Complimentary Roles - Two Halves of a Perfect Form

Leading and Following - Part 5

Do you know what a bookstore is (un librerìa en español)? If I asked you this question, you would probably answer, "Yes. Of course. Everyone knows what a bookstore is."

What if I asked you to manage a project to build a bookstore for me over the next six months? I'll supply a generous budget and a team of experts. You just need to make sure that the project is completed on time.

You might have some questions. Is this going to be a physical "brick and mortar" bookstore or an online bookstore? If it's brick and mortar, will it be a stand alone business or part of a chain like Barnes and Noble? It it's online, will it require its own website, or will it be a "store" on eBay or some other eCommerce site?

Will our store sell only books, or will it sell music CD's, movies, calendars, eBooks, or other merchandise? Can customers buy and sell used books through our store?

If it's a brick and mortar store, will it include a coffee shop? Should there be enough space for customers to attend performances and presentations?

For an online store, how will order by taken and fulfilled? How will inventory be managed? Where should our warehouses be located and what should their capacity be? What IT infrastructure will be needed?

Understanding Abstraction

Getting back to the initial question: Do you know what a bookstore is? Yes, we all have a general concept of what a bookstore is. It's a business that sells books and related items. But an actual bookstore will extend this general idea in unique and specific ways.

In computer science, we use the word abstract to describe something that we can understand in a general sense, but which we cannot build without more information. An abstract form is conceptual. It's not detailed enough to exist.

An abstract bookstore will be a business that deals in products (books and other items). It will deal with customers and suppliers. It will maintain records of inventory and financial transactions. It will have a manager and staff.

All of this information is useful in understanding the general nature of how a bookstore operates. When we set out to build a real bookstore (or software that enables a bookstore to process and fulfill orders) we'll use this abstract information. But we'll need to add specifics before we can set up a real store.

What Does This Have To Do With Tango?

It's a fair question. I went somewhat abstract on you there. Thanks for your patience.

When something is abstract, we can understand it. We can perceive its function and its nature. But it's only a general idea. It cannot exist without the addition of other elements.

Leading and Following are abstract unless they occur in harmony together. 

A leader, practicing alone, can go through the motions of leading a sequence of movements. But until a follower is there to translate his signals into shapes and motions with her body, the leader is not leading.

It's similar to an orchestra conductor rehearsing alone, without the orchestra. His movements are accurate and expressive, but no music is being produced.

Similarly, a follower can practice a sequence of tango movements without a leader. But until her movements occur in response to a lead, she is not following.

Our solo leader and sola follower are not dancing tango. They are doing abstract tango exercises. Tango cannot exist in a single human body. It exists only when two bodies work harmoniously together.

The Critical Element

The critical element that translates our motions from the realm of the abstract to the concrete, the critical element that converts "steps" into tango is harmonious movement.

Notice that I did not say synchronized movement. Tango is not a synchronized dance. The follower is never expected (I hope) to do something when the leader does something else. She moves in response to a lead and the principles of good technique, not because she is expected to be in a certain place by Step Three of Figure X.

Imagine kissing someone and having them kiss you back. There's a conversational aspect to the experience, a call and response to borrow terms from music theory.

Now, imagine a movie director coaching actors through a love scene. He say, "Okay, ready? One-two-three-KISS! Oh, no, no, darling! You were supposed to be tonguing him on three."

Yuck! I hope that I never have to watch that movie! This director wants his love scene to be completely inorganic with gestures scripted to occur at predetermined times. Tango is organic and natural, like a passionate, evolving kiss. Tango movements aren't synchronized, they are harmonious. They occur in response to the motions and intentions and reactions of our partner.

Or at least, they should.

The Critical Prerequisite

If we are going to move harmoniously, if we are going to dance a real tango instead of a set of abstract, concurrent tango movements, then the critical prerequisite is that we pay attention to our partner.

This sounds obvious, but holy cow, I have witnessed men and women - mostly men, but women, too - who are completely oblivious to their partners when they dance.

Do you want to be a better dancer? PAY CLOSER ATTENTION TO YOUR PARTNER! Pay attention to their breathing. Pay attention to their axis. Pay attention when tension develops in their arms and shoulders. Pay attention to the size of their steps. Pay attention to the times when they move freely and the times when they hesitate. Pay attention to anything that seems to be making them feel uncomfortable. Pay attention to how closely they're paying attention to you.

