Tangoed
Have you ever been tangoed? Well I have and it happened at the November ball, I've been pondering on this for sometime think how does one write about it.
I was chatting to some friends at the bar when a figure in the corner of my eye caught my attention. An attractive lady dressed in a black cocktail dress casually walked over and gave me the nod for a dance. That’s new I thought. I gestured the nod back then made our way to the floor.
As we took up the embrace I felt a soft and warm feeling run through my body, our embrace was soft, comfortable and belonging. We held the hold and allowed the music to join us in this captivating hold, we were there just for seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime. Our first step together was to the side, we were one body moving together in a motion of harmony. The dance was spell-binding, we were caught in this moment and milked it for as much as we could. The dance never had lot’s of turns, ocho’s or sacadas, it was just a walk, a hold, a pause and a feeling we will never forget.
We had tangoed on a level neither of us had been before, was this the next step in this epic journey, who knows; but this dance keeps surprising me and I love it.
Club birthday
The night was a cold one, snow filled the streets, it was quiet and the hotel was empty when I arrived. I made straight for the bar and then to the lounge area for warm by the hotels open fire. I had a head cold and was feeling ill, however I hadn’t danced for a month and needed to get back into the grove so nothing was going to stop me.
The music filled the room with warm tunes and I was ready to do my stuff. I was rusty and slugged footed., however several dances and my body started to adjust and move with more ease. By this time the room started to fill with folk, a small number but comfortable. My dances were getting better even though I say so myself and with a head cold that was a killer.
During the night I had a dance that was a quick tango, Not sure how to handle this, I just let my body go with no thought and no plan, my partner at the time must have felt this and joined in . I’m not sure who the music was by but we found ourselves dancing the night fandango, the only thing we didn’t do was cart wheels on the floor. Hey ho……..A nice dance.
The Autumn Tango Ball
This night was the one I've been looking forward too all year, a night of dance and socializing to some great music.
The night started off with Ricardo, mixing his music and setting the mood for the band. It was to become the dance of the year. They complemented each other with music that was electrifying, moody and rhythmic. It was magical..................
My mind was full of rhythms’ and emotions each time I took to the floor. It was a roller coaster ride of magical dancing. The space around me was buzzing with feet tapping, sliding, turning and pausing. A puzzle of dancers embraced in the moment. I was moved and excited and wanted it to go on and on, but no!..... all nights must end sometime and this one was to end at 12:30. I’ll remember this because the last 3 dances I had were timeless.
We were held in a magical embrace floating on a cushion of air to the rhythms of Ricardo, submersed in an emotional connection that had no bounds.
A timeless moment...........
A Cardiff night with Oscar,
Well! I was on a Environmental course in Cardiff this week and due to the work load, I thought I’d better stay for the week. Good job as I had an exam on the Friday and traveling was a no no.
Thursday was Tango in Cardiff and just my luck, they had Oscar doing a workshop and performing. Yes tango called and yes I went. I didn’t do the workshop but I did dance to his great music. Two sessions of about 25min each was fab!
One young lady who I don’t know the name of, joined Osacr on stage and played violin with him. WOW ! No music sheets just that moment of musical connection, two musicians hitting the right notes and everyone dancing. For me as a musician, a wonderful moment and one that will be there for a long time.
It was a nice break from being locked up in a room studying all week, but I ask myself this question. I had an exam on the Friday, was it worth attending knowing I had an exam.
I say this. You have one moment on this Earth, use your moment to the full as you will never get it back! We are after all just guests on this beautiful planet.........................
So will I pass or will I fail? It's better to have lived a moment than loose one, I’m Happy to have lived one
Bye the way,
The exam went crap and I now need to work a lot harder before the next one, which will be in 3 weeks time. I forgot to mention It’s in two parts, but hey ho, that’s life and life is for living
A Tango moment
Have you ever had a Tango moment where your dance becomes the same and nothing seems to go right? Well I’ve just had mine and I’m having that moment. It was last Tuesday at Tango club that it happened. The evening started well and I felt OK, the class was fine and in fact it was a good lesson, but then when I started to dance after the lesson it just went tits up. My dance was crap and no matter what I did to try and make it better, it got worse. So here’s my scream Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, because for the first time my frustration got the better of me; hell it’s tango and I know it’s going to happen to me sometime, so why not now.
So.......... I've pondered on this little moment and will embrace it, learn from it and move on; for this is tango and a way of life.
Club Night with Ricardo & Su
We had a nice little lesson that covered quite a lot from dancing very slow concentrating on axis speed & timing to hero’s with a foot sweep. The lesson was broken down into sections that could be understood and made enjoyable. I like their lessons as they teach the move and then demonstrate nice variations that can be implemented later on at the end of the lesson..
A little demonstration of foot sweeps by Ricardo & Su, you may have to wait as it takes some time to load. Sorry, but it's streaming from the server and it's slow.
