Dance: Tango workshop by Catherine and Pancho from Canada, Montreal on 9/27/2015

Event notice said,

"Catherine and Pancho are traveling Tangueros, on their way from Canada, Montreal to Buenos Aires, making stops in various cities along the way. They are working on a documentary, a diary that will include short films and interviews with Tango dancers. Pancho and Catherine would like to interview Tango dancers and offering to put on a workshop.

Let's support Catherine and Pancho. In our constant effort to spread the word about Tango, this is an opportunity to do our part."


So I went.

They were nice. Last three months, they have been traveling major cities in East coast, then Texas, visiting festivals and milongas and offering workshops. They were stopping by Oklahoma City on their way to Denver. They are supposed to get to Buenos Aires eventually. Sounds like interesting life on the road.

The workshop was for three hours about variations in basic walking timing and its application to musical interpretation. "Basics and application" is a good combination useful to various levels of dancers. Smart choice for the attending dancers in OKC in different levels. Presentation was very good. I'd recommend their workshop.  

[As my blog policy to be fair to instructors, I skip class details in this blog. If you are interested, try one of their workshops.]



In my experience, there are bodies rich in dance, and there are bodies that are empty, lacking knowledge, coordination and response for the dance. It is showing a sum of the body's experience, training and knowledge. In fact, in training of physical arts, there is a point when your body starts "just doing it" without much input from thinking brain. The muscle memory and its quality are not difficult to feel in partner dance.

One of interesting things during the workshop was a practice dance with Pancho for a song. It was fresh, because I usually don't dance with guys. Sadly, not many willing guys are around, although for Tango lead-follow switch and same gender dancing can be great methods for improvement. His body showed good, solid dance consistent with his 12 years of Tango. It was impressive.


I hope their travel is going to be a fruitful one. Have fun and good luck.

[Photo: version 1]

[Photo: version 2]

PS  I found their GoFundMe page. Here is the link. Tango Mobile

Life: Sci-fi movies from Japan, As the Gods will (2014) and Gantz (2011)

Nowadays I don't watch movies as often as I used to, and I don't really chase hot and the latest movies. But I do pick up some movies randomly and watch.

Recently I came across two (actually three, because "Gantz" came as two movies) Sci-fi movies from Japan.

Both movies were based on popular Manga. Both had strong video game influence and were violent. And, in both movies, people's lives were surprisingly cheap. "Survival" was a key word for both.

[The "Daruma (Dharma)", the first round trial for survival in "As the Gods will". Its "game" is basically "Red Light, Green Light". You may move while it turns its back to you and chants a phrase. If you move when it finishes chanting and faces you, it will blow up your head. You live if you push a button on its back within a time limit]

Both movies came out after the Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, when 20,000 people died and the Fukushima nuclear plant almost went meltdown.

Pop culture, including movies and manga, picks up (or even predicts) the spirit of the time. 2011 was a time when they were trying hard to make sense out of the large number of deaths, and when social anxiety was high. The heavy atmosphere was not unlike after the 911 in the US. These movies and manga may be picking up the dark tone in the settings.

In both movies, all too sudden you are in situations your life is at stake. The trials are basically games whose rules you don't know well. Instructions were sketchy. You figure out the rules at an expense of other participant's lives. The reward is your survival. You clear the game, you get out of it, but you'll move to next game and repeat the process.

Business people were talking about a notion of "gamifying" some time ago. You might find some similarity in the gaming process to real life.


When I think about the ending, it's apparently happy ending. Main characters would survive after trials. But think twice. What did you gain? You were alive before the trials, and you are alive after the trials. It's the same place. You lost many who were dear to you in the course of events.

Did I enjoy the movies? Sure. Weird or ridiculous as they seem, they were quite entertaining in a strange way. These movies may be even educational. You may have learned the value of life thanks to the dead. It takes a lot of senseless deaths to understand the value of life, I guess.  

Your innocence is lost by the trials. You carry on, now knowing the dead and their unfulfilled wishes. In war time, or among people who lived long enough seeing many deaths, this attitude may be common. You have seen it and cannot unseen it. And you got to deal with it hereafter.

I was not sure if Japan's "spirits of time" had gotten this dark.

[Black ball called Gantz. Fueled by alien technology, it collects "dead" people and sends them to dangerous missions to kill aliens/targets. It supplies weapons and protective suits for the mission, (loosely) specify the target, sends you off, and scores your performance if you come back alive.]

Did I say it's violent?  In the manga version of Gantz, there are a lot of sex, nudity and violence. Now you are warned properly.

Dance: "Voice of the body" concept in the book "Dance in Japan (日本の舞踊)"

I am still working on several Japanese books I picked up in my previous Japan trip on July 2015.

One of the books is "Dance in Japan (日本の舞踊)" by Tamotsu Watanabe. He is a Theater arts critic, with a particular interest in Japanese traditional dances that you can see in Kabuki and Noh.

