On 6/16/17 (Fri), we had a Tropical themed party at 3Sixty dance studio in Oklahoma City. It's a beautiful ballroom and Latin dance studio. We presented a Tango routine along with other ballroom and Salsa dancers for an exhibition.
3Sixty is a studio my ex and I used to come. Since our divorce, I hardly visited the place, although it has been quite a while. Such is the power of habits. It was nice to be there again, seeing friends and socially dancing with new people.
On 6/17/17, we had a welcoming milonga and Tango exhibition for invited Argentine Tango instructors George and Jairelbhi Furlong from Dallas. They are one of those impressive professional stage Tango dancers. They are excellent teachers, too.
[Special thanks to David and Martha Wells for arranging this weekend events and working so hard for it.]
Although there are many good dancing available on YouTube for viewing pleasure, watching good dancers at work in person has something special about it. For any art, we do need to see the "real deal" at least occasionally.
On 6/18/17, they presented two workshops for musicality and for various techniques including connection and woman's styling with a focus on boleo. Excellent workshops.
In a book I read recently ["'Good sense' begins with knowledge" by Japanese Industrial Designer/Creative design consultant Manabu Mizuno], the author asserts that accumulated knowledge on a subject or on an art plays a critical role in creating something that is new, that is considered to have "good sense (sizzle)", and that becomes popular.
He emphasizes the importance of existing knowledge in the people involved in creative works, and opposes common romantic view of "an inspiration strikes and creates IT".
For Tango (and other dances), I agree with his view. Lots of knowledge on an art is a requirement for advancing your art. Knowledge is another "numbers game".
Much like your math begins with pre-K then 1st graders' materials, and advances to 2nd, 3rd,... to eventually high school or graduate school-level materials, your dance as an art has some structure in the materials.
It helps to have an overview of the art, then study the materials like studying an academic subject.
If you are uncertain about it, check out the titles of workshops in a Tango event. (an example is here, from New Orleans Tango Festival 2017)
There are familiar names like Musicality, styling, connection, boleo, gancho, sacada, milonga, vals, etc.etc. Each specifying the learners' level.
There are recurring subjects in the art of Tango. The dance is a very technical dance, you like it or not.
Organizing them inside you and accumulating knowledge on each subject should help to understand how this dance is learned, taught, and danced as of today. With such understanding, you'd appreciate each instructor's understanding and teaching skills in a finer manner.
Dancing like a professional begins with knowing the dance like a professional and thinking like a professional.
.......these were some thoughts after the Tango-filled weekend.
Although we may have another opportunity to dance our routine approx. 4 weeks later, this choreo project is pretty much over.
Time to start planning next things.
