You Tube ?

When I noticed a lady getting kicked in the practica, I of course intervened. A secada is supposed to be a replacement; there is no force attached, and definitely no kicking or pushing. Now our perpetrator replied that he was not doing a secada, but something he had seen on you tube.

Of course this was not tango and I told him so, his reply was that this was a tango guy doing it. I was getting nowhere here and this as I have often said is not my class, so for now I let it lie. I hope he will not try this again, words will have to be exchanged we cannot have the ladies kicked.

This brings me to another subject altogether; It seems that for some You Tube is a legitimate teaching device, I think that this is wrong on two levels:

Firstly; anyone who has tried to learn any type of dancing from videos, discs, or the net will have found eventually it does not work. Your screen will not pick up your faults. You may well assume something is correct and nobody will be there to put you right. Tango uniquely is more about musicality, posture, and a conversation between leader and follower. How on earth can anyone hope to learn this on their own, what you see in tango is mostly an illusion, we invite our followers to move and make the world believe we have moved them with our feet or whatever, see this on you tube and of course you will believe the illusion and try to copy. You tube does not teach you how to lead, how to stand, or how to move.

Secondly and even more importantly, the internet is democratic. Anyone who happens upon this blog that does not know me, only has what I say here as evidence of who I am and what I know. This applies to the internet in general, anyone can put almost anything (decency aside) on to you tube. I could put a film on there telling the world of my financial qualifications and my answer to the world’s financial crisis; would you all close your deposit accounts on my say so? Would you sell me all your gold for a pittance just because I was on Youtube? I think not, but for some reason anyone who posts videos of tango is deemed to be an expert. Some may well be, others not, but the one thing all these videos have in common is, you cannot learn tango from them.

I can’t make Shrewsbury this week, so the normal lively debate from The Coracle will have to go unreported. My next post may have to wait until I have something more to say without the Coracle chat I will be short on ideas. Of course if anyone wants to suggest a topic, I am sure to have an opinion.

Bangor Tea Dance

It must be hard to run a tango scene in a university town. You advertise, work up a good crowd, teach them to be good leaders and followers, then they get their degrees and move on. Anna and John have my admiration for this. We may not always agree about the music, but I will always love coming here and dancing with Anna.

Despite having an 80^th birthday party to go to, we could not miss the workshop and tea dance that they had arranged in Bangor.

Saturday started out filthy, rain and mist, almost no light. Even at a good pace it would take me an hour and a quarter to drive. We decided to take the SEAT my little Suzuki although economical would not be a good drive that low down in the rain. When we arrived at Bangor I was glad, the narrow streets offered almost no parking, and when we found a spot, I was not sure what condition I would find the car in.

So suitably stressed put we arrived in Penrallt church hall a beautiful stone building with ornate wooden ceilings. Greeted by Sharon as a long lost friend (Well it was over 36 hours) and then Anna and john. Of course I also greeted little Leo, can I adopt him as my grandson??  

Sharon did a milonga workshop. She kept it very simple, but I thought it good, that as most of these were very new beginners, they were getting an introduction early to milonga, so hopefully they would not learn to fear it. After a few stragglers arrived the numbers evened out and Viv stayed on the sidelines to help Sharon.

I was very impressed, most of the ladies here had never danced milonga before yet they followed me well.

All too soon the class was over and it was time to attack the cakes. I tried hard to be good, honestly. I am getting close to my target weight, but every time I think I may achieve it I am surrounded by vicious cakes, all determined to make me suffer.

Anna had promised to save me, but Leo was taking up her time, still I did not do too badly.

I got those dances with her eventually and most of the women at some point. I did leave one woman standing when Lola came on; I said that I would return to her when it was over. I don’t get this, why is everyone suddenly playing Lola? I believe that it was played on Strictly, but that will never make it a tango. It is four four time, but it does not even sound tangoish. I am threatening a screaming fit next time it is played.

OK  Sharon played (apart from Lola) all traditional tango, I suspect someone requested it, and lets face it we are outside our realm, keep a low profile.

All in all we had good time, some even said they may come to Chester, certainly all seemed to have a flair for tango, and young people who would spread out across the UK may well start tango scenes all over the country.

More power to you Tango Bangor.

