On feeling accepted (Riga)
Waking up this morning, the Riga Tango Fiesta now behind me, I am getting into the philosophical mood that tango travelling always creates in me. Slightly hung-over from last nights winedrinking with my dear Friend Vita, I found myself drifting in and out of wakefulness, and contemplating the state of mind that this weekend has generated in me.
Firstly, I must say that it was refreshingly devoid of the emotional upheavals that have become almost a trademark of my tango trips. This time around, I was not alternating between moments of torture and bliss, but instead, found myself on a steady, gently undulating wave of contentment. One big factor is indeed the Riga tango community itself: As I have been visiting this place so often in the past couple of years, I am starting to feel almost like a local, but with the benefits of not being around all the time. People seem genuinely happy to see me, I get a lot of invitations to dance, and feel very accepted as I am.
For some reason, I am finding it really easy to connect with the ladies of this community. Despite not having talked a lot with most of them, I feel a deep and wordless understanding between us, and we often share small jokes and stories while waiting for our dances. This time around, I even found myself so much at ease with them that I started to experiment with leading them, and must say it was lovely. Now I really understand why leaders speak so highly of these tangueras: they are incredibly calm, supportive and understanding, and even a total beginner as myself can get a sense of actually dancing with them! :-)
With the local tango men it is a slightly different story: I do feel accepted and get invited a lot, but perhaps due to language problems have hardly exchanged a word with most of them. However, as tango is essentially wordless communication, it does not bother me. Funnily, what they do say is often related to how ''active'' my dancing style is; even when I am really TRYING to be as passive as I possibly can, they still seem almost overwhelmed (and perhaps slightly intimidated) by my intensity. I sometimes feel a little like a sports car taken for a test drive: they are very careful to press the gas pedal as the engine`s response may suprise them! :-)
Am now getting ready to take my bus back to Tallinn in order to start the cycling tomorrow, and feeling more than slightly nervous about it. The next couple of days are bound to show whether I still have it in me to cross the continent by bike.
Firstly, I must say that it was refreshingly devoid of the emotional upheavals that have become almost a trademark of my tango trips. This time around, I was not alternating between moments of torture and bliss, but instead, found myself on a steady, gently undulating wave of contentment. One big factor is indeed the Riga tango community itself: As I have been visiting this place so often in the past couple of years, I am starting to feel almost like a local, but with the benefits of not being around all the time. People seem genuinely happy to see me, I get a lot of invitations to dance, and feel very accepted as I am.
For some reason, I am finding it really easy to connect with the ladies of this community. Despite not having talked a lot with most of them, I feel a deep and wordless understanding between us, and we often share small jokes and stories while waiting for our dances. This time around, I even found myself so much at ease with them that I started to experiment with leading them, and must say it was lovely. Now I really understand why leaders speak so highly of these tangueras: they are incredibly calm, supportive and understanding, and even a total beginner as myself can get a sense of actually dancing with them! :-)
With the local tango men it is a slightly different story: I do feel accepted and get invited a lot, but perhaps due to language problems have hardly exchanged a word with most of them. However, as tango is essentially wordless communication, it does not bother me. Funnily, what they do say is often related to how ''active'' my dancing style is; even when I am really TRYING to be as passive as I possibly can, they still seem almost overwhelmed (and perhaps slightly intimidated) by my intensity. I sometimes feel a little like a sports car taken for a test drive: they are very careful to press the gas pedal as the engine`s response may suprise them! :-)
Am now getting ready to take my bus back to Tallinn in order to start the cycling tomorrow, and feeling more than slightly nervous about it. The next couple of days are bound to show whether I still have it in me to cross the continent by bike.
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