The reasons, why I don‘t dance.

This might be a rather unusual blog-entry for a professional Tango teacher, but I guess you are by now accustomed to my personal weirdness, dear readers. 

The reason why I write this article, lies in the fact, that I just spend 8 evenings in a row sitting in Milongas and watching the dancers. On the last evening, one of the locals asked me, why he did not see me on the dancefloor for more than one or two Tandas. I explained to him: 

I do indeed not dance as much as others at Milongas, and the reasons for that vary. Basically, my non-dancing results from three different situations: 

I have been working all day: 

Most Milongas that I visit nowadays, take place in the context of a professional employment. So, on a day like that, I‘ve been getting up early, doing organisational stuff, maybe a workout, teaching for many hours and sometimes giving a performance. During our work, we have to stay focussed, be attentive, bond with people and cannot show show signs of tiredness. We love our work and want to give everything! This costs a lot of energy and at the end of a working day I am quite often physically and mentally exhausted. Too exhausted to relate to a dancer in the way I would want to relate in the embrace. I‘m sure, that many of you know that feeling and will thus not go to a lot of Milongas during the week. On your workdays, you prefer to stay at home with a good book or a movie, isn‘t it? But for us, the situation is reversed: Most Milongas take place on weekends, when the dancers can sleep long and are therefore well rested and energetic for a night out. Those are our customer-involved working days. (Not to forget the rest of the week, when we do the advertising, preparations, planning, travelling and other work-related stuff.) So please forgive me, if I am just too tired to get off my seat. Sitting, watching and chatting is fine for me. ;-) 

I am DJing: 

When I am DJing, I concentrate on the dancefloor. I will be watching the dancers, try to make out their mood, feel what they might want to dance to... I basically do the job, for which I am paid. I will maybe dance a Tanda or two, if I feel, that everything is going smoothly, but that‘s it. As a DJ, it's my pleasure to make YOU dance! :-)

So, these were answers enough for the Tanguero, who asked me that question on a full travelling, teaching, performing day, when I was also DJing at the Milonga in question. But there is another factor... 

I only dance, when I really want to dance: 

There are luckily still Milongas, that we attend for the fun of dancing and/or meeting friends. And even then, I might not be dancing as much as others. Why? Let me put it bluntly: Although being a professional teacher and depending on contracts, I will not do „social-engineering“ by dancing with potential customers or organisers. I will not either dance out of boredom, nor out of a general „urge to move“ with everyone, to no matter what music. I‘m funny in that way: When I dance with a man (or a woman), I do it for the pleasure of the embrace and I will connect very deeply with the person in question and the music. I can only do this, if the music and mood are right, if the dancefloor is well-organised, if I am awake and in an acceptable physical shape and if the other person shares my general ideas of Tango. I will rather dance with the beginner, who embraces me nicely and simply walks to the beat, than the „Maestro“ who wants to impress me with his athletic moves or complex steps. Feeling is more important to me than looks. And even amongst Salón or Milonguero dancers there are quite a few, who look nice to dance with, who move elegantly, but do not „feel“ nice! They will not connect properly, they will not communicate their ideas, they will expect me to dance memorised patterns, they are stiff and do not dissociate... It's about the quality of the dance. Am I fastidious? Maybe... But am I demanding too much? I don‘t know.... As I said: just walking to the music and holding one another gently in the arms is a great experience. I do not ask for more. 

But I won‘t accept less!

Abrazos - Encuentro Milonguero UK (Review)

So... here you are. Have a look at my review of a beautiful weekend in the british countryside and a perfect debut Festival:

ABRAZOS - Encuentro Milonguero UK (May, 6-8, 2011) 

The first Festival of social Tango in the United Kingdom was organised by our friends and Tangokombinat comrades Andreas Wichter & Lynn Collins. Andreas is teaching in the UK for some years and has been invited to Southhampton, Bristol, Cardiff, London and other places. He and Lynn are living in Totnes, Devon a lovely small town at the river Dart surrounded by tolkienesque hills and filled with stores that sell crystals and homemade shoes. This is Hobbit country. The Shire par excellence!

