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.
December 1-4 LV Weekend Workshops in St. Paul, Minnesota
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*Friday, December 1, 2023*
*Luciana Valle Weekend St. Paul, Minnesota (Triune Temple)*
*Workshop #1: Dynamic Walking, Axis & Embrace*
This class woul...
4 months ago
1 comment:
There is a way to find the answers to this question of "why don't they dance with me" and that is to approach them in a practica for help with x, y or z. Even if you feel you don't need help with x, y or z. Often times practicing and eliciting feedback is a great way to find out what it may be that someone or some ones may not like in your dance, but it also shows that you are working at improving, which can put you on their radar.
You don't write about approaching these followers in practica, only in a milonga setting, so if you already do approach advanced dancers in a practica, good for you. Now you just need to ask for feedback that will give you the answers you want. that is, if you want them. :-) I know from experience that those answers can be both painful looks in the mirror as well as realizations that styles sometimes just don't jive, and that's ok.
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