Leaders, in particular, get distracted at times while planning their next step, working around the traffic obstacles, or deciding when to throw in that new lapis/enrosque combination that they have been working hard to perfect.

Tips and Take Aways

Forget about everything else, guys! Just forget it! Leave it out! Preoccupation with the trivial will be your undoing.

Pay attention to YOUR FOLLOWER first! That other stuff has to be like listening for the doorbell to ring and the tea kettle to boil. It can be in the back of your mind, but don't let it creep to the forefront of your attention. Your attention needs to be on the FOLLOWER. Period.

Likewise, followers, I can't guarantee that gentlemen will lead you more accurately if you pay closer attention to them. But the more closely you tune into the leader's body and his motions, the better your chance of understanding what he is attempting to lead.

Further, you'll gain a better sense the leader's emotions, preferences, and areas of concern. This information will enable you to respond more accurately and actively to his lead. Most leaders appreciate a responsive follower who helps to make their dance as comfortable as possible.

And Remember

Make sure that every movement is shared and connected from beginning to end. Leader or follower, if you slip into the habit of moving by yourself or getting ahead of your partner, you will be undermining your ability to dance together in a harmonious, meaningful, and enjoyable way. Independent movement is the antithesis of Argentine tango.

Connect. Move together. Be as one.

¡Buena suerte, amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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It's Okay To Be Where You Are

Struggling Upward

Imagine for a moment that you're badly out of shape. You make a New Year's resolution to get some exercise.

You discover quickly that you can do only three push ups without a break and that you're out of breath after jogging to the end of the block.

The Choice

These results might seem disappointing, especially if you have been in better shape at some time in the past. No reasonable person could blame you for feeling this way.

But remember that you have a choice.

Actually, you have two choices, and the one that you follow will make a really big difference.

Option 1 - Accept Where You Are And Go From There

Continue to do your workouts of three pushups and jog a block every few days. It won't be long until you become a little bit stronger. One day soon, you'll do five push ups, and then seven, and then ten. You'll soon jog two blocks and then four, and before long, you'll be up to a mile.

Option 2 - Give Up

Frustration and disappointment are natural. Everyone feels these emotions regularly. If you give up on exercise because you can only do a few push ups, you're never going to be able to do more.

Giving up has consequences. One day you'll be in even worse shape than you are now. You'll struggle to do things that seem relatively easy now. You can run away from working out, but you can't escape the consequences of avoiding exercise.

That's Why They Call It A Challenge

Any unfamiliar skill will require considerable effort to develop. Learning to dance, sing, or play a musical instrument, learning a language or becoming fluent in mathematics or computer programming, learning to play golf or tennis, studying a martial art, becoming a gourmet cook - none of these are easy. And they are MOST difficult in the beginning when we stumble through those first awkward steps.

But stumble we must. Because by stumbling and struggling and making mistakes, we become better than we were, at least a little bit better. And when we become a little bit better, we struggle a little bit less, and we make a little bit more progress. Our minds and bodies adapt to the challenge. We become stronger and more capable and more efficient in our pursuit of our objectives.

How Did That Happen?

One day, we look back and notice degrees of progress. Things that once seemed impossible are now relatively easy. How did that happen?

It happened because you got up instead of giving up, you worked hard on things that were hard, and you pushed back hard when your body and mind tried to refuse to cooperate.

Reaching New Heights

As we gain experience, we build momentum. We overcome challenges more efficiently. Even so, moving forward still requires effort and dedication. And sometimes, the frustration drives us to consider giving up all together.

When new objectives seem insurmountable, think about how much you have achieved and how far you have come. Each new level will pull down on you with renewed gravity. Keep climbing. Keep pushing. Keep moving forward.

Are you getting close to the end? No. No one ever reaches the end of the journey. But as long as you continue to push forward and make progress, that's all that will ever matter.

Enjoy each new level of accomplishment, and never let the challenges disappoint you for long.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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Thanks For The Inspiration And Encouragement

Past, Present, and Future

As the end of another memorable year approaches, I would like to pause for a moment to acknowledge some of the people who have inspired and encouraged me on my long and fascinating tango journey.

Dancers

The late Osvoldo Zotto for his elegance, expressiveness, and his beautiful quality of movement. You were my first and finest model for how a tanguero should stand and walk and move, and you are with me every time that I step onto the milonga floor.

