Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
TO TANGO OR NOT TO TANGO
I do not yet know what to do... I suppose that we are at a hardwood crossroads. Our goal in the beginning was to simply be able to do a little dancing on a cruise that was, at that time, about a year away. Well, that cruise has come and gone, and that goal can be crossed off the list. But now what do we do? We need a goal.
I suppose that we could continue to work on the "basics" of the Salsa. We probably need to learn a little Country Two Step. We should probably expand our catalog of "basic" dance steps. But... that is not what I want to do. I want to focus... I think on two dances. Only two. Not one; not three or four or five. Just two... and I want to do them really well. Oh, I don't mean "Dancing With the Stars" well. I mean maybe "beginning Silver" well.
On our most recent cruise we "fooled" a lot of people. Fellow cruisers seemed very impressed and they said nice things to us about our dancing. To be honest, it was kinda cool to have total strangers come up to us and complement our dancing. But I wasn't fooled. And now... today... I don't want to fool anyone. I want to "know" that we are as good as they thought we were. I want their kind words to be somewhat deserved. So... how do I get there?
We both like the Rumba, but I know that the Rumba we "like" and the "real" Rumba are probably not one in the same. From what I know about the history and personality of the Rumba, we are a very long way from all that the Rumba can be. Cuban Motion is not naturally suited to my Scots/Irish DNA. Truth be told, it is probably the music that draws me to this dance. It moves me. But sadly, what my soul hears and what my body does in response are two very different things. My natural movement is quite the opposite of the Latin movement that typifies the Rumba. So... we have a lot of work to do.
I personally very much like the music for the Foxtrot. I love the fluidity of this dance. I like the elegance of the Foxtrot in the same manner that I don't like the elegance of the Waltz. They should call the Foxtrot the American Waltz. The Waltz is a pretentious, snooty, European Royalty, sort of dance. I always get the feeling that we fought the Revolution so we wouldn't have to dance the Waltz. The Foxtrot is an elegant Fly Me to the Moon / I've Got You Under My Skin sort of dance. The Waltz is Champagne. The Foxtrot is Bourbon. So... the Foxtrot has a lot of appeal.
I also like the way the Foxtrot looks as it is being danced. If I could compare the Foxtrot and the Rumba, I would think that this "spectator" perspective is perhaps the most significant difference. One can enjoy the Foxtrot as much from watching as you might from dancing it. But, the Rumba seems to me to be altogether different. If it is done correctly, the enjoyment comes only as you "do it". I could dance the Foxtrot with anyone. But if the Rumba is truly a Rumba, I should probably reserve this dance exclusively for my wife. The Rumba should be danced in such a way as to cause the spectator to feel a bit embarrassed by watching. The spectator should feel a bit of voyeuristic guilty pleasure when they see it danced.
And then there is the Tango... The Tango is a dance which dares to be seen. And I think in a much different manner than the Rumba, the Tango likewise is a dance that causes a spectator reaction. The reaction to the Rumba is like, "I can't believe they're doing that in public, and though I probably shouldn't watch, I can resist doing so. Shame on me." The Tango reaction should be, "Oh, my God! They are doing THAT in public! Shame on them!"
I like the Tango... It seems to me to be in stark contrast to the Foxtrot. Whereas the Foxtrot is "liquid in motion", the Tango is sharp and severe. The Tango is a dance that should frighten... perhaps even confuse the spectator. It is as if the dancers are saying, "Watch this!, I dare you..." The Tango should take everyone's breath away.
So... today, I don't know. Which two of these three will it be? I do not know.... Stay tuned.
I suppose that we could continue to work on the "basics" of the Salsa. We probably need to learn a little Country Two Step. We should probably expand our catalog of "basic" dance steps. But... that is not what I want to do. I want to focus... I think on two dances. Only two. Not one; not three or four or five. Just two... and I want to do them really well. Oh, I don't mean "Dancing With the Stars" well. I mean maybe "beginning Silver" well.
On our most recent cruise we "fooled" a lot of people. Fellow cruisers seemed very impressed and they said nice things to us about our dancing. To be honest, it was kinda cool to have total strangers come up to us and complement our dancing. But I wasn't fooled. And now... today... I don't want to fool anyone. I want to "know" that we are as good as they thought we were. I want their kind words to be somewhat deserved. So... how do I get there?
We both like the Rumba, but I know that the Rumba we "like" and the "real" Rumba are probably not one in the same. From what I know about the history and personality of the Rumba, we are a very long way from all that the Rumba can be. Cuban Motion is not naturally suited to my Scots/Irish DNA. Truth be told, it is probably the music that draws me to this dance. It moves me. But sadly, what my soul hears and what my body does in response are two very different things. My natural movement is quite the opposite of the Latin movement that typifies the Rumba. So... we have a lot of work to do.
I personally very much like the music for the Foxtrot. I love the fluidity of this dance. I like the elegance of the Foxtrot in the same manner that I don't like the elegance of the Waltz. They should call the Foxtrot the American Waltz. The Waltz is a pretentious, snooty, European Royalty, sort of dance. I always get the feeling that we fought the Revolution so we wouldn't have to dance the Waltz. The Foxtrot is an elegant Fly Me to the Moon / I've Got You Under My Skin sort of dance. The Waltz is Champagne. The Foxtrot is Bourbon. So... the Foxtrot has a lot of appeal. I also like the way the Foxtrot looks as it is being danced. If I could compare the Foxtrot and the Rumba, I would think that this "spectator" perspective is perhaps the most significant difference. One can enjoy the Foxtrot as much from watching as you might from dancing it. But, the Rumba seems to me to be altogether different. If it is done correctly, the enjoyment comes only as you "do it". I could dance the Foxtrot with anyone. But if the Rumba is truly a Rumba, I should probably reserve this dance exclusively for my wife. The Rumba should be danced in such a way as to cause the spectator to feel a bit embarrassed by watching. The spectator should feel a bit of voyeuristic guilty pleasure when they see it danced.
And then there is the Tango... The Tango is a dance which dares to be seen. And I think in a much different manner than the Rumba, the Tango likewise is a dance that causes a spectator reaction. The reaction to the Rumba is like, "I can't believe they're doing that in public, and though I probably shouldn't watch, I can resist doing so. Shame on me." The Tango reaction should be, "Oh, my God! They are doing THAT in public! Shame on them!"
I like the Tango... It seems to me to be in stark contrast to the Foxtrot. Whereas the Foxtrot is "liquid in motion", the Tango is sharp and severe. The Tango is a dance that should frighten... perhaps even confuse the spectator. It is as if the dancers are saying, "Watch this!, I dare you..." The Tango should take everyone's breath away.
So... today, I don't know. Which two of these three will it be? I do not know.... Stay tuned.
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