 

Some carried on dancing but for some the cake was too much.

Music and Movement

If you are a certain age and English (I do not know if this applies to Scotland and Wales) you may remember a time when there was only one radio in your school. This was located in the headmaster’s office and every day at eleven the teacher would come in with a large board with feet and a speaker in the centre. This would be plugged into the wall so that we could all listen to the BBC.

Sad the things you remember, Racheal Percival, Marjorie Eele and especially William Appleby, the presenters of “Music and Movement”. We would all sit or stand doing dance like movements all at the directions of these wonderful presenters. Sadly these days are long gone along with the light service on which they were broadcast.

Thursday night and the beginners were allowed for this occasion to stay with the intermediates. We were lined up on either side of the room and recreated “Music and Movement”. My side of the room were instructed to move to the rhythmical music while on the opposite side they moved only to the lyrical.

Roles were reversed and everyone suddenly started to feel the music. When we coupled up we were instructed to dance with someone of our own level so that it did not matter that we had so many beginners.

So we were asked to just dance to the music as we had been doing, it looked not too bad to me, but stuck in the body of the class it is difficult to tell. Next the ladies were asked to do what they felt to the music. Although hard leading from the front and difficult for the men to follow everyone coped well. The class moved much more slowly when the women led, there was more emphasis on the lyrical, less rushing around, dare I say, more feeling. So next we were asked to discuss with our partner what we had done and then cooperate and do the next dance.

We changed couples and repeated the exercise; still the men do not get it. When asked they say “when we do some thing lyrical the music has already changed”. This of course is why we need to know the music, and why we need the traditional tango that follows a pattern.  We men are simple creatures, keep the rules simple and we can follow them. Introduce complex tunes, mix up the rhythms and we are unable to cope.

So what have we learned?; when it is lyrical, slow it down; know the music, really know the music; and when we slow it down and feel the music the ladies love it.

I have the feeling that some like to make Tango something complex, foot positioning, the embrace, posture, all must be just so. Of course the embrace is important, posture likewise, but everywhere I go now I see people who are getting in an advanced state of stress over a dance. We dance for enjoyment, few classes I have been to have been this much fun and few if any have so reached what tango is all about.

Back at The Coracle we discussed this, how we had thirty people now moving to the music, dancing with each other and yet the room moved in a big wave, not creating gaps nor log jams, simply because we were listening to the music.

I am afraid I got a bit passionate when the subject of teachers came up; it seems after a very short time everyone thinks that they can teach tango. I hear it all the time in classes; beginners try to teach other beginners who have had one less class. Someone who went to a workshop now has all the techniques to teach what they have learned and after less than a year people rush off to set up their own classes.

To be good enough to teach takes a long time, or as in Sharon’s case a lot of work. To teach Argentine tango without knowledge of Argentina is a falsehood and, apart from one notable exception I know of no one who does it well without that knowledge.

I was sitting on the radiator while this went on, and I cooled down when I moved, but my feelings remain the same, I know those who can teach, those who have the knowledge and those who have the experience, and as such I know those teachers with whom I would not take a class even as an assistant. We left it at that, even those who sympathise with my views cannot fully understand without knowing Buenos Aires so there was little point in pursuing it any more, there will always be those who dance tango and those who know tango, I like to think that I may one day become one of the latter but those who have never visited the city of tango never will know tango.

Men with big feet

This week we had some hints and tips for dancing to Pugliese. Now my views on Pugliese are well known, I don’t like dancing to the later tunes although I do enjoy listening to them. That said we were dancing to the early stuff and the strong rhythms and changes of pace gave us an enjoyable interlude.

One of the things we were doing was a very slow cross. Dave was asked to demonstrate with Sharon, it looked good. ( I reckon they had been practicing) However somebody noticed that Dave’s forward step moved out slightly, he said it was because he had big feet. Now you know what they say about men with big feet? Yes, they wear big shoes. Still it gave us some ammunition for some ribald comments later in The Coracle.

