Leverage Your Strengths
I spend a lot of time on this blog discussing aspects of the tango that we might want to improve - technique, musicality, creativity, the quality of the embrace, leading and following, floor craft, etc.
Hopefully, the exercises and insights inspire reflection on these topics. If they get you to try something new, so much the better! If you want to advance to new levels, you'll need to put in some work. Work on your weaknesses and try to explore untapped possibilities.
But today, I would like to discuss things that we do well already, skills that come naturally to us. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It's not good to focus on our weaknesses all of the time.
Let's take inventory of your strengths, your innate abilities - your "Super Powers" - and discuss how you can utilize them when you're dancing.
What Is Your Super Power?
Your Super Power is something that comes more easily to you than it does to most other people.
- Maybe you move smoothly and gracefully without really thinking about it.
- Maybe you adapt well to a variety of partners and styles.
- Maybe you have exceptional balance and/or coordination.
- Maybe you're joyful and pleasant and relate well to your fellow tangueros.
- Maybe you are naturally at ease when you dance and don't let yourself worry about making mistakes.
- Maybe you have an exquisitely comfortable embrace that partners enjoy.
- Maybe you have an analytical mind that enables you to understand steps combinations quickly and thoroughly.
You probably have some idea already what your Super Power is. People probably mention it to you from time to time.
My super power, for the record, is dancing musically. I hear details in the music and link elements of movement to elements of music. I can do this without thinking about it, and when I think about it, I can do it even better. I'll speak more in a moment about how this power developed.
Super Powers Are Not Perfect
Hmm! Just when you starting feeling good about having a Super Power, I go and call it imperfect! ;-)
Sorry, I'm not disparaging your Super Power. I just want you to understand the context of what it is and how you can develop it.
You have a Super Power - I'm quite certain of this. You might even have more than one. But you might not recognize it. You might think, "my dancing isn't all that good yet - how can I have a Super Power?"
You don't have to be perfect - or even advance - to have a Super Power. In fact, no one is perfect. If perfection were a prerequisite for anything, we'd all fail.
But as I said above, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I'm certain that there's something that you do better than your peers. The area where things come more easily to you - even if you're far from perfect in that department - that's your Super Power.
And now that you have an idea what it might be, you need to learn how to use it. And in order to use it, you need to develop it.
Growth Opportunity
Having a Super Power doesn't mean that you don't have to work on that area. It simply means that you'll advance more quickly in that are IF YOU CHOOSE to dedicate work to it.
I mentioned my ability to dance musically. I've been fascinated by music for my entire life. I play music, compose music, and of course, I enjoy listening to music. I have a musical brain, so it's not surprising that I'm a musical dancer.
But, my dancing wasn't always as musical as it is today. Even though this is my super power, I still had to develop it.
Advice from teachers was helpful. In fact, one teacher stopped in the middle of a song, looked me in the eye and told me that "musicality is about more than being on the beat." Another teacher once noted that I wasn't stepping on the beats accurately.
Whoa! Wake up calls! And they were right. In the first instance, I was focusing on the accuracy of my musical timing, but I wasn't taking into account the melodic and expressive qualities of the music. So, I worked on that.
In the second instance, I was focusing so much on technique and not enough on the music. I had to learn to be aware of both simultaneously in order to do them both well.
None of this came easily. Having a Super Power doesn't mean that you don't have to work on that aspect of your dancing. Musicality comes naturally to me, but developing it still required work.
Harnessing The Power
Well, here's an exciting news flash for you.
This just in: There's no free lunch in the study of Argentine tango.
You, too, will have to work on your Super Power if you want to make the most of it.
The good news is that, unlike your natural weaknesses - which are going to drive you crazy for years - you'll be able to improve your natural strengths quickly once you identify them and give them some attention.
With your Super Power, you already start at a higher level than the rest of the field. With a bit of work, you can take it even higher.
The Big Question
So, what is your Super Power? What is that aspect of dance that just seems to come naturally to you? Are you still unaware that you have one? Are you afraid to admit it?
Remember, your Super Power doesn't have to be perfect, or even good. You might still be a diamond in the rough, undeveloped and unpolished. But it's in there. Ask your friends to help you identify your Super Power, and help them to identify theirs.
If you have trouble identifying your Super Power, think beyond tango. Think about who you are as a person. Are you passionate? Athletic? Studious? Relatable? Creative? Your super power is in there somewhere.
Discovery
Many of us spend time focusing on problems, replaying mistakes in our minds, obsessing over challenges, wishing that we were better in some way, and experiencing prolonged frustration as a result.
This is your chance to take inventory of what you do well rather than what you do poorly. It's important that we take time to focus on strengths as well as weaknesses - important for healthy, long-term development and important, too, for our attitude and emotional well-being.
Develop and awareness of your strengths. Appreciate what you do well and create a plan to improve further in these areas. Expand your super powers and enjoy every reward that they bring into your life.
When You Find It
Study it.
Exercise it.
Develop it until it shines brightly.
Try to apply it whenever you have the chance.
Learn to appreciate and leverage your natural abilities, and they will make just about every dance experience more pleasurable.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
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