So today I realized that I hadn’t written anything since I started my dancing journey. It has only been a month, but I do know that the two dances I want to learn more intimately are the tango and the waltz. I know the basic steps. My understanding of the dances and my body have a longer way to go to get the intricacies of it.
Last night I went to a class by Vicki Venka who has been dancing and judging dance competitions for many years. She was this old lady with pink hair about my height and you could see that she had arthritis. However as she showed the dance steps from both the lead and the follower, you could see that she could dominate the floor with her presence. She could still dance.
I went to this class that was obviously above my ability level because I wanted to see the soul of tango. I wanted to see her dance. What actually happened is that she coached a large group about twenty couples on how to dance.
We had been taught the very basic slow, slow, slow, quickstep, slow, which is sterile in that the dance is stripped down into its most basic form. That is the level that I am at right now. When she taught it, she taught fire. Throw the girl away, lure her back, throw her away and then dance, she said.
Of course there are never enough leads or men at these classes. I danced mostly with women who were playing the lead and half the time I stood on the sidelines and watched. I even gave up my place so that other women would have a chance to dance.
I will admit that I tangled my feet and this morning my hips and ankles hurt. Nothing a heating pad wouldn’t cure. What I learned from this class, I hope will stick into my heart for the next time I dance the tango.
What I learned is that the tango is the eternal circle of male and female energies. Come to me, no stay away, and come to me again. That when I dance the tango I need to fall into the emotions and feel the dance.
Dance is not just exercise. It is emotion given physical form.