When these ribald comments arrived I did notice a wry grin on Alison’s face, is there truth in the rumours I wonder? The talk as usual revolved around tango, and the music. A comment by Dave I think deserves more exploration “The music is not an optional extra” The porteños dance because they love the music, and when I see people dance here to non tango, I wonder; how can you say you love tango without a love for the music? If it is a desire to become like something from Strictly, then this is not the place for you. Sex on the dance floor? Well I have news, in all my years I have only met one woman who was looking for a boy friend. There have been one or two romances, of course, but these are the exceptions. Those women who come alone usually have a husband or partner at home, and are just out for the social buzz. I seem to be popular with the ladies here (something new for me) I think that they are secure in the knowledge that I am very married, and look for nothing other that a good dance. The growing popularity of Line Dancing proves my point, there is no opportunity to get together there, so it ends up predominantly women, salsa likewise, you are together barely long enough to exchange names. Tango is the only dance where you socialise with a partner long enough and in an environment where you can get to know each other. So we meet and dance, enjoy each others company and the closeness of our bodies, safe in the knowledge that we will leave separately and that the relationship is just on the floor, nothing more..

 But what about the music? I hear you ask (go on ask me). It has to be enjoyed, women often close their eyes, not just so that they can follow better, but to better enjoy the music, I believe. If a man does not feel the music, does not move with it and just enjoy, then the woman cannot possibly respond well. Again as we danced to Pugliese great pauses happen and a lady with whom I was dancing (herself not much more than a beginner) commented that she loved the way I slowed down with the music. Come on men, this is not rocket science, to move with the music, to feel what the composer was saying, this is dancing. Dancing is not throwing her in the air, doing great big voleos or ganchos, trying to impress with your huge repertoire will just frustrate her, let her know that you feel the music, now that will impress.. It has taken me years to come to this conclusion. Years when teachers taught me moves, years when I learned kicks and flicks, and years when women probably hated dancing with me. Years wasted in not understanding why we dance, love is on the dance floor, for three minutes you love the woman you are with, but she will never know unless you also love the music you are dancing to as well.

Seems my post about the Shrewsbury Tango Rent a Mob has been taken too seriously. We had a very robust debate about the name. It looks like people do not like the Mob Idea. We had various suggestions as to what it should be called, and I thought it was just a joke, Is the world ready? I ask myself.

It had to happen one day, work and dancing just do not mix. Some times when I am not working there is not a venue anywhere where we can dance, this Saturday our friend Steve was performing at Llay British legion, another great artist Bill Dennis was performing at Ewloe, hard choice, but they were trumped by a milonga at Pant, Three venues where we could go. So where did we end up? I came home from work and fell asleep, not waking until quarter to nine. By the time I would have showered, changed, and driven there, it would have been time to come home. So for the first time I failed totally on a Saturday night. Viv did not wake me because she said that I needed it, she was right, of course, but I still missed the dancing, the music and all the three-minute romances.

I hope to make it up Monday night.

Shrewsbury Tango Rent a Mob

New faces are always appearing, some come because they have just discovered tango others come from away and find us via various means, but all swell the ranks. This week we were joined by Ali and once again it was proven how anonymous the internet can be.

This blog was the first contact and via a couple of comments and emails arrangements were made to join us on a Monday in Chester.

Now, while these arrangements went on Viv asked about Ali, how old was he was he an Asian, I simply had no answer. Then she said “you do not even know if it is a man or a woman”. She was right of course, so I returned to my emails to look for clues. The best clue was “a frustrated milonguera” so he is a she. This I think illustrates how easily we can be deceived by the internet; I still know nothing about our mystery newcomer except her sex, all will become clear after the class I suppose.

Roberta made another appearance this week, because not only were there more men but our new student Ali wished to learn to lead. Unfortunately we never quite rotated around so that she could lead me, but maybe that will happen in the future.

As we danced around the room I try not to interfere too much, I shut my eyes and try to be a good follower, this is a hard enough job for me without also trying to correct the leaders’ moves. However for long time Salsa dancers there is the ever-present problem of too much arms, they learn to lead with their arms and have difficulty keeping them in frame with their body.

I pointed this out and said Sharon will pick you up on it. A minute later Sharon came over, and said, not to lead with the arms. My prediction seemed to amuse everyone, but it made the point.

Later in the side room, we had a bit of time to work on the frame, sometimes though it is just better to work alone. You can just hold the frame without worrying about where your woman is, but also they need the confidence to believe that the woman will follow their body.

