As in the title, Tango is fun when you are not limited by techniques and skills.
I went to Tulsa for a milonga, hosted by friends Sergio and Irina. They were Stage Tango dancers in the past and it still shows.
Stage tango dancers are usually great at social dance, too (if they choose to social dance, anyways. With cabeceo rules, you can be choosy). The techniques and skills they have are so good that we can just enjoy dancing.
In normal social dance, lack of techniques and skills do get in the way and robbing some fun, like needing to support her shaky balance so that my options can limited at times, or "suggest, wait and hope to happen" some music-matching embellishment (which is not always leadable. It is her job), but nothing happens.
When you want to use "energy flow lead" (i.e., instead of micro-managing her steps, the lead can be done by directing the track, momentum and speed. She does her part. Especially important in Vals.), the difference between stage-level dancers and enthusiasts is even more obvious. Stage dancers do their steps nearly automatically. I'd say the amount of practice they've done makes it possible.
When I was once discussing "naturals" in West Coast Swing, the naturals are the dancers who can "just dance it and think about it later".
Stage Tango dancers have a similar feel, although, instead of pulling off something funny on the moment, they follow the lead in more structured and predictable manner, as such is the Argentine Tango dance with tighter input-output/lead-follow relationship.
Irina is probably the best Tango follow in this state. She was so fun to dance with. Much appreciated.
The next week, Hazel was inviting Fernanda Ghi from Boston to OKC for Workshop, practica and milonga weekend.
Quoting the event ad:
"Fernanda Ghi is a true legend in the world of Argentine tango.
Ghi performed in countless shows and exhibitions, and became the World Argentine Tango Champion in 1999 ( IDO)
Ghi and and her partner were the first non-Asians ever invited to perform at the Imperial Theater in Tokyo and were the feature dancers on the PBS special ‘Tango Magic’ with Pablo Ziegler and the Orpheus Orchestra.
Ghi has performed in concert with several Symphony Orchestras (New Mexico, Long Beach, Costa Mesa) and was commissioned the creation of a tango ballet for the Tulsa Ballet Dance Company
Directed and Choreographed the famous Opera Maria de Buenos Aires, several times.
In 2017 and 2018, Ghi served as a judge at the ‘Tango Mundial,’ the World Competition for Argentine Tango.
Ghi’s new Dance company creates a fusion between Argentine Tango and other art forms, such a theater, visual arts, opera and other styles of dance.
Ghi is the founder of Boston-based academy that trains amateur and professional dancers.
Fernanda Ghi Dance Academy
Fernanda maintains that tango is based on three fundamental pillars: a clear definition of the partners’ roles; a constant and active embrace; and a common axis of the dancing couple.
The starting point is the music, which determines the dynamics of expression, and thus creates a “style”, but the “style” is never the starting point. A clear understanding of the mechanics ensures that no undue stress is placed on the body and each movement is a response to a partner’s movement. The Tango that Fernanda teaches is based on a deep understanding of the essence of the dance, and allows each student to find their own personal manner of expression, without losing the universal language of Tango and the culture from which it comes."
[(left) with Irina and Sergio at the Strictly Ballroom dance studio. (right) event ad]
