Skip to main content

Flawed


A tanguero's frustration.
He sees "perfection" in the couple before him. A "master" leader able to lead a beginner to dozens of graceful movements while he could not walk her to the cross. "Perfect," he whispers.

"Do you think so?" I ask. The follower's face is blissfully light, animated, as if astonished at feeling suddenly gorgeous.

"Obviously - look at what she can do in his arms. He's a master! He can lead anything!"

He is watching the follower's legs move fluidly from step, to step, weaving in and around her leader.

I am watching the leader's face.

The master leader is engrossed by his follower's movements. And there it is - a quick change. He had meant to go one way, but her response changed his plan. He smiled, led her comfortably, gracefully into something else. He pays such close attention and never assumes she will be where he led her. Yet there is no furrowed brow, no impatience in the lines of his mouth. He only smiles, raises his eyebrows - tries something else.

"The mastery isn't that this Maestro can lead any move to an absolutely beginner - it is that when she doesn't follow what he has led, he adjusts to her. Meets her where she is. Makes something beautiful with what she provided for him. On the fly."

This is tango. In a dance of improvisation, against what could we possible judge perfection or imperfection?

the music,
a tanda,
a single song,
an embrace,
a shared breath

Gemstones made more beautiful by occlusions, not less. Improvisation bending the light in unforeseen directions.

Pictured above - Rutilated quartz has slender golden needles of the titanium oxide mineral rutile within its crystals. Another variety called “Herkimer diamonds” often contains bubbles filled with gas and liquid or occasionally dark petroleum.

Comments

Anonymous said…
absolutely- that is to me what makes a "master" - bastet
April 23, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Anonymous said…
I've had this conversation many times, Mari. Some people don't get it, and merely nod and say "I guess".
May 17, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tim Ferriss and the Myth of Tango Mastery

Dear tanguero, I feel I should explain my reaction to your comments about Tim Ferriss. It touched a nerve and I didn't really explain my apparent hostility. It was certainly not meant for you. Several people have brought Tim Ferriss to my attention over this past year. I can usually make it a month before his name pops up again. For readers who are unfamiliar with him, he's the author of "The 4 Hour Work Week". He set a Guinness record for the most consecutive tango turns and has competed with his partner, Alicia Monti, at the Tango World Championship . As a social dancer the idea of a tango competition seems absurd. I don't think I will ever understand how something like tango could be judged - or why anyone would want it to be. But I digress. I think the most crucial detail of Ferriss's history, as I relate it to tango, is his winning Wired magazine's "Greatest Self-Promoter of All Time" . If there is any concept more out of synch with social ...
6 comments
Read more

"Proper" Tango Shoes

Periodically someone, usually a man, will be bring up the topic of "proper tango shoes." If he's referring to the problem (and dangers) of trying to dance in flip-flops, or mules, or platform shoes etc., those are definitely valid, and very helpful points to be made. The likelihood of damaging your feet is very high without the proper support of high quality shoes. My problem comes with the idea that the *only* proper tango shoes have 4" stiletto heels on them and fetish-worthy embellishments. (Okay, I'm pretty keen on the embellishments myself.) "goofy ballroomy shoes are a turnoff... get rid of them..." - Alex Tango Fuego (granted this is from 2007), http://alextangofuego.blogspot.com/2007/10/to-dance-or-not-to-dancebrutally.html And, in the comments on a blog post, Anonymous said... " This is a controversial one. If a follower isn't wearing tango shoes then it's usually a good sign she's not particularly good." From Ms. Hedgeh...
24 comments
Read more

Tango solidarity when it counts . . .

Some fellow tanguera-bloggers and I have been having a wonderful online "conversation" via blogs, Twitter, Facebook and email - about the importance of sisterhood and solidarity. You can find Stephanie's post, here and her follow up here , and then Tangocorazon's here . I was so bouyed by the idea of women bonding, helping and supporting each other that I took some things for granted. I took for granted that it would always be easy, enlightened as I am /*cough*/ to be the sort of consistently nurturing and helpful tanguera that I am (in my head) . The truth? Where the rubber met the road (or rather when the discomfort hit the milonga), I wasn't. Here's a little background that gave me a better perspective on the events at the New Year's Eve milonga. These guidelines appear under the heading " Behavior at the Milonga " on Vancouver Island Tango: " . . . The smaller the tango population, the more 'effort' required from each one of th...
7 comments
Read more