It is an ever-present problem with beginners, and one to which I do not have a complete  answer, that while the followers need to learn to follow, the leaders have not yet learned to lead. This is one of the reasons that we still attend beginners classes, without feeling how it should feel neither side will ever get it.

I am not totally altruistic in this, as we develop more and better tango dancers, a more and better tango scene will develop around here, giving me more tango and making me less of a frustrated milonguero. So there you are, I am helping everyone because I am selfish.

For once I drove home at a sensible pace, we had offered Ali a lift home and Viv was having a good chat with her. I still know nothing about her (it’s a man thing, I miss all the important stuff) but we got home without being murdered and as far as I know, we did not get involved with any terrorist plots.

We got to Shrewsbury again this week. Late as usual, so we sat out the beginners’ class. Dave had to step out at one point, so being the gentleman, I could not see a lady on her own I took his place. When he returned he was redundant, sorry Dave the credit crunch and all that.

In The Coracle later we had the usual lively debate, all subjects are open, but as usual we got onto line of dance and the way tango is danced. The general feeling is that most teachers are operating as a business and as such cannot refuse anyone, not arriving late, not doing Ganchos, not even zig zagging across the floor. Luckily we operate more as a club and so can be choosy. For me though, I think that there is something more fundamental going on here; We see stage tango and Nuevo, we like the look of it, and suddenly we think we know more about tango than the Argentines.

There is a desire to learn tango like ballroom, you have set steps, start from the corner, and only dance with your partner. Well I have news for all these people, tango is nothing like ballroom, if you are dancing it to jungle beat or Foxtrot, then you do not understand why we dance tango. If you cannot keep line of dance perhaps you should stick to salsa.

OK rant over, but I read on another blog about true salon dancers getting to critical mass. Mike seems to think we have achieved this and now is the time to start venturing out to other milongas mob handed. We could take over, swamp out all the high kickers, and on the spot dancers, soon every milonga will be doing it the salon way.

Today we formed The Shrewsbury Tango Rent A Mob, watch out world, we are coming..

Memory Lapse

The Chester class moves ever on, the quality of the students gets better and better, but my memory doesn’t. The numbers were again about even, only requiring one extra lady. This meant of course that Viv was needed so I stayed to take the money. As the more advanced students arrived I simply could not remember any names. All the more embarrassing because there were ladies who I dance with and enjoy dancing with, who I really should remember. I have never had a good memory for names and faces, but as I get older it seems to get worse. All I can do is ask forgiveness, and maybe do my talking on the dance floor. While we waited Eric asked again for some extra coaching, always happy to oblige, though I wonder what anyone looking from outside would have thought of these two men moving in close embrace.

Had a few more beginners stay this week for a bit of intensive Bobing. It is nice to see that they are stopping on. I know from my own experience that once a class is over, students tend to be forgotten about and so wander off, because they do not want to hang around and wait for a chance to practice. I hope that I can fill the gap for them and entice more to stay until the practica. Our beginners are now able to join the practica and enjoy some dancing, as the room is quite small they are able to get a feeling of what a real milonga would be like and give me a small reminder of how to move in a crowded place again.

 

It seems that the same people appear wherever we go; it must simply be that there are people who go out and do something and those who do not.  We have started taking Salsa classes again, and every time we go we meet someone from our past. This week again we met someone with whom we danced many years ago. He has continued in other places and our paths have not crossed for ten years, yet here we again meet, all of us still dancing. What is really amazing is, that he lives so close, has danced continuously, yet our paths have not crossed for so long. People still tell me that there is nowhere to go; I guess that they just do not look past their television screens. There must be enough to do out there when two people who live so close can go out every night doing the same things and yet not meet for ten years.

I hear yet again over six million people saw Strictly Come Dancing this week, the shame is, we can’t get even one percent of them out into dance floors. Perhaps if it were not shown as such an exclusive pastime, with exotic costumes and personal training that would run into thousands, one or two would realise, anyone can dance.

Anyone can. When I started, our dance teacher said to Viv “he will never be able to dance” now some may still agree with her, I may never be Fred Astaire, but with time and commitment I think I have made quite a journey. I enjoy dancing, women enjoy dancing with me, you won’t see me on strictly, but I have what I want; fun.

