There are several clubs participating in the OK/KS state championship contest, and once in several years each club has the role of hosting the annual state contest event.

So, how do we determine the winner? I wrote something similar before in this blog, but I'd write this again.

West Coast Swing is highly improvisational dance. After several basics are taught, most dancers keep using the basics and the variations (which are also taught by many pros).

Now, think of ballroom contest for the sake of contrast. The pros use a few established syllabus to teach patterns to the beginning student, and when they have contests at the levels of Bronze, Silver or Gold, the judges are watching the executions of the established patterns.

It is not the case for WCS contests. Numbers or levels of the patterns are not the primary consideration for the judges any more (once they were. Judges even counted the number of patterns in contest. That style of judging didn't work well). 


There are important judging criteria for novice/newcomer contest, and they would be considered in this order.

[Timing >> clean execution, partnership > musicality, fun (smiling dancers)]


If/when I am watching and judging, say, 12 newcomer/novice couples in the same heat, I'd pick three or four couples who are keeping her footstep timing for further consideration for winning, and immediately eliminate three couples who aren't. 

Keeping her footstep timing has that much importance in WCS newcomer/novice judging. 

Occasional use of syncopation, like using hitch-and-step instead of regular-looking triple step, is fine. Also stepping on at a slightly modified timing (e.g. "leaning forward""laid back") is fine, if it's with the music, consistent, and both the lead and follow are doing it. But you got to get the footstep timing right.

Newcomer/Novice followers are usually not as good as professionals who can correct the leader's wrong timing. That usually means, if the leader is out of rhythm, the couple is out of luck. There is the "luck of drawing"-factor.

Dancing with a pro, who knows what he/she is doing, is easier than to dance with a fellow novice and to get the dance work. In the sense, newcomer/novice is a very difficult category to survive.

So, don't be discouraged even if your placement is not the first. Think of the dance as one of many dances. 

If you had a friend who was video-ing your dance, the video should help you to figure out what went wrong. Besides, you may not always win even if you are doing everything right. There might have been a few stronger couples in the same heat, for example. 

Contests can be fun. Also, contests can be an opportunity to get feedback to go for your best.

The only way to be a better or even a great dancer is to keep achieving your personal best.

Great dancers like Baryshnikov say that. 

Life: How do I define my "investments"? ....Four general categories of Investments

During the road trip to Dallas last week, I chatted about investment with my friend a little, along with other stuff.

Afterwards, I gave the notion of investment some more thoughts.

How do I define my "investments"? The word is used in different ways in different occasions.


Following four categories are my "investments" for which I use my time, make efforts, or spend money.


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You use your time, make efforts, or spend money for;

(I)   Improving yourself and your arts to increase your own market value or to be more competitive

This includes your education in school, training for a particular work, learning and practicing skills, getting qualified for something, etc. This can even include money spent for your appearance and clothes. Its eventual aim is some type of return, but the return may not be immediate or direct. This process itself can be very satisfying, in fact.


(II)  Improving yourself to know more about investment "avatar" and/or "vehicle" (see (III))

This is what you do to be knowledgeable, or to not to be stupid at your own investment. Thanks to this "investment", you can distinguish real investments with calculated risk from reckless gambling, scam, fraud, or total waste.

This is a critical preparation stage for your actions in category (III).


(III) Creating avatar or owning vehicle that make money for you on your behalf

This is most traditional sense of "investment". Building your business, writing a book, buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds or real estate, etc etc.

This is where leverage works. If/when you are good at this, depending on what you create or own, you can achieve dis-proportionally big financial success compared with what you can do as a person. 


(IV) Developing or growing something that would give you some form of return or satisfaction

This is an expanded use of the word "investment", not only in financial sense. This "investment" is your time, efforts or money for your better future. This may be the time spent to be with your friend or family or to experience something new or special; efforts for raising your kid or for growing relationship, or for helping your cause or community etc, etc. You can earn something that may be hard to measure in terms of money, like trust, friendship, credit etc.

This may or may not make financial sense. It could rather be named giving or charity. But this can be most important for your emotional self and overall well being.