Carolina Zokalski and Diego Di Falco for their mesmerizing performances in Tango Magic at Carnegie Hall. 

Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo for the incomparable artistry and expression of their choreography.

Guillermina Quiroga and Junior Cervila for their dedication to the highest levels of technical artistry. Also, to Guillermina for her unforgettable version of Piazolla's Oblivión with Roberto Reis.

Antón Gazenbeek and Gabriel Missé for their astonishing technical mastery.

Mariano "Chicho" Frumboli, Homer Ladas, and Andres Amarilla for innovating and expanding the vocabulary of tango into the 21st Century.


Teachers

Diego Di Falco for being able to explain - and demo - any ludicrous technical situation that I have ever been able to dream up.

Ivan Terrezas and Sara Grdan for extremely useful guidance on the mechanics of movement. I'll never forget what you taught me, because I apply it in every dance.

Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo - the lesson that you gave to me when I was just starting out was so insightful and valuable and supportive. Thank you!

Andres Amarilla for sharing his brilliantly organized framework for understanding and improvising tango. These teachings have empowered and super-charged every step that I have taken for years.

Evan Griffiths for your relaxed, earnest, supportive, knowledgeable, and entertaining teaching style. I hope that you won't mind that I try to emulate you when I teach my own classes.

Valeria Solomonoff and Rebecca Shulman for so many memorable classes on so many important topics.

Claudio Villagra for demonstrating before my very eyes the highest level accomplishment as a leader, i.e. that if you have the skills, you can lead any follower to dance any step.


Friends and Colleagues

Carolina and Diego for being inspiring teachers and great friends and for encouraging me and believing in me in so many ways.

Chris and Tony for their enthusiasm, friendship, support, and positive energy over the years.

To my old, old, OLD and DEAR friends Rob and Lee, whom I met back in the days when we were all just starting out.

To Steve and Michelle and Victor and Larissa and Rene and Cecilia and Mónica and Sith and Alla and Lara and Greg and Jean and Ralph and Marisol and Norma and all of the warm, wonderful, enthusiastic people who make Twin Maples such an amazing place to hang out and dance.

To all of my practice partners over the years - the time that we spent together is a gift that I shall cherish forever! I can never repay you for the patience and kindness that you provided to me in boundless supply.

To my special angel and the love of my life for granting me the freedom to study and explore this amazing art form for so many years.

And finally, and most importantly, to my amazing, motivated, energetic students who arrive with big smiles and lots of questions each week and work hard no matter how much I ask of you. Your enthusiasm and desire and interest and commitment are the fire that inspires me to be the best that I can be. I am humbled to have earned your trust, honored to share your time, and thrilled to watch your impressive progress. Thank you for permitting me to play a role in your own tango journeys.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to all for a joyous and fulfilling 2014!

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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When It All Falls Apart On The Dance Floor

Leading and Following - Part 4

There are far worse things in life than an awkward moment on the dance floor. Just the same, leaving the floor with the feeling that you have disappointed someone can be a miserable and demoralizing experience. A particularly bad incident can linger in your memory for years. I have met people who gave up on dancing completely because they couldn't handle the emotional toll.

Dealing with Imperfection

The Argentine tango isn't about perfection. It's an improvised dance with a limited number of pre-planned step sequences. Most of what happens on the dance floor is made up "on the fly" - improvised in real time.

Sometimes while improvising (often with a partner whom we have never met), things go wrong. The communication between leader and follower might not be clearly transmitted or effectively understood. What we tried to do didn't work. The result can be anything from a tiny stumble to a major collision. How we handle these moments says a lot about us and can leave a lasting impression on our partners.

Stoppage of Action

Unless someone endures a physical injury or an equipment malfunction (such as a heel breaking on a shoe), the first rule is to continue dancing. Trips and stumbles happen. We pull ourselves together, resynchronize, and keep moving with the traffic in the line of dance.

As with the actors in a play, stopping is not an option. When someone forgets a line, the actors make something up and keep going. Continuity is critical. If you really need to stop, try to leave the floor in a way that does not disrupt traffic, or you or someone else could end up getting hurt.