A club night milonga
Two weeks ago I had one of the best milongas, It was full of fun and playfulness that it gave me a buzz. I don’t know why it worked so good, normally my milonga dances are crap, however this one was great. We started off with the standard step, then introduced turns and so on. It wasn’t until we started to do forward ocho’s followed by small side steps did it all start to happen. God it was good! I could hear giggling in my ear as we sped across the floor, hippie ki eh. We were in the groove again, what a place to be……….. I felt the tension in my body dissolve away, being replaced with fun and laughter. That followed by a drink and sitting in a lazy chair afterwards, fab!!
Fred & Ginger
Saturday milonga was an absolute ball with 45 -50 people, it was a lovely night of dance. Leroy tango cat played some fantastic music that was a pleasure to dance too, but also played some none tango which broke up the night and added a little zing. I haven’t danced so much for a long time in fact I think the room just makes you feel so comfortable you just can’t help yourself.
I was sucked in to the whole thing. It reminded me of the Titanic film at the beginning, the camera shifted through the rooms of the ship & the ballroom capturing the atmosphere and the feeling of wanting to be there. Well I felt like that on Saturday, but without that sinking feeling if you know what I mean.
I had some lovely dances of tango and some none tango, in fact two of the none tango dances were fab! One dance the floor was almost empty, what an opportunity to be exploited. My dance partner wanted to dance to a none tango, so when this one came on, I grab her…….. lets go!
As we took up the embrace the music started, not knowing what we were going to get, we paused a little before starting. I think we were both pleasantly surprised when a song came on with the lyric…. “let’s dance” a female vocalist and a nice tune, one I need to find out about, anyways..... moving on.
We were off moving around the room like Fred & Ginger, we were both well in groove using all the floor to the best of our abilities. Our connection was solid and our intention clear, I think Fred & Ginger would have been proud of us both, I know I was and I know my partner was too, in fact it was she who made the comment about Fred & Ginger the day after at the workshop. Well here's looking at you Ginger! It was a lovely dance.......... so I'll say no more:-)
Thank you Leroy !
Below are a few photo's that I took on the night, unfortunately the only ones.
The Brecon Tango Show Down
Staring Cardiff Mike & Gypsy Jeannine
The dance floor was empty as they took up the embrace, Cardiff Mike dressed in a black T shirt was their for business. Gypsy Jeannine holding a stance waiting patiently, free leg floating as she gestured small circles on the floor with her shoe.
The room was silent, waiting for what was going to be a Tango Showdown and one not to be missed. As the music started Cardiff Mike wasted no time, using all the floor, he strode off with command and style. Gypsy Jeannine gestured a smile as she began to follow his lead. Cardiff mike used everything he could think of from ocho’s , hero’s, sacadas & foot blocks. Gypsy Jeannine matching his every move with elegance and style that even a Queen would be proud of, but then surprise!
Cardiff Mike used his secret move and surprised Gypsy Jeannine. He place her into a reverse Ocho, while doing this he reversed his foot work and trapped Gypsy Jeanines front foot with his left. He done this by swinging his leg around the back of himself and hooking her foot. WOW! What a move and it didn’t stop there. He then used his right leg while stepping back gancho, turned then sacada, Gypsy Jeannine held on for dare life as her leg swung round from the sacada and back into the line of dance.
What a dance, it was truly enjoyable to watch. Two great dancers demonstrating how it should be done. When the music finished a smile was all the was needed to say thank You. As Gypsy Jeannine sat down the smile said it all, but what Cardiff Mike never knew was that the Gypsy in Jeannine had already seen it in the Stars.
A lovely dance by Both.
Curatro Piezas Faciles Para Guitarra
This little piece of music is a Val's, I've slowed it down because I think it sounds better. The recording is a bit week like the playing, but until I can invest in a semi acoustic classical guitar, it will have to do. Hope you enjoy it. I might do the fast version once I've mastered the middle section.
Tuesday Club Night
We had our last Club Night at St, Mary’s church on Tuesday. A magical night of lesson and dance. Isolde started the night of with a quick lesson before we got down to the dancing. What a lovely night,. Members from Malvern, Ross and Glos Tango clubs joined us as we went out in style. I have added a photo as it shows the mood everyone is in, we were all buzzing and having fun.
The Girl from Barcelona
Gisela Navoni
Be the composer to the music and not the slave.
We had a cracking weekend with Gisela Navoni.She tailored the workshops for every level of dancer even though the first two on the Saturday were aimed at beginners. The content of the classes was so good that everyone came away totally satisfied and enthusiastic about their dance.
The first workshop was on variations of walking, I thought it would be walking exercises inside outside etc, but no, she brought resistance in to the game, which made the lesson more dynamic, and enjoyable. We had to equal each other’s force while walking and embedding a connection with each other. This was so good as it brought balance, better posture and axis automatically into the dance. The follower could also start and play with the walk taking the leaders role and controlling the speed of the movement. A lovely feeling if done right.
Debbie Morrall showed me this and how the dance could be controlled, both by the follower as well as the leader. Gisela reinforced this using fun activities, it was something I think that a lot of people were missing in their dance as there were a lot of smiles when the workshop ended.
Dancing with Gisela has to be the highlight of the day for me. Before we started the workshop on variations of walking we had a warm up dance. I felt like I was floating across the floor with a dancer that really understood me. Gisela used her free leg all the time and I'm sure it had a mind of it’s own as it was everywhere forever searching for a place or moment in which it could express it ‘s self. It was a lovely experience and one I won't forget.
