Saturday, November 18, 2006

The Chest

Connection. Tango is all about connection. I've been taking private lessons with Jaun Ruggieri. He is a young fellow that teaches with Roberto Herrera. Unfortunately his style so far seems to be salon only. Or maybe it is just that is where my weakness lies, so it's what we are working on. Unfortunately it made me think I couldn't dance. At the milongas, I became so nervous that it became reality. What a bummer, a 5,000 mile trip just to sit and watch.

So I borrowed a cliche (if at first you don't succeed, blah, blah, blah) and went shopping instead. Markets, malls, small stores. And of course shoes. If I bought the shoes I have to dance, but I was letting it simmer on a back burner so to speak. Here in Buenos Aires, you don't have to go to just a milonga, so I've enjoyed a few live shows as well. Narcotango, Color Tango, a show at Cafe Tortoni and one at a place called Pigmallion.

At Club Grisel on Monday, I was sitting yet again. Although I was dancing consistently each evening, I've been spoiled and three or maybe four tandas in a full night of dancing no longer seems like much. So I decided I just didn't care. Three tandas in a night would have to do, I couldn't get the look, and watching would have to work as well. And then the dancing started! Great dancing. Muey Bien is understandable even to my small vocabulary of Spanish.

Eduardo returned on Tuesday, and on Thursday I had my first private lesson with him. I'd really only had a few milongas where there was any consistant dancing, but he said to me "You've been daning with the Argentinians. I can feel it in your chest." Waht a wonderful thing to hear. And it has only gotten better. Now all I'm hearing is muey bien and muey linda.

Hum, Sunday tomorrow. Wonder which milonga is the best.