The Festival itself was set on Dartington Hall Estate nearby, a conglomerate of picturesque houses, the most beautiful garden in the world and some very functional multipurpose buildings, that host all kinds of cultural activities and art. On the same weekend, a festival in honour of the poet Rabindranath Tagore took place on the estate and you could enjoy all kinds of indian-inspired food, colourful people and (obviously) an elephant in the garden.

Practicas, Milonguitas & Milongas: 

The Festival offered lots of opportunities to dance over the weekend. There were Practicas every day, two afternoon Milonguitas, two big Milongas on Friday and Saturday, and a Despedida on Sunday. The concentration of so many Milongas, a big choice of classes and many people sharing Embraces, meals and discussions on this lovely spot in Devon, really made this event stand out. From all the Encuentros and Festivalitos this was definitely the most festival-like one.

DJs: 

All DJs presented traditional music in Tandas and Cortinas even during the Practicas. There were Jill Barret (UK) and Deke As (UK) for the Practicas, Celine Deveze and Philippe Gonella for the Milonguitas and Enrico „il Mali“, Uwe Willié and myself of the Milongas. I already mentioned Celine, Philippe and Enrico in my description of the YSM3 in Crema. Uwe Willié is our comrade in the Tangokombinat and was chosen for the Sunday Despedida. It‘s a actually speciality of his as he concentrates on Tandas of a more romantic and peaceful ambiance. Perfect for the final notes of a Festival.

Classes:

We (Detlef & I) were teaching alongside Marek & Olivera Szotkowski and were focussing on the embrace, movements for crowded floors and musicality in order to attract the right crowd of dancers. As each of us did a „full programme“ (10 hours) of teaching over the weekend, we did not have the time to attend the afternoon Milonguitas or Practicas - apart from the initial guided practica of course. It was fun to work at the Abrazos Festival: the class rooms were big enough and equipped with an excellent wooden floor, the organisation was impeccable. All classes were sold out.

There was one special offer: each teacher was available for four „Privatandas“, mini private classes of the length of a Tanda. We already know the concept from the USA and like it a lot. It is a very dense kind of work, where you have to concentrate on one or two aspects. The big upside is, that you do not „overload“ the student with information. From what I can tell of the feedback, the participants got a lot out of it.

Demos:

We did a short demo (2 dances per couple and one Vals together) on Saturday evening. 

Detlef and I danced two Tangos by Di Sarli as an illustration of our teaching during the day. We had given a special class on Di Sarli‘s oeuvre and wanted to demonstrate the interpretation of different styles of Tangos by the „Senor del Tango“. You can see our demos here and here.

Marek and Olivera danced to a Tango by Laurenz and a Milonga in their very elegant and personal way. I will add a link to heir demo, as soon as it is online.

Extra activities: 

Apart from strolling around on Dartington Estate (see above), you could visit Totnes, the Dartmoor, take a ride on an old-fashioned choo-choo-train, have tea and scones, look at Otters and other rare breeds... All very british and much appreciated by the visitors from the continent. Unluckily, the weather was not perfect. But who‘d expect this? ;-)

Locations: 

The locations were very, very convenient. As I already stated: wooden floors, state of the art technique and sound, appropriate sizes, nice arty ambiance.... The Practicas and Milonguitas took place in the „Hex“ a hexagonal hall with an arena-like tribune for seating and some additional tables and chairs. It was situated in the same building as the classrooms, including dressing rooms with showers, a vendor of shoes, a food stand and the reception. The Friday evening Milonga took place in the same building in the very nicely decorated large hall. I preferred this hall to the one of the Saturday and Sunday Milongas, which was set across the Estate in another building. This one was a tad „long and narrow“ for my taste. But nevertheless all places were perfectly fit for a Festival of that size, creating a very pure ambiance!

Crowd: 

The majority of the dancers came from the UK and we knew many from former visits. It was great to meet them again and see them dance so nicely with our friends from the continent, who flew in from France, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Let‘s not forget our Scotch and Irish friends of course!