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It is fun to take the "scattered-minded" random approach. But at some point, you would have a certain idea as to what you do better or are made for. Then, if you want to achieve something on what you are made for, you need a focused approach.

Evaluating how you use your resource (time, efforts, money) in terms of "Investment" has a good effect on your result, especially when your course is set and you need a focus in what you do.

Dance: Studio 22 milonga

On a whim, my friend and I traveled to Dallas to check out a milonga ("Evolution Tango" milonga on the 1st Saturday) at Studio 22 in Dallas, hosted by Jairelbhi and George Furlong, on 10/4/2014 Saturday.

Usually I don't really fancy 3.5 hours/one way driving. But talking with a buddy made it a fine mini vacation-weekend road trip.

The nighttime milonga from 8PM-1AM was fun. I asked about invitation rules, and I was relieved to hear that open invitation was just fine, no strict cabeceo was needed (you know, it can be pain sometimes). The dancers were friendly to us out-of-towners.

Watching others in a milonga is fun and can be a learning opportunity. All the partners I danced with danced very well. I have always been impressed by how well ladies can dance if they are provided opportunities to dance.


A sort of diseased attitude in Tango culture is the finger-wagging. If you started to say too many "No"s inside your head, be careful. 

"I don't like the songs. I only dance traditional"
"They are not dancing in my style"
"They are not elegant or graceful"
"Not that way, it is too rough"   etc etc.

Too many "No"s can poison the atmosphere. An entire community can be infected by the poisonous attitude, and the Tango scene could wither. It is a very sad thing to let your dance and community spoil by the poor attitude of your own choosing.


I am happy to say that apparently the place was not compromised by the finger-wagging attitude at all. The place had a healthy, positive and welcoming atmosphere. It was nice. 

After all, we go to a party to have a good time.

Dallas is a big city, and it can sustain a large sized community. It is a blessing.

Sometimes it is not easy to find people I met in a party afterwards. Facebook provides a fair way to find and connect to them, but it is far from perfect. [Shrug]

Dance: Select WCS performances I liked (educational)

There is a plan for dancing a WCS routine. Routine is a different business from social fun dancing, and it takes preparation.

Following is a small list of routines performed by great WCS champions. If you want to learn a dance and perform, it makes sense to watch and learn what the best can do.

There usually is a gap between what you can do now and what you want to do in the future. But if you can identify the gap, you can work on it. That is the idea.

There are many great champions and memorable routines. This list include only 13 routines plus 1 impromptu. My intention is not to make "The Best" list, but to make a starter list. 

But routines by champions like Kyle and Sarah, Jordan and Tatiana, Benji and Heidi, Ronnie and Brandy, Brent and Kellese, should make a great starting point to start watching WCS performances.

[This is originally a mail to someone, so it is somewhat explanatory]
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WCS has strong social dance roots, and the contests are coming in routine divisions (showcase and classic) and in improvisational divisions (Strictly swing, Jack and Jill). It’s not unlike Stage and Salon divisions in Tango.

Each couple develops very different look and strength. WCS is not a standardized or institutionalized dance. It helps to watch many dancers, and look for ones appealing to you.

Kyle Redd is my favorite performer and has enormous appeal and stage presence somehow. I love whatever he and his partner Sarah do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yscig0fa8 (Johnny B Goode)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMHpJMBof_s (2008 Bleeding Love)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nosy-BMU3vM&NR=1 (2002 routine How Long Can a Fool Go Wrong)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdRED0y0jxM (1996 US Open with Beata Howe)


This one is not a routine but an impromptu demonstration by Kyle and Sarah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG2-hoMSwAI&feature=PlayList&p=7E8B1F1798EA7619&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=32


Jordan Frisbee and his partner Tatiana Mollmann are unbelievably slick. They choreograph with great musicality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3RY8UbE0w&feature=related (How to save a life)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_B_e1y7vc&feature=related (Pump it)


Benji Schwimmer won So You Think You Can Dance some seasons ago. He came from ballroom and WCS background. The routines are very athletic or even acrobatic. Watch the cartwheeling and the Doughnut drop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hWhmwxAf7Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGYnMQs9Gb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjNys5ija8E