I will keep plugging this message, over and over, you do not need to be the greatest dancer in the world, to enjoy it, but you will feel on top of the world when you do it.

Wodka From Warington

 

No, I haven’t taken to the bottle, but as going to Warrington is something of a rarity for me, I just thought I would quote the old Smirnoff advert.

As usual The Bitch (my GPS) wanted us to go the wrong way, if we are going south it always sends us north, and tonight when we wanted to turn right on the A483 heading north, she said turn left. So as usual I ignored her and turned the radio up. As we got onto the M6 however she seemed to have learned where we were and was telling me to take the left hand lane, trouble is the very left lane would have taken me to Lymm. I pity anyone who has to rely totally on these things. When we left the motorway I now had to rely totally on her and she was,I am Sure, sending me the wrong way. We needed to be on the right hand side of the M6 and we were turning left. However I followed directions for once and soon we had crossed over the motorway and we were safely deposited outside the Croft Memorial Hall.

When we entered things did not look good. We were unfashionably early, as predicted traffic jams had all evaporated and we had made good time. The only people in the hall were Jo, the organised and Chris the DJ.

We knew Chris of old, we have seen him at many of the workshops we had been to around Manchester, but even further back he was one of the original gang who used to meet at Zumbar’s in the last century. (makes it sound so much more long ago)

We each had a dance card to fill in, completed cards could be entered later into a raffle. So Viv and I danced alone, but not for long, James and Phillipa soon arrived. While I danced with Phillipa Chris asked about the music, I like to give a balanced view and said one of the tracks I found a little slow (for a beginner slow music is so much harder to dance) of course then I had to back track, as the music was fine and I did not want him changing anything on my behalf.

Soon more people arrived and I was overjoyed when first Nuala and Damien arrived and then Jean and Albert, some of my favourite people from the Wilmslow crowd. Another old friend was Jan, who was another of  the Zumbar’s gang. In all there were about a dozen people now, not enough for a crowded milonga but as this was the first, I am sure in time word will spread and the popularity will grow. I was however disappointed that Dino was not here, I had been told that he was DJing and I was looking forward to meeting his new wife.

There were not enough people to fill the dance cards though, so on the second dance we used peoples middle names. Anyone now looking at those cards would wonder where all the people were.

Our DJ did have some interesting music, there was flyer on each table explaining his reasons, so OK a bit of fun music was alright, there were afterall only four of us from the tango police so as this was not our place, I won’t criticise the odd bit of new stuff, we did afterall have a very enjoyable night. The only reason I mention it is to say, the floor was always full when the traditional tango was played, not so when there was other stuff on. Nothing really imposed on us and occasionally it was good to have a rest. One track he played  I really enjoyed “Mujeres Feas” by Enrique Rodriguez and Armando Moreno you can listen to it here along with a translation. http://www.getacd.org/listen_XWRVpuybPnM/mujeres_feas_enrique_rodriguez_y_armando_moreno_ugly_women I will be looking out for this, perhaps it will be on my shopping list for our next visit to Buenos Aires.

As all good things must come to an end, we prepared to go and Jo did the raffle, Viv went and won the Cava. It is now added to my collection of sparkling wines, one night I am going to have a really good time. A noche me emborracho.

All in all, it was a shame that there were not more people there, but I have a feeling that word will spread. Jo has promised more, and I am sure people will realise that they missed a good night and will not want to miss it again.

WATCH THE EVENTS POSTS FOR MORE.

Still on Holiday

As I prepare to head off for Shrewsbury again, I realise it is a week since my last post. Viv has kept me busy for nearly a fortnight now, and stopped me spending too much time in front of the computer. Although busy at home and in the garden, there has been plenty of time for dancing.

On Friday we had the technique class with Hayden at Pant. It seemed to go down well, but everyone was exhausted afterward and few stayed long for the practica. Saturday and Sunday are still reserved for our social ballroom and sequence dances, but Monday we were back at Stanley Palace for our regular date with the ghosts. I think they are getting a bit heavy footed as the floor was being rained on by small bits of plaster. Perhaps Anne Boleyn dropped her head when walking the gallery or maybe some duelists of old were still fighting it out, who knows, but they were quiet while we were dancing anyway.