I was very much impressed by the discipline and respect of the dancers on the floor and amongst each other. I have visited several british Milongas in the last three years and found the behaviour (outside of London) quite decent, but there were always some rascals on the floor, disturbing the Ronda. This was not the case at Abrazos! I have never-ever seen such a perfect Ronda with 2-3 concentric circles in all my Tango life, not even in Buenos Aires or in the most renowned Festivals. Obviously, the special emphasis on social Tango, the embrace and the „reglas“ in the publicity and choice of classes really had an impact. I know by personal feedback of participants, that they‘ve never experienced such a peace- and respectful ambiance at a Tangoevent in the UK before. The emotions ranged from tears to laughter of pleasure. Even I was touched by the harmony of the couples on the dancefloor, when I was sitting with my aching feet up and watching the crowd dance the last Tanda to a perfect Tango by Di Sarli. Whilst receiving a foot massage by my favourite foot-massage and Di-Sarli person. What more can I ask for?

Preview: 

Andreas and Lynn are already planning next years event, which will most likely take place on Dartington Hall Estate again. This is only the beginning of a deep friendship between british and continental Milongueros. The social Tango in a close embrace has found a new home on the island and there will hopefully be many more Abrazos. We‘ll sure be back!

Festivalitos for Milongueros - the first review

In an earlier post I recommended a choice of events for Tangueros who want to cherish the embrace. These Festivalitos or Encuentros are developing all over Europe and are attracting a rapidly growing crowd. I would like to present the ones in which I am participating in 2011, either as teacher, organiser or just as a dancer. You cannot expect me to write a neutral report, as I am always emotionally involved, but I will not praise what is not worthy!

I would first like to describe the phenomenon of the Encuentro Milonguero itself. 

Encuentros are in some way comparable to the Tango-Marathons as events that focus on the social dance without long interruptions by shows or concerts. The emphasis of the Encuentros of course is on a more traditional Tango in a close embrace - you may call it Tango Milonguero or Tango de Salon, whatever you prefer. These events are not as strictly defined as the Marathons: some of them may include workshops or short demos, others are „dancing-only“. But they do have several aspects in common:

- Traditional DJing: The focus is on social dancing to the best traditional orchestras, so excellent DJs present their classical choice of music. Orchestras are usually not invited, which also helps to keep the prices reasonable.
- Traditional setting: Milonguero events use Tandas and Cortinas and cultivate the invitation by Cabeceo & Mirada. The rules of the social dancefloor are stressed upon to guarantee a maximum of dance quality.
- Limitation in size: Encuentros or Festivalitos want to create an intimate and friendly atmosphere. Therefore not more than 100-250 dancers are admitted. In the last year, attempts were being made to balance the number of men and women, but so far, not all of organisers succeed in being strict about it.
- No non-stop-dancing: Although Encuentros are very intensive, usually sporting 4-6 Milongas during a weekend, they do not go on non-stop. Some might say, that the reason lies in the weaker stamina of the Milongueros, but actually this form of organisation derives from a particular philosophy: Apart from allowing time to socialise, chat and eat out of the dance context, a Milonga with a well defined beginning and ending gives the opportunity DJ to build up a personal dramaturgy during the evening. There will be a slow warm-up-phase, a climax, an ending-phase and of course the sweet „Ultima Tanda“ you will want to share with one dear person. In my opinion, this also contributes to a positive „group-feeling“ as everyone will participate in these special moments.
- Mixed crowd: Although traditional Tango is said to attract the „old ones“, the participants of these Festivalitos nowadays are very divers and a lot of young people attend, happily sharing embraces with each other and the more aged Milongueros.
- Internationality: Only very few years ago, all these events were frequented mainly by local dancers, but most of them have developed into international Festivals with visitors from all over Europe or even from the USA. As it must be the case amongst the „Marathonians“, international groups of friends have formed over the last two or three years - dancers who meet one month in Crema and the next in Dartington. Very often, contacts are maintained with the aid of Facebook. 