Discover What Works

Once we collect ourselves and recover from a stumble, we can try attempt to retry the step that caused the initial glitch. Alternately, we can slow down and try some simpler movements until we regain confidence in our ability to interact. It's generally better to simplify. There's no need to push your technique to its limits. Relax and enjoy the music and the embrace more.

The trick is to find things that work with each partner. Every person is unique and dances in their own way. Some steps will work better than others. Identify what works with this partner and explore that to the fullest. Avoid movements that cause them to struggle. Try those things with someone else.

Silence, Please!

Ideally, recovery should NOT involve talking - not much, anyway. We might need to check to ensure that the person is physically unharmed, but a verbal rehash of a mistake is inappropriate and unhelpful. 

If you feel that you cannot continue without discussing what happened, please leave the dance floor. Find a quiet corner and feel free to chat about what you think was supposed to have happened and why it didn't.

A better strategy would be to finish the set and discuss the mishap once you have returned to your seats. The primary communication that you should share on the dance floor is nonverbal. Communicate in terms of movement and embrace rather than words.

Never Bicker

Please, please, please make every attempt to avoid an argument.

If a discussion is bad, arguing is worse. The quickest way to look like a fool is to lose your composure and get into an argument on the dance floor.

Don't complain. Don't make a face. Don't roll your eyes or mutter curses under your breath. Dance. That's what you came here to do. Work out your differences within the parameters of the rules of tango and good floor craft. The discipline that you enforce upon yourself here will pay off in the long run. A good tanguero or tanguera exercises discretion and self-control.

Keep Your Composure

If your partner is injured or suspects injury, get them to safety. If they just need a break, remain calm and cordial and conclude your moments together like ladies and gentlemen.

If your partner is shaken or upset, offer an apology. That might be enough to make them feel respected and calm down. If they are angry, don't respond in kind. Let them work it out in their own way. If they become threatening or abusive, walk away and find safety in a group of cool-headed people. The organizer might be able to help in this situation, which thankfully, doesn't happen often.

Maintain Perspective

Negative experiences with a partner will sting emotionally, but it's not the end of the world. If a person acts that way, you probably don't want to establish a relationship with them anyway.

One day, the events of this evening might not seem like such a big deal, especially if you have both grown as dancers in the interim. Look forward to a future when dancing together will be more pleasurable and let this one go in the name of experience.

If all that you suffered was an awkward tanda, shrug it off. There are worse experiences in life. You'll both have better days and better dances. If you can, try to stay in character and figure out a way to rescue what's left of your set together.

Respect Your Partner

Adversity can bring out the best in us, or it can bring out the worst in us. It's all in how we decide to handle it.

Always be respectful. Treat the other person as a friend who needs your understanding, because that's probably what they need the most right now. It's one thing to feel bad about struggles or missed expectations on the dance floor. It's far worse to feel that someone despises you as a result of the way that you danced with them.

This person is your partner until you leave the floor, and when you do you'll leave together. That's what partnership is - and acknowledgement that we are in this together, and that we'll support each other for the next few minutes, even if things don't go as well as we had hoped.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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Leading plus Following yields Empowerment

Leading and Following - Part 3

One of my first-year students presents me with interesting questions every week. He's an energetic fellow with a passionate thirst for knowledge. It's clear that he spends a lot of time thinking about tango and its creative possibilities. - A man after my own heart!

Recently, this gentleman asked me to show him how to lead the follower to do two forward crosses in a row. The first cross might come from simple walking or from a sequence such as the basic eight-count salida. The second cross would follow immediately.

Let's Give It A Go!

I asked one of the followers in the class to assist me. We had never performed this movement together, but I was confident that we could make it happen.

Without any preparation or discussion, I led the lady to the point of the cross in the eight-count basic salida. And then I led her to a series of six or seven more crosses in a rapid succession. We ended the figure by walking in parallel system.

The gentleman asked for a variation; he wanted me to do back crosses while the follower did her forward crosses. (Now that I think of it, he probably saw this on YouTube!). We were able to demonstrate the modified figure without further preparation and executed some of the crosses in double time.

Give Credit Where It's Due

The follower who demo'd the step with me deserves a lot of credit. I hadn't given her any instructions beforehand. We joined in the embrace, I led the movements as I had imagined them from the fellow's description, and she followed what I was leading without hesitation.

The leader deserves credit as well. Within a few minutes, and with minimal explanation, he was able to lead every follower in the room to perform the sequence which, until a moment ago, had been no more than an idea in his imagination.