Ronnie Debenedetta and Brandi Tobias is a strong couple with many fans. I like their slow/quick contrast and picture pauses in their routines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUX1ou9orGQ

Brent and Kellese Key. Brent originally came from Shag dance community, and added more individual and lively dance style to WCS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKgOfp-WDrM&index=13&list=PLF52D6612FF4E005C

Robert Royston’s “Fever” in 1997 US open. My favorite routine with great musicality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x33inSfEDE4

Mario Robau Jr and Kellese Key, 2001. Great example of a routine that radiates fun of dancing WCS without resorting to acrobatics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50FUohEQNow

In general contemporary WCS routines use a lot of slow/quick contrast, dramatic pause with the music, and tend to be on smooth, slick and quiet side compared with some Latin dances. I tend to choose choreography with great musicality.

These are just starters. From the links in YouTube, find routines appealing to you, and learn the vocabulary and styling of contemporary WCS. That’s our homework for building a routine.

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[Disclaimer: these videos are not mine and belong to the original owners.]

Dance: Taletha Jouzdani workshop, and a thought on social dance

Taletha Jouzdani is a West Coast Swing (WCS) champion. Based in Austin, she is among the strongest female WCS competitors today. She is also a judge, event organizer and traveling instructor.

Link to her site:  http://www.talethaj.com/

Our club invited her to give WCS workshops yesterday. The workshops are titled "Advanced Basics" and "Operation" (musical interpretation). I loved the workshops. I did not attend another workshop for Lady's styling, though.

In the advanced basic class, she mentioned "quality of motion" and the importance. And the "Advanced Basics" are to teach how to achieve the better body usage. Certainly, not only in WCS, the importance is true in all dances. Although I am not going to tell the content here (I suggest you take her class), I can tell you that the contents are very good and useful, "Teach'em how to fish" kind of class. I highly appreciate that kind of dance teaching.


[This following segment is my opinion. Not what she said, to avoid confusion] 
Most learners want patterns. What they overlook is that, once you get good basics, you can pick up a bunch of patterns just by watching YouTube with relative ease. If your basics are shaky, no amount of patterns make your dance look and feel good. It's that simple.



After the workshops, we had a WCS party that we dance socially.

WCS and Argentine Tango, two dances I love in particular, are similar in many ways; both are not highly institutionalized like Ballet or competitive Ballroom dance, both have strong social (or even street) dance roots, and both are highly improvisational in social setting.

In an advanced level, social dancing for improvisational dances (i.e. WCS, Argentine Tango) is like a free-style jazz session. Both dancers know the dance's basics and patterns, execute the moves on lead-and-follow basis with ease, and add improvisational moves according to the music. Like jazz musicians, both dancers have something to bring to the dance, and enjoy creating a dance on the spot.

And importantly, such dance feels good to dance.

My first rule for social dancing is, "It should feel good. It should be comfortable and fun".

Everybody comes to a dance floor with different degrees of (i) fitness and athleticism, (ii) knowledge for the dance, (iii) smoothness and ease of execution, (iv) willingness to improvise, and (v) ability and willingness to achieve a comfortable and fun dance overall.

[For competition and for a show dance, (vi) consideration for the appearance, matters too]

You are a unique mix of these. Your dance (thus, you) can be felt with a unique signature feel.


I danced a dance with Taletha. The dance felt very good, was comfortable and fun. I was very happy about it.

Partner dancing has an aspect not unlike martial arts. You can tell how good your partner is through your skin. She was great. No wonder she is a champion. 

Dance: "Techie and Feelie"..what kind of dancer are you?

In 2009, I read and liked "A Passion for Tango", a book about Tango written by a British medical practitioner/author David Turner. 

In the book, he pointed out that a dancer can be seen as a "Techie" or a "Feelie".

The "Techie" is a technical type. They tend to seek technique and precision in the Tango. Even their professions tend to be engineer or mechanic. Dance teachers have to be proficient (or have to get by with being at least sufficient) in their techniques, so they know and use the Techie approach.