His book contains many interesting points.

For example, he encountered a situation in which some of his friends, also dance critics, watched a performance by Pina Bausch and her company. He thought it was a performance but not dance. Others thought it was a decent dance. Their arguments never reached mutual understanding and conclusion at the time.

He self-analyzed why, and pointed out that there was a lack of agreements in discussing dance in three critical points; definition of dance, definition of the area of dance (what is included in a category of 'dance' varies), and methodology and language of discussing dance.

Then, he came to his own remedy that could solve at least the first two points for him.

That was the "voice of the body" concept.


He is a dance critic, and has seen many performances. But not all performances were appealing to him as "dance". He was attracted only by the "dances" that he could see/hear the "voice of the body".

Probably, many others have referred the voice as aura or spirit or energy, some elusive factor that appeal to someone who watches the dance. Right, I am talking about that elusive character science does not have good measure for. 



I pick up this notion, because I make my judgement on dance based on similar notion. 

I do watch many dances in films and in person. I take my time watching dancing in events and parties. That is my way of having fun out of dancing. In watching, I notice there are many kind of voices of the body. Some say with passion, others say with sophistication. I tend to like sophistication more, though.


I also  realized that the "voice" is (i) difficult to capture in photo and film, (ii) has a character of "you know it when you see it", and (iii) great dancers seem to be able to project it louder, somewhat like opera singers can sing louder. It is joy to watch dancers with great "voice".

From my Tango and other close-to-partner dance experience, I'd add, (iv) the voice exists in many people who do not seem to possess the voice visually. Only it is smaller and inaudible perhaps to anyone other than a dancer who is very close in distance.



There should be some methods to make the voice louder. Having a good body with well-coordinated movements seems to be a way to go. Another way would be use of the power of well-established style. When you can perform a dance move classically, there is a certain beauty in it. Focusing on visuals could be an answer too. Dance has visual and invisible aspects. And working on visuals probably is an easier way to go.


This question; "How can you make your own voice of the body louder", is something worth asking if you are serious in dancing.

["Dance in Japan" by Tamotsu Watanabe]

Dance: Dallas trip on Labor day 2015 weekend (Studio22 milonga, Dallas DANCE)

For labor day 2015 weekend, I decided to go to Dallas for dancing fun. On 9/5 Sat I went to Studio 22 milonga, then on 9/6 Sun to Dallas DANCE, the 29th annual West Coast Swing event.

Some regulars in Studio 22 were out to a Tango festival in Austin, so they told me that there were less people. But I had a good time. A legendary couple with 50 years of Tango teaching history, Nito and Elba, was in Dallas for workshops, and they were at a table, talking with friends. It would be nice if we could invite them to Oklahoma. I'd talk with some people around about it, but it is kind of short notice. I am not certain whether it comes true or not this time. Let's see.


Then I attended Dallas DANCE for the Sunday 9/6 including late night dance. The dancers were very welcoming and the event experience as a guest was very positive. I have many dance friends met and danced in Dallas DANCE over years, and I cannot thank enough for that.

However, since there is no hiding, I point out one obvious thing; the event has shrank. They used to use bigger ballroom in the second floor, now they use first floor ballroom with 2/3 in size. They used to have Showcase division, Cabaret division, and Classic division, which were major shows in the event. This year these divisions were gone. How sad.

Perhaps it is just the tide of time. I am not sure how popular WCS is now overall compared with, say, 20 years ago. Or perhaps it is competition among events. Newer events popped up everywhere and other times of the year, and now we can choose events to attend among many. For eager competitors, big events are not always meritorious if big means more competitors and tough contest. Probably some top pros are busy taking care of their own business, traveling, or attending their own event. For  many dancers, making it to Dallas in a major holiday may not be as convenient any more.

Also, event participation costs a lot. If you can do with less-expensive event nearby, rather than traveling, costing yourself a not-so-cheap amount of money, you may rather choose to support and attend neighboring event. That's understandable, too.


It is a shame that Dallas DANCE now plays less role in inviting or attracting nationwide dancers and mingle various styles of Swing.

Dallas DANCE may be losing a position of national big swing dance event, and we may miss some of unbelievably good dancers coming with serious routine for show. 

But other than that, it still is a good regional event. I enjoyed it. Thank you very much.


I need a good and long sleep after a late night dancing till 4am, which I had not have for a while (come to think of it, I did not dance WCS much this summer for other businesses including trips to Japan).

I am beginning to apply a new policy of enjoying (smaller amount of) quality dance (i.e. the dance should feel good and look good). For the purpose I aim at making all the dance as enjoyable as I can for both sides, me and my partner. In the regard, this trip was successful. I enjoyed all dances I had there, and I appreciate it.

[Dallas DANCE Sunday schedule]

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