Method Over Madness

In my opinion, however, the real credit belongs to our teaching philosophy. We don't teach the cross as a component of a pre-scripted sequence. We teach it as series of movements that are led and followed, clearly and naturally. When the leader and follower do certain things with their bodies, the follower's forward cross is the natural outcome.

We'll cover the eight-count basic and the cross system basic in our classes, as well. These are part of the Argentine tango lexicon, and everyone needs to know how to execute them properly. But until the mechanics of leading and following the cross are well understood, figures containing the cross are avoided.

The followers in this class were well-prepared to execute a sequence of successive crosses, even though they had never seen such a figure. The leaders were prepared to lead the figure with a minimum of guidance and encouragement.

We spent no more than ten minutes on this topic, and everyone was able to execute the figure that we devised on the fly. The fundamental movements required by the figure were already conditioned into their minds and their muscle memory.

Complimentary Philosophies

As I have said on many occasions, Argentine tango is not standardized. There is no common syllabus that describes how steps should be executed and how they should be taught. There are many valid approaches to teaching and learning the tango.

The lack of standardization is not a negative. It keeps the dance vibrant and growing. Argentine tango is a living, developing art form.

One of the complimentary approaches is to teach followers to execute the cross as a certain point within the basic salida whether or not they receive a signal to cross from the leader. I have seen wonderful dancers and teachers teach in this way. I respect their methods and their reasons for preferring to do things in this manner.

If they had wanted to do the step that I had improvised with my student, it would have required some discussion and clarification in advance - do this while making her do that, etc. This would not have required a great deal of time, but one cannot stop to explain sequences while dancing at the milonga. That is never acceptable.

Empowerment

Nor is it necessary. I could have improvised this figure at a milonga with any followers from the class. No verbal explanation would have been required. These are first-year students, and some have taken classes for only a couple of months.

My preferred approach to teaching tango focuses on fundamentals and a clear understanding of how to lead and follow the basic components of the dance.

This approach is amazingly effective, because it empowers dancers to do not only what they are taught but what they can imagine. It opens up limitless improvisational possibilities for leaders and followers alike. They are never constrained to a series of pre-scripted movements. The leaders can experiment with ideas and possibilities in real time, and the followers can dance effectively with any leader who invites them onto the floor.

Tango is an expressive and dynamic art form. It's brilliance unfolds before us in real time. Confining the dance to pre-scripted movements robs it of its expressive and creative potential. Tango should evolve and flow in the moment as a natural consequence of the communication, sensitivity, and mutual understanding between leader and follower.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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How To Spoil An Ocho Cortado

Leading and Following - Part 2

As we study and practice the Argentine tango, our bodies are conditioned to move in specific ways. 

We learn to walk with our legs close together (laterally). We relax the trailing leg as soon as we transfer our full weight to the leading leg. When we come to a stop, we leave all of our weight on one leg instead of putting weight on both feet, as the average pedestrian would do.

These movements become automatic eventually. By conditioning our muscle memory to perform in certain ways, we are able to dance with increased ease and fluidity.

Common and oft repeated sequences of steps can become automatic, as well. In some cases, as with the turn (giro, molinete), it can be useful to let our bodies go into auto-pilot mode. However, in other cases, automatic repetition of learned sequences can hinder creative expression and hamper our ability to improvise as a couple.

Ocho Brutito

The ocho cortado is a rhythmic figure that most Argentine tango dancers learn in their first year. The ocho cortado contains an open rock step (either forward or to the side) that resolves to a shortened (cortado) forward cross step.

There are number of ways to execute the ocho cortado. I love to experiment with different variations. A pivot can be added just before the rock. This converts the forward open step to an open side step. 

Another pivot can be added just after the open step. This is the moment just before the follower is led to cross. Alternately, the pivots can be eliminated, and the step takes on a more linear shape.

Many followers learn to execute the ocho cortado as a pre-packaged sequence. Sometimes it's taught this way, because the proper lead for the pivots can be tricky and more than some first-year leaders can handle.

The pre-scripted ocho cortado typically includes the pivots. When you lead a follower who has been trained to execute an ocho cortado instead of following the lead for each of the components of the sequence, she'll include the pivots regardless of whether the lead asks her to pivot. She just pivots automatically, filling your embrace with a sort of squirmy feeling.

