Commenting on the women I dance with

I just re-read my intro at the top of the page, and I was struck by my statement about commenting on followers and using special names to maintain their privacy.

This idea still applies, but it is interesting that, in time (about two years after starting), I have been finding it less and less compelling to think and comment about particular followers. One reason is probably that I have become much more selective about the women I dance with, so I find very few issues and surprises at this point.

I mostly dance with women I know well, and for different reasons. Some are friends I feel "obligated" to dance with, at least once in while. Some I consider good dancers that allow me to express my style and who seem to really enjoy my dance, and some are still "challenging" in the sense that I am not quite sure where I stand with them.
None of the above includes my partner, of course, with whom dancing is now very special from all points of view.

The point is that a year ago I danced with just about everybody in sight, and everybody, in some way, was a new tango experience I felt compelled to consider. Now instead I know what to expect from everybody I dance with regularly, and "new experiences" are very rare.

So, I almost deleted the comment about using fake names, but then I figured that somebody might read the old blogs, and, who knows, some strange new experiences may still happen...

The wall

It's an odd feeling. I haven't written on this blog for about 4 months now, mostly because I am having a hard time verbalizing how I am feeling about tango right now. Some feelings are very good. Dancing with Zeycan has become very smooth and ever more "showy". We are often told "how good we look together". Our milonga, especially, is fun and complex, with lots of syncopation and traspie, and I keep finding new steps to do. We really get into it and we see people following us with their eyes and a smile on their face. The down side of this is that I find very few dancers who can follow me at that level right now, and Zeycan is equally bored with most leaders when it comes to milonga.

Regular tango is a slighly different story. It also has advanced considerably, but I still find dancers who will turn me down, and I am having a hard time accepting it. I am not sure whether they are watching me and determining that I am not yet at "their level", or they have pegged me at the level I was a year ago, and never give me further consideration. On the other hand I often ask very advanced dancers and teachers who seem reasonably happy with my dance. I assume it will all sort itself out in time, as I keep improving... as I am determined to do.

I also need to accept that I have been developing a definite style, which may not be to everybody's liking. For instance, some followers seem to like a very steady and predictable lead, one that I would consider, well... boring... I tend to get bored with my own lead and keep experimenting and throwing in "surprises". For instance, I will start a typical pattern, only to immediately reverse it and then, maybe, reverse it again.

Some followers tell me that they have a lot of fun dancing with me. Some even laugh often during the dance, seemingly enjoying all the little surprises. But I am sure some probably hate what I am doing. My problem is that I am not yet quite sure enough to know that what I do looks and feels stylish and "right". It's the next wall I need to break through.