Let me now present my first two Festivalitos of the year. 

----------------------------- 

MONTECATINI TERME TANGO FESTIVALITO (April 1-3) 

This Festivalito was organised by FrAnTango Buenos Aires - Francesca Bertelli (New York) and her husband Antonio Martinez (Buenos Aires), who are now living in lovely Tuscany. Their aim is to cultivate Tango Milonguero in a region, where you can still find a lot of Tango Fantasia - big moves for athletic dancers. In my opinion, the first edition with around 180 visitors at the main Milonga was a great success. Taking into consideration that Antonio & Francesca only moved to Italy last summer, this achievement is even more formidable. It helped of course, that Francesca was born in Montecatini Terme and was able to activate lots of old „amici“ in the administration of the city and the thermal baths. 

Milongas: 

There were four Milongas starting with an evening Milonga on Friday and ending with a Tango-Brunch on Sunday afternoon. Pre-booking was only needed for the Friday Milonga because of the limited space.

DJs: 

All four DJs presented traditional music in Tandas and Cortinas with different orientations: Al Porteño (Italy) concentrates on very rhythmical arrangements for typical Milongueros, with a high percentage of early 30‘s music. Andreas Wichter (UK/Germany) prefers Tandas of the epoca d‘oro, also with a slight emphasis on the rhythmical stuff. Unfortunately I could not attend to Antonio Martinez‘ DJing debut in Italy at the afternoon Milonga. Myself, I alternate rhythmical and melodical Tandas as a principle and will never play less than two Tandas of Di Sarli per Milonga (plus Calo, Fresedo, Garcia...) thus creating a more romantic ambiance for the Despedida. 

Classes/Demos:

We (Detlef & I) were asked to give three workshops and do a small demo, but there was still some time to enjoy the Festival as well. There was no other teacher couple and our workshops sold out quickly. 

Extra activities: 

There was a shoe sale (Francescas Tango Boutique), a dress sale (Pepitango) and a welcome dinner on Friday. And of course there was lots of time to visit the spas, the old village on the hill, eat an icecream in Montecatini Terme, even visit Florence or Lucca... The sun was shining all day and it was a perfect holiday - for those who did not work! ;-) 

Locations: 

The locations were chosen carefully and actually quite impressive. The Friday Milonga took place in a Restaurant/Theatre in picturesque Montecatini Alto. The Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon milongas were set in the a big hall of the Terme Tetuccio, that looks like Galadriels home in Lothlórien with it‘s tree-like wooden structures. Unfortunately, I did not attend the outdoors afternoon Milonga due to our classes. The floors were - as usually in Italy - tiles. Good enough to pivot, but quite hard of course. 

You can find a video with some impressions here. 

Crowd: 

I was very much pleased to find a significant number of visitors from New York, France, Slovenia, Germany, the UK and Switzerland who mingled nicely with the local dancers, the majority of whom was from the Tuscan region. Unfortunately, some of the target audience did not show up because of a parallel event in northern Italy. I am sure, that next years event will attract more dancers from all over Italy as Antonio and Francesca grow a reputation as excellent hosts and real Milongueros. 

Preview: 

Francesca and Antonio are currently planning next years event which will have a similar formula on another date. We plan on going again, even if we will not be teaching! Let‘s keep our fingers crossed, that we do not have to work someplace else on the weekend.

----------------------------- 

YO SOY MILONGUERO - 3° Encuentro de Abrazos in Crema (April 23-25) 

The third edition of YSM was also our third visit in Crema, a small town near Milano in northern Italy. Crema on Easter weekend - the traditional YSM date - is kind of sleepy and relaxed. There is one pedestrian street with a couple of shops and restaurants, a small park and not much other stuff going on. That‘s why you can concentrate perfectly on the dancing. Although the crowd has changed over the years (see below), there are still enough „repeaters“ to make it feel like coming home. For me, it‘s a great opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. 