Our beginners are getting the hang of the cross, even managing to know the difference when I just walk on the outside. They were left to it in the other room with Viv as we were a man short for the improvers. More secadas were on the menu for tonight and I was enjoying myself. Sharon was not going to let that continue and insisted in a practice hold, to stop the men leading with their arms.

My problem is that when I do not have the embrace my left shoulder drops back, the very thing we are trying to avoid, so with the practice hold I am not a happy bunny. I did not realise why this is happening until Wednesdays I will say more on this in a while.

We continued the mad dance week on Tuesday, by heading off to Manchester and the afternoon tea dance at the Trafford Centre, free parking, free tea and coffee, free raffle, and a free dance with a four piece live band, what more could you ask?  Well free petrol, OK, you can’t have everything. We rushed back to Chester afterwards, a Quick meal, then off to Salsa Classes.

Wednesday, we decided to go back to Gobowen for Sharon’s tango. Now that Deryck and Geoff have retired there is nothing to keep us, so we will go as and when the mood takes us now. Sharon continued with the secada scheme, and again I was cursed with the practice hold. Now though I think I have found the answer, I simply hold my arm up as if I am in the embrace. It looks a little odd but it works for me.

At  The lantern, on Thursday we continued again with the much of the same. This is not so much drilling, as there is a different crowd at each venue. There are not many who will travel to all three, even I cannot normally manage. But it works well as if you miss one venue, you can go to another and keep up with what is happening. Anyway Shrewsbury is about the after tango drink now. We simply cannot think of travelling that far and not going to The Coracle.

Tonights discussion soon moved on to matters tango, and we had a lively debate on contra posture and dissociation. One of us is missing something, I won’t say who said what, I will simply pose the question; Is dissociation contra posture? or is contra posture moving the body and legs together, but in opposite directions, and dissociation moving the body and legs separately? Viv ended up screaming with laughter as Dave and myself walked up and down The Coracle demonstrating dissociation and contra posture. At least we kept the locals amused.

Holiday Time ?

I was supposed to be in Argentina now, still Viv is doing her best to ensure I still enjoy myself; I have so far burnt off the garage door frame and repainted, pressure blasted the front of the house and repainted that, painted the bathroom door, and cut down a tree. I still have time for tango though.

The Monday class went ahead as usual and for a change I was needed in the intermediates. Sharon was teaching a secada, which gave me some fun things to do. Not content of course with doing as she said, I managed to do multiple sacadas and even do it the other way around. I could of course only do this with those ladies who had a fair bit of experience, but it helped in a debate I had later in the week.

One of our ladies was a bit unsure about attending the workshop on Friday, she felt that what she needed was more moves and not more technique. My view, and I made it plain, is that if you are following, it can be a positive disadvantage to know moves. If the technique is good on both parts, the follower will do what is required, even if, or should I say especially if, she does no what is coming next. I have danced with many women who think that they can dance, and once I start they go off on their own doing what they have been taught. This is not tango. That is why I so love dancing with the women of Chester and Shrewsbury, they assume that I know what I am doing (fools) so they follow me, even when in the class I do something different to what has been taught.It looks good and feels good, even when it does not go quite according to plan.

So convinced that her technique is what allowed her to do things that she has never done before, that is another who will be attending the technique class on Friday.

We debated whether to attend Gobowen on Wednesday, but decided to support Steve on his first Wednesday at Ewloe. The days are numbered I think, without Deryck and Geoff I think that something is lost, I am not ready to abandon the club totally but I may miss one or two and keep my eye on the Gobowen scene a bit more.

Of course as I am off work I can also attend Shrewsbury as well. We missed most of the beginner’s class as usual, but sat at the back I was able to see one or two having difficulty. Sharon has now started teaching the basic eight. The debate rages as to whether this is a good teaching method, but I well understand that many of the guest teachers use this as a basis for further teaching, so a knowledge of the eight is quite important, they do not want to waste half of a workshop going over basics, also it is a good introduction to the cross. So I was able to spend some of the practica time with one or two helping them over their problems, I worry sometime though; Am I trying too hard? Do they start to think, why doesn’t he go away and leave me to try on my own? I think I would. I do not want to become one of those people who interfere all the time and push where it is not wanted.