The "Feelie" is more passionate type. They tend to enjoy the sensual side of the Tango. They may even indulge to the dance. To them, the dance is more likely to be something personally very special and dear, almost like a religion of sort. Also, how they felt about a dance is a very important criterion to evaluate a dance for them.


Similar typing can be seen in other dances. In "Compete like a Pro", a book about Competitive Ballroom dance by Jessika Ferm, she interviewed several Ballroom dance competitors and judges. Their answers and what they value indicate that some are more "Techie" and others are on the "Feelie" side.


Incidentally, popular psychology and personality diagnosis tool (e.g. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the like) say that whether you are a Thinker or a Feeler is a major typing category. So, my guess is that the two dancer types are very deeply connected to who you are and your personality.


Now, which one are you? Do you see yourself as a Techie or a Feelie? And how do others see you?


The merit to know your type is; you can know yourself, you can understand your partner, and you can adjust your dance to both types in a social dance setting.

We tend to judge all others by our own standards and types. But we have to be careful. Techies and Feelies do not always speak the same language, dance in the same manner, and value the same thing. If you are Techie as a lead and drive a Feelie partner hard, she may not want to dance with you ever again. If you are a Feelie as a lead and "feel" your dance, a Techie follower may be thinking the dance was a wrestle mania by someone who doesn't know what axis is, doesn't provide a lift to stabilize axis and isn't clear about the degree of pivot.


The Techie-Feelie types can appear in writing, too. I read many books, essays and blogs written about the Tango. The way they write really reflects who they are. 

Although my ex once said I am "both", I know I am on the Techie side. My writing was aiming at and was perceived as "non-nonsense and useful", as an Amazon reviewer said. I was very happy to read that, because they are exactly what I want my book to be.

In another book I read (I'll not mention the title here), the author was talking about the author's "connection" to Tango, how the author feels about the Tango, and so on. If you can connect to the style of writing through your own experience or some emotional common ground, it is a good read. I did enjoy the book. But to enjoy the particular book, you may need pre-existing knowledge about Tango. In the sense, the book is written mainly to fellow Tango dancers who already know what the author is talking about. 

I see the author as a Feelie. The way the "Feelies" connect tends to require a common experience or ground. It may be hard to share the personal feelings about the Tango with someone entirely new to Tango.


In my professional setting (research lab in a university), when I teach or train a new person (student, lab tech, or post-doc), I tell him/her what to do first. I tell him/her "do this, do that. The reason is.." with demonstration. The teaching/training method is action-oriented, just like general dance teaching. I want him/her to be able to perform sufficiently first, and how he/she feels about it at the initial training is not the main thing among the primary goals.

To teach something entirely new to a student, action-oriented instruction is much more efficient. Also, when they cannot perform well and do poor work, it would make them feel much worse. A feeling-based instruction should come later stage in the learning process.


I know I am a Techie myself and am slanted toward the Techie approach. Yet, knowing my own tendency reminds me of the importance of paying attention to the comfort and feeling of the partner.



Furthermore, the best and highest level of dances show both high level techniques and deep emotions. Techniques alone can leave us dry. Emotions and feelings alone make the dance look amateurish. Such dances lacking either one aspect may fail to connect to the viewer. The merging of both aspects is the key to the higher level. 

This point is clearer in music and musicians. A "pianist" may have a lot to express in her head and heart, but if she cannot play her piano well and her skills are insufficient, her music would likely fail to connect and move us.

My mother used to teach piano when I was young. One of my earliest memories (3-4 years old?) is that I sat in front of piano, crying hard refusing to practice the piano. I'm sure I sucked at it and that frustrated me too much. I quit. To this day, my fingers don't move well enough to play music with piano. The simple moral I took from this personal memory is that skills are important. Skills and techniques give a voice to your inner desires. Your feelings may not be heard without the voice you give.

To reach the higher/highest level, we need to pay attention to and master both; your techniques and skills, and your heart and feelings.

Dance: Get a mirror, and do Zeroing/calibrate your body

"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!