Milongas: 

There were five Milongas starting with an afternoon Milonga on Saturday and ending with an afternoon Milonga on Monday. Pre-booking was necessary for all Milongas and all were sold out weeks before the event. 

DJs: 

The choice of DJs was typical for YSM: Enrico il Mali (the host, an excellent DJ, who will soon be giving his debut in the UK), Al Porteño (see above), Celine Deveze (France), Philippe Gonella (France) and Paolo Persiani (Italy). I preferred Enrico, Philippe and Celine who manage to create a very nicely balanced ambiance with a lot of „emozione“. 
Check out a video that was made during one of the afternoon Milongas.

Classes/Demos 

None 

Extra activities: 

Mangiare! There were four common meals in different restaurants. Although I did not find the choice of food particularly interesting, I always enjoy his part as it makes an emphasis on the socialising. Eating, drinking and chatting with friends is a big part of the Encuentro in Crema! 

Locations: 

All Milongas took place in the Hotel Ponte del Rialto, where we had also booked our spacious rooms. This was very convenient and I like the bright ambiance, but I have to admit, that the space is not ideal. Apart from the inevitable tile floor, there is just not enough place to seat all visitors appropriately at tables. In the first two years, two other locations had been used for the festival, but they were not available/ big enough anymore. The caring organisers Anna Albini and Enrico Malinverni are thinking about changing the location, so let‘s wait and see... 

Crowd: 

Over the last three years, this Festival‘s population has changed a lot. It developed from a mostly local event with some French friends into an international Encuentro. The level of social dancing was high and I embraced some excellent dancers from all over Italy, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Romania. There were furthermore visitors from Switzerland, Austria and Spain. What more can you ask for? 

Well... there was one thing: Enrico and Anna tried to equal the number of men and women but did not quite succeed. This did not bother me so much, as I do not have to dance non-stop and am quite picky as well, but some women were a little disappointed. I am confident, that next years event will be more evenly balanced. 

Preview: 

There will be a YSM4 on Easter 2012. And it‘s gonna be even better, I‘m sure. I certainly reserved the date in my calendar! 

----------------------------- 

Well... that‘s it for the moment. 

Next week, we will visit the first edition of the ABRAZOS - Encuentro Milonguero UK. I can already tell you, that the Milongas are sold out and most of the classes are full. We are expecting visitors from all over the UK and the continent. I‘m prepared for another great Festivalito for social dancers - although I will have to work a lot there...

Let's talk about sex!

... or the lack of it in Tango. 

Why? Because it‘s one of the most obvious and most avoided topics in our favourite pastime or profession. And because there seems to be a tiny spark of a psychologist in me after all. ;-) 

We‘ve all made up our minds! Contrary to the image displayed in Tango shows, bad movies or in the heads the uninformed, Tango is not a sexual or erotic dance. It is sensual - at the utmost! How often have I explained this to Non-Tangueros, in order to avoid their pitying or lecherous glances and remarks! And even amongst Tangueros, people tend to make it very clear, that they‘ve got nothing to do with the antiquated notion of Tango as the most erotic dance in the world. 

Let‘s have a look at some typical opinions and statements. 

There are for example the ones who prefer to dance in an open or flexible embrace - often dancers of a younger generation. They focus on the possibilities of the movement and the music. I‘ve heard heard quite a few snide remarks coming from this group, like: „Dancing in a close embrace is for the old and unattractive ones. You know, those who do not find a partner in real life and use Tango as a replacement for sex or as a hunting ground. We do not need that.“ 

Huh.... 

Those who cherish the close embrace might answer: „These young ones! They‘re afraid of real relationships and nearness. They hide behind complex movements in order to avoid intimacy. We experience a real connection, but will of course not try to exploit it. It will only last for a Tanda and then it‘s over! We would never, ever... We‘re sophisticated and spiritual beings, not Salseros, who only dance in order to pick up a man/woman. We do not need that.“ 

So, what all these people want to tell us, is that they will not use Tango to make sexual or romantic advances to another person. Everyone who dances in a close embrace with someone he/she finds attractive will know, that this is not the whole truth and that the dance itself can become very sexy. But if you restrict this activity to a set of four Tangos and restrain yourself from taking it any further, this will definitively have consequences. 