I had a chance to redeem myself later, I was not needed int the intermediates, so I was off to the back room to help with some beginners. Later I was to find that Sharon was doing something which was new to me, she brings a lot of good stuff back from Nijmegen I always seem to miss the best of it, ah well such is life. Dave was in the back room giving one to one to a leader, which left me with a couple consisting of a lady who has struggled for some time and a man who was on his first class. I walked them round and around the room. Struggled with their posture and generally drilled them, experience has shown me that this much intensity early on pays heavy dividends later and of course they are getting the advantage of all the things that I have learned by doing so many things wrong for so long. Hopefully they will not develop any of my bad habits.

The trip to The Coracle was a bit quieter this time, numbers were right down. We still had a lively debate thanks to Mike and some interesting points arose. Mike used the term a reliable dancer, to describe himself. This brought to mind the many blogs I have read from women I Argentina, they often describe how some men come onto the floor and try to practice big fancy moves, not for themselves or their partner, but to impress the audience. I have never yet met a tanguera who likes dancing like this, “a reliable dancer” is a good description, he will dance for the woman, not try to do something he cannot lead, and to hell with anyone watching. The point then was raised about when we are not dancing, of course we all sit and watch, criticise a little? well maybe, but we all agree the best dancers and the least criticised are those who keep it simple, dance for their partner and lead well.

Life moves on

My life in the tango world moves on, getting ever better. The Monday class at Chester is growing into a strong community, and Viv and I now have a definite job to do. Maybe this is not why we started but it gives us a sense of belonging and it is always nice to feel needed.

We now arrive quite early at Stanley Palace, despite it being a working day, the joy of being involved somehow overcomes any need for a sleep. Anyway it is not a late night so for these few days I can survive on five hours. While Sharon gives some private tuition I set up my music in the second room and Viv sets her stall for collecting the money.

When the beginner’s class starts again we have too few women, I have said this before, but I still find it strange that Chester is the only place where the men outnumber the women. First Viv is called to help out, then so am I, Roberta rides again, but not for long. Soon we have some more women arrive and we have even numbers, then another and it is goodbye to Roberta. 

I return to the other room as more dancers arrive, I can play some music for them, and make tea. (Charperson now is it). I also now collect the money as well. Actually the music has to stop as the class spills out into the other room. The class has got too big now for any move to be practiced, so the better leaders move out to create more space. At least this gives me a chance to see what is happening, until they move back that is.

In the intermediates I am again banished, but like last week I have a number of the beginners to coach. I enjoy this part of the evening, everyone wants to soak up as much as they can, and I get to be the big man. (This is Great for my ego).

Our French lady is back, I enjoy it when she says “so you do not move yourrr ips” I enjoy it so much I tell her to say it again, but she tries to sound more English. I have to tell her not to loose the accent, it sounds so sexy.

Again we have a number of new comers, and again the standard is amazing, if we keep this up we will need bigger premises. A lot are staying for the practica as well which is a really great sign.

A few start to congregate in the kitchen, tea and coffee are on offer. While they danced I made sure that there was hot water, but now I have my chance and I am not about to waste it. I dance like crazy with as many women as I can until Viv drags me off, telling me I must get up in the morning. Still it was nice while it lasted.

I cannot make Shrewsbury this week and there is no tango the weekend, hopefully though we are in for a couple of weeks of quite intense tango. If I cannot go to Buenos Aires then I fully intend to make the most of my time off.

On another point some of you may remember my post http://tangogales.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/new-friends/#comments where I first met Janis Kenyon in Maipu 444; it was to have been a birthday celebration of an old milonguero called Alito. Well I had news today from Janis that Alito was thrown out of his place that night and has lived on the streets since then. This is no life for an 80 year old and my heart goes out to him. Unfortunately that is all I can do, offer my sympathy. We are not out there and I have no place to offer. Hopefully Janis will keep me informed, even though I don’t know him personally, he is a kindred spirit, and we don’t wish to loose another old milonguero. Perhaps now that Tango has been declared part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations, grants will be available for descasamiento milongueros. We live in hope.