On the importance of embrace (Berlin)
Although I thought this could not happen, I think that I have now discovered my personal limit for how much tango is good for me. During the previous two years, I have been travelling abroad to dance more or less once a month, and although always wondering how it would feel to be doing more, have actually felt quite happy with it. However, this summer things have sped up quite a bit, as there has been a tango event basically every two weeks ever since June. And frankly, I think this is a bit too much for me.
The past weekend I participated in a really well organised event, the High Noon Tango Marathon here in Berlin. The atmosphere was friendly, there were lots of very nice people and I had a good deal of wonderful dances, but still, I felt slightly detached from it all. True, the considerable physical exhaustion caused by the bike ride in pretty extreme circumstances may have affected my ability to enjoy it all to the fullest. Or then, just maybe, I am slowly growing out of the most compulsive phase of this affliction?
It is also a fact that although we tango addicts dance first and foremost for the joy of dancing, there is always a possibility, a longing even, that a truly meaningful connection could be established with one's dancing partner. It need not be an emotional or a sensual one, it may just be a sense of enjoying the music the same way, but it can also be a very strong sense of being united on a very profound level. And frankly, it is only if and when that happens that I am able to achieve the Tango High that truly motivates me to go on these journeys with tango.
I am now wondering whether "too much" tango affects my ability to achieve this, whether I become too used to holding strangers in my arms to really appreciate the beauty of it. Or, could it be that the distinctly more independent, powerful and, I am tempted to say, egoistic dancing style of these Western dancers is what is making me struggle to connect with them and thus making me feel more lonely in the dance?
Good tango starts with the embrace, el Abrazo, and here, a real close embrace is a rarity. There a as many dancing styles as there are dancers, but the way they embrace their partner is at the core of how they will be moving, turning, responding to each other and the music. I knew this from before, but still it came as a surprise how sudden and marked the change is compared to the countries to the East of Berlin. Whereas in the East, I felt welcome and accepted in the embrace, here I feel as if most people would actually prefer not to be in close embrace at all!
I do remember how a couple of years ago, when I first started going to the Baltic tango events, I felt slightly bored with the minimalistic dancing that seemed to focus on maintaining the closest possible embrace. Now, I notice how my preferences have changed, and what I really want to do is to embrace and be embraced. Who knows, maybe this too is a stage that will pass?
The past weekend I participated in a really well organised event, the High Noon Tango Marathon here in Berlin. The atmosphere was friendly, there were lots of very nice people and I had a good deal of wonderful dances, but still, I felt slightly detached from it all. True, the considerable physical exhaustion caused by the bike ride in pretty extreme circumstances may have affected my ability to enjoy it all to the fullest. Or then, just maybe, I am slowly growing out of the most compulsive phase of this affliction?
It is also a fact that although we tango addicts dance first and foremost for the joy of dancing, there is always a possibility, a longing even, that a truly meaningful connection could be established with one's dancing partner. It need not be an emotional or a sensual one, it may just be a sense of enjoying the music the same way, but it can also be a very strong sense of being united on a very profound level. And frankly, it is only if and when that happens that I am able to achieve the Tango High that truly motivates me to go on these journeys with tango.
I am now wondering whether "too much" tango affects my ability to achieve this, whether I become too used to holding strangers in my arms to really appreciate the beauty of it. Or, could it be that the distinctly more independent, powerful and, I am tempted to say, egoistic dancing style of these Western dancers is what is making me struggle to connect with them and thus making me feel more lonely in the dance?
Good tango starts with the embrace, el Abrazo, and here, a real close embrace is a rarity. There a as many dancing styles as there are dancers, but the way they embrace their partner is at the core of how they will be moving, turning, responding to each other and the music. I knew this from before, but still it came as a surprise how sudden and marked the change is compared to the countries to the East of Berlin. Whereas in the East, I felt welcome and accepted in the embrace, here I feel as if most people would actually prefer not to be in close embrace at all!
I do remember how a couple of years ago, when I first started going to the Baltic tango events, I felt slightly bored with the minimalistic dancing that seemed to focus on maintaining the closest possible embrace. Now, I notice how my preferences have changed, and what I really want to do is to embrace and be embraced. Who knows, maybe this too is a stage that will pass?
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