Because, if you take into account that: 

- a lot of Tangueros are singles,
- Tango is their major or only pastime - the only place where they could find a partner,
- and that they spend most of their nights dancing, coming home exhausted physically and mentally...
... the question imposes upon one: Are those people ever going to find a partner for life or the night? They must all be celibate! 

And let‘s have a look at those, who do have a steady relationship: They will not show their affection during a Milonga out of fear of not being invited by someone else, they will spend lots of communicative energy to embrace strangers all night, they come home late and exhausted... How much energy will they have left to connect to their partner, in whatever way? 

So what, Tangueros in general don‘t have sex and Tango is their substitute for it? 

At first glance, scientific research seems to back up this idea. In the context of my psychological thesis („Sex-roles in Argentine Tango“ - now please think Sandra Bem and not Naughty Nurses) - I interviewed 170 German Tango dancers. The majority of them (100 persons) were single. Now, this was in 2001 to 2003 and I‘d probably develop a totally different questionnaire nowadays - but nevertheless some of the results are interesting:
68,3 % of the respondents associate Tango with passion and erotics.
80,5 % of the respondents see Tango as an opportunity to experience physical nearness to other people.
56,7 % of the respondents see Tango as an opportunity to be near to a man/woman in a non-committing way.
But only 14,2 % of them comprehend Tango as an opportunity to find a partner. 

So again: people make connections, rather important ones to opposite-sex partners in Tango, but they will not take it any further and go home solo. But why is that so? 

There are several explanations, that I‘ve heard over the years:
- Most Tangueros have relational issues or are just too shy.
- They are afraid of loosing a particular person as a dance partner.
- They are afraid of endangering their standing as a Tanguero by getting a reputation as a slut or a womaniser.
- Tango itself is a sanctuary. You do not desecrate it by profane actions. 

Well... I don‘t know.... I don‘t believe in all of that. Not even in the results of my studies. When I look around, I see many people finding partners for life or having love affairs in Tango. Very often, they just don‘t tell, which is a little strange for me, because I used to move in circles, where people talked openly about their sexuality or at least did not try to repress this primal need. But if you take Tango seriously, sex seems to be a taboo. 

And now I come to the point, where I want to introduce Argentina as a „good“ example, because there, Tango is a normal part of everyday life. People go there to have fun with their spouses, they bring their family, eat, chat and yes, use the environment to find a partner for the night or for life. Sure, they will abide to rules of discretion, if they still want to dance with other people, so they won‘t leave the Milonga with their lover or sit with a partner - but apart from that, it‘s no secret, that Milongueros and Milongueras use the Milongas as a „hunting ground“. And why should they not? 

We‘re all confident grown-ups and if we don‘t want to accept a polite invitation, we just say no, don‘t we? 

(Note for the over-zealous: This is not a post to encourage transgressive behaviour in the dance or "sexy" Milongas. I‘m discussing an interesting phenomenon from an analytic perspective and making a small leap into the question of a „natural“ attitude towards Tango. That's all!)

Post inbetween posts 6 - End of pause

I've been inactive for a couple of weeks. Due to work, studying, sewing, running and a lot of other activities I did not find the time to post on my blog.
I was also lacking the inspiration for a meaningful article. I know, that some bloggers use it as a kind of journal where they note random thoughts or scraps of ideas, things they find on the net... That's very fine, but I do that on Facebook already and wanna keep the blog for longer posts.
But do not worry: I'm back and my next post will surely lead to another lively discussion. 
It's about sex.

Tango Friends

Last weekend, I've been teaching in Amsterdam. As we‘ve been there a couple of times, we know quite some people and places. It feels good to come to a town, where you‘ve already made friends.

But it‘s sad to say good-bye.