Experimentation

I like to lead the ocho cortado with unfamiliar partners. I don't enjoy it when a follower executes the figure automatically, e.g. pivoting when I didn't lead any pivots. But I don't hate it either. The experience gives me insight into the follower's skill level and what I can expect from the rest of our tanda together.

On the other hand, when someone follows my ocho cortado sensitively and accurately regardless of which variations I might throw in, I'll fall in love with that person for the rest of my life. :-)

Dealing With It

The Argentine tango world is not standardized. There are teachers who teach in ways that we might not prefer. There are students who learn things one way and never that figures can be varied. There are people who just want to dance and don't want to think about a lot of complicated theories.

We get what we get at the milonga. Some followers will cross automatically when they think that a cross is expected. Others will walk backward forever until we give them a clear lead to cross.

Who's right? Who's wrong? Who cares? Life is too short to bicker. If someone does something that we don't care for, the best advice is to let it go and enjoy the aspects of their dance that do find appealing.

Self Awareness

That said...

If someone would like to become the type of follower who delights the adventurous and experimental leader, I'll offer one small piece of advice from a leader's perspective.

Think about where and when you might be executing movements automatically. Is it possible that some of your movements are the result of assumptions rather than the lead itself?

It might not occur to you when you do something automatically. Practice with a trusted leader friend and ask him to let you know if you drift into automatic pilot mode, even if it's only for a single step.

Liberation

The more of a clean canvas that you can offer the leader, the more artistic and creative he can be as he dances with you.

My all-time favorite partner was extremely open and transparent in this way. She brought no assumptions and no preconceived ideas onto the dance floor. In every moment, she breathed with me, she relaxed and waited patiently in my embrace, and when I lead something, she responded purely, honestly, and almost always accurately.

Dancing with her was pure magic.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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Finding Contentment

Rescue Your Sanity from the Dark Side of the Dance Floor

Every golfer would like to shoot lower scoring rounds. Every runner desires faster race times. Every poker player wants to win more hands.

Dancers are no different. We would all like to have better technique. We would all like to dance with better quality of movement and musical expressiveness. We would all like our dancing to be as elegant and as emotionally moving as possible.

Dancers want to be able to do the impressive things more easily and the easy things more impressively.

Accept it. We're human, and humans want to be better at whatever they do. It's in our nature.

The Improvement Trap

Here's the danger. Every time we learn a new step or improve some technical aspect of our dancing, we might be satisfied for a short time. But soon, we're going to want to learn or improve something else. 

If you make your satisfaction dependent on the nebulous and ever expanding objective of "getting better," your moments of true fulfillment will be few and far between. The chase will be endless.

Accept Happiness

You've worked hard on your dancing for months and probably for years. You're not able to do everything that you would like to do, but you're a whole lot better than you were before. Can you be happy with your dancing as it is right now? 

I realize that you would like to improve, and that's okay. Work hard. Dedicate time and energy to the process. But can you wait patiently for those improvements to arrive without being frustrated by slow progress?

Be happy with the tandas that you've danced in the last month. Be happy with the milongas that you've attended. Be happy with the dance partners with whom you have shared the dance floor.

Continue To Improve (If You'd Like To)

You don't need to stop working on your tango. You never need to give up on that long, dear, and passionate struggle. But you might want to stop associating improvement with contentment. 

As you improve, enjoy every small success. But enjoy as well the days and weeks and months when it seems that you aren't making any progress at all. The fruits of your labors are on their way. You just have to wait for them. In the meantime, you're dancing the Argentine tango, for goodness' sake! There's nothing wrong with that!

Enjoy!

Enjoy seeing and speaking with the dancers that you have come to know, the people who have learned and grown along side you. Enjoy time in the arms of valued partners. Enjoy making someone else smile with your tango.

Enjoy time with your non-tango friends. Enjoy non-tango activities - exercise, reading, working, dining, loving, meditating, helping others. Enjoy your family.

Enjoy everything about your life. Enjoy what's important in life.

When You're Ready

The tango isn't going to run away. If you're working on it, improvement is all but assured. But you can't control when that improvement will show up. Stop waiting for it. Let it show up when it's ready. When you're ready.

In the meantime, enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy some more. You only have one life. Don't waste it stressing out over whether your boleos are sharp enough.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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