A great Tango evening to ring out the old year!
We enjoyed an absolutely fabulous time last Thursday evening here at the Firehouse! With Sue Dallon away on vacation in Mexico, Terri Lopez and Steve Turi did a thoroughly masterful job as our hosts. And our dance music was provided by Johnny Tablada, who
proves himself to be not only a wonderful dancer, but a great Tango DJ as well. Next week begins our 15th year of Firehouse Tango, and we plan for this to be our best year ever. Come join the fun!
The Turi Report
The fabulous firehouse helpers danced all evening to Johnny Tablada’s delightful selections and they still had energy left to pitch in and organize the remains of the
night’s
festivities.
These enthusiastic people are:
Steve M
Jesse B
Shan
Lynn G
Hilda and Raphael
Mike P
Elena T
Tsipoyra
and others
………and of course, our fearless leader, Terri
Wishing a healthy, happy 2017 to all!
--Steve
Turi
Tango Tip of the Week
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. If you've been dancing Tango for a while, you've probably noticed that the majority of Tango dance students in this country seem to have two speeds, when they dance: Go, and Go Faster. The music begins, and they come
out of the gate like race horses, hell-bent on setting some kind of inappropriate new speed record. They go, they go, and they go, faster and faster until the music finally ends their urgent scramble -- and even then, they find it almost impossible to stop, as they stutter and stumble their way across the finish line.
Does this seem familiar to you? Is it possible that this more or less describes the way you dance?
I'm not sure
where this flagrant misinterpretation of Tango technique comes from; but it has become commonplace throughout our American Tango community. And it is without question the major reason why so many of today's students -- not to mention people who are convinced that they actually know how to dance -- just can't seem to move with even the slightest degree of precision, comfort, and balance in their attempts to dance Tango.
Today, we're going to introduce
three alternative possibilities, which may actually revolutionize your Tango for the New Year and beyond:
1. Slow Down
2. Stop
3. The "magic moment"
Two of these
possibilities involve a radical change in the speed with which you dance, and one focuses on a single moment at the end of every step. I sometimes call this "the neutral position." I'm going to rechristen this as themagic moment.
Today, we'll start with the first of two important alternative speeds -- slowing down:
Slow down
In general, it
is very difficult to dance -- or, in fact, to learn anything at all -- while hurtling blindly through space. And yet, this is what most students do as a matter of course. Both leaders and followers seem to want to get it all over as quickly as possible -- maybe because they feel there will be less chance of making mistakes (not true), or perhaps it is because they were never taught to dance or to learn in any other way. Some allege that they're only trying to
move to the rhythm of the music. Others claim that their partners are impelling them to dance faster.
Any way you look at this way of moving, it is definitely not Tango.
When I teach students to execute individual elements of basic linear movement (forward, backward, sideward, in-place), I strongly emphasize the idea of slowing things down, as the leader and follower attempt to use their new-found lead/follow skills in order to
create movement together. This is a somewhat imprecise direction -- "Slow down, please" -- but it makes the point that they're probably trying to move much too quickly (which they almost always are), and that slowing down is a crucial component of dancing Tango appropriately.
If you can add the general idea of slowing down in your own Tango, you'll go a very long way toward becoming a better student -- and a more accomplished dancer -- much more effectively than if you
continue to race-walk your way around the dance floor. Try this, starting right now, and see for yourself.
Next week, we'll talk about stopping. In the meantime, Pat and I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Please drive safely, try not to imbibe too much, and treat everyone you meet with kindness.
See you next year.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dardo Galletto
Studios
Please join us for our Saturday Practica at Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46
th Street (between 6
th and 7
th Avenues), 11
th floor; 2-4pm, $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Pat and I will both be on hand to answer any questions you may have about your dancing, and to help you with material you're working on. Plus you get a new “must-have” tango move each week! If
you’d like a private lesson, you can visit our website at
www.franchesleigh.com, call Fran directly at
212-662-7692, or email him at
franchesleigh@mac.com Join us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/franchesleighllc