You might know what I‘m talking of, even if you are no travelling teacher: The Tango community has grown into a fast-paced, international crowd. People are travelling to Buenos Aires, Berlin and Rome to visit Milongas, Marathons or Festivals, either as teachers or as consumers/students. And isn‘t it great to make so many friends everywhere? Tango allows us to get to know another person quite intimately in a very short time. The embrace, the sweat, the all night dancing, sharing breakfast in the mornings and yes, all the time we spend in classes, trying to explore a new world. Tango is a challenging dance: it demands that we bring in our whole personality, our body, our soul. You give a lot and you receive a lot. No wonder, that Tangueros get addicted to that kind of nomad life!

But are we really making friends? 

Do we not meet in a kind of bubble, where everything evolves about Tango and where huge parts of our life are blanked? Do you know the name of person you just greeted so enthusiastically? Do you know, if your dance-partner has got siblings, a wife, a husband? Do you know her job and do you know her plans for the future? Do you know, if he sleeps well at night or if he‘s suffering from a disease? Most likely not. Because all we talk about is Tango. We meet, we dance, we chat... and we leave again. 

Two weeks ago, I heard of the death of a dancer, that I used to meet regularly a couple of years ago. We spend quite some time together but then I stopped going to the Milongas that she frequented. And I forgot about her. Until I got the message of her passing away. 

Is this an exception? What about yourself? Will your Tango friends remember you, when you stop going to Milongas, because you‘re ill or old or just fed up. Won‘t most of them forget you? When I am going to stop teaching and dancing, people will talk about this for a couple of weeks. Some of them will regret it deeply, I‘m sure. But soon they‘ll forget, because there are so many new people, faces, impressions. It‘s overwhelming.

Sure... you do not forget everyone. There are the ones, that you get to know a little better. Maybe you even talk about non-Tango-stuff, get a glimpse into real-life. And you really like that person. You feel that you‘re making a friend. But very soon, you will have to go back to your hometown or to the next gig. If you‘re lucky, you will meet again in a couple of months or next year. And you will start all over again with the getting-to-know process. People change and you cannot keep up with these changes by checking the news on Facebook.

And what about your non-tango friends at home? How often do you meet them? You‘re most likely taking classes or going to Milongas during the week and on the weekends there‘s the Festivals... I‘ve heard so many Tangueros complain about the fact, that they‘ve lost most of their „other“ friends“. And that the „friendships“ in Tango remain superficial.

Building a friendship takes time and maintaining it as well. Do we still have that time?

I try my best. I meet my non-tango friends as often as possible. I try to stay in touch with people, whom I get to know and like during my travels. I try to get to know them better, whilst I‘m with them. But there‘s never enough time before I have to leave again.

I try. But there‘s too many good-byes!

Post inbetween posts 5 - Sin Tango

So... I'm a couple of weeks into studying and as some of you may know, I took a month off from my Tango work. No teaching or dancing since mid February, so that I can concentrate on the studies. Kind of an intensive kick-off phase. That worked out nicely for me, although there is still a lot of Tango-organising and planning to do. That's why I'm never really Tango-free. ;-)

Do I miss dancing or teaching? No. There's too much other things to do, to read and to think. And as I know that I'll be travelling for the rest of the year without pause, I rather cherish the time at home. It's nice. And I'll be refreshed and newly motivated for work.

But, there's a problem: I've got nothing new to write about. Not about Tango anyway. My thoughts are evolving about the definition of modernity in history and literature, about the difference of historicism and historic social sciences, about the long 19th century, the industrial revolution and about Mr. Marx. My head is spinning and I cannot imagine how I can my thoughts in order to pass the exam. I am kinda scared.

Sometimes, I really ask myself: Why am I doing this? I do not need another qualification, I do not need another academic title... I am doing it for the sheer pleasure of learning and yet I am condemming myself to years of studying in my rare free time. That's no fun anymore. I must be crazy. Ok. I can live with that. 

But do not dispair: I'll be back in the Tango world from next weekend on and there'll be much more to write about...

No rest for the wicked!