I asked Gisela a question after the first workshop as I felt no resistance with her when we danced. Gisela replied ” If I needed to apply resistance when we danced, I would have, but as it was we were both balanced and equal” I think that said it all. I was chuffed and now understand what she means; it doesn’t need to be thought about too much, it should be a natural connected and a balanced feeling. If it feels good and you both feel balanced when you take up the embrace and walk, then you are already doing it.
There is so much I would like to put down here but can’t as it will take me forever, so I think I’m going to leave it here, but before I finish; there is one thing she said to me which I will never forget. I told her about a certain piece of music that has haunted me. (La Yumba) I told her it’s difficult to dance too as its so complex, the reply was a simple one.
“Be the composer to the music and not the slave”
I can hear Barcelona calling me ……………………….
Tuesday Club Practica
Well this was the first Tuesday club practica we have had this year and boy was it hot!!!! It was also the first time that I’ve looked at the music in regards to making up a decent play list. My first thoughts after the night was not bad could have been better, made a few mistakes but hey ho the floor was moving and that's got to be good!
We had a fairly good turn out with a very experienced dancer to help out and give some guidance to those who wanted it. This turned out very well as every time I looked over, people were getting help and enjoying themselves.
It became a fun night of dance and a pleasant change from being taught all the time. It was a time to take stock and use what’s been taught in past lessons. I felt my dance wasn’t that good and maybe I too should have taken advantage of some guidance to help me recap. Hey ho maybe next time, but this time it was just nice to dance, talk and chill………………….
I’m happy:-)
Club night with Isolde kanikani
She taught us a move that was very nice to dance and involved a voleo. I will try and explain it as it opens up a lot of possibilities.
The leader places the follower into the cross, but he doesn’t allow her to change weight. I found it best if you place the follower in to the cross slowly and pausing the move, as the next step is very important. The leader steps with his right foot around the right hand side of the follower, as he does this the follower will pivot around to her right, but not until his step has grounded and he is turning. The leader on completion of this step will have his weight on his right leg. He needs at this point to take a small side step with his left leg, On completion, both parties will be facing each other and the follower will still be in the cross.
The next step to this move is tricky, as the leader needs to initiate the Voleo or leg flick with out twisting or forcing the move. The followers weight will be on the right leg, the left leg will be crossed but free. The leader to initiate the flick needs to open his left side turning her into his chest. Done correctly the followers free leg will spring further around and up her right leg before un coiling back round towards the leader. At this point imagine leading a forward ocho but through the leaders space towards his right side. Both parties at this point can face each other or carry on with the ocho and walk out.
It’s nice and there are a couple more possibilities that can come out of this move. Have ago , if it doesn’t work, hey ho you had a go…………..
I’ll use this piece as a reminder, just so I don’t forget:-)
How to de-stress from a hard days graft
I danced to a Val’s in the V embrace and found myself not wanting it to end. The Val’s wasn’t fast but slow, smooth and moving, I could feel the tension draining from my body as we dance around the room. No thoughts of work or anything else except the music and how it flowed through me. It felt good, I was smiling and unwinding................something I need to do a little more of
I wish I could de-stress like that every week:-)
Tuesday Club Night
I had a dance last night that left me buzzing. I’ve always had trouble with hero’s, but last night wooosh! around and around we went. How did this happen? Well my dance partner has been studying the turn; and I know I needed to work on it too. So knowing this, I took the initiative and started to look and study the same move; and last night became test night unknowingly for both of us.
As we took up the embrace, the Devil on my right shoulder said ” Try it go on.... have a go“ the Angel on my left shoulder said ‘ No don’t do it! Your not ready’. The Devil won; and the first chance I had, I played the surprise hero.
To my astonishment we both held our axis, the turn was perfect and in time, so much so, we just kept going round. She had a smile bigger than a Cheshire Cat and she was beaming with excitement. From that we danced around the room like pebbles skimming water, we were both on a high. It was Fab! We danced and turned until the music stopped and then we danced again as it was so much fun. What a way to finish the night, we were both Buzzing.........fantastic!!!!!!
After the dance we didn’t get time to play catch up and discuss what had happened, so I thought I might as well do this little piece and say 'Well Done Us' :-)
The harmonica I've used on the piece of music, it a Hohner in C maj
My first attempt at a Vals:- Desde el alma
I've played this on my Harmonica, It is a real difficult piece to play and I've had to play it by ear. I think I'm going tone deaf. Anyways It is my first go, The Harmonica I'm using is in the the Key of C and this tune although sound s very simple is really making me work a lot at the bottom end of the scale, I have slightly improvised the tune as some of the notes I could not reach. I'll have another go later.
Sacadas with Felix and Isobel
Two weeks of Felix and Isobel really has been quite something. Their attention to detail is really a credit to them both. Not only do they play close attention to demonstrate the dance moves; but they ensure everyone understands them by walking around and checking how we are all doing it. Nobody gets left out, and it’s never too much trouble to go over the same piece again and again.
For the last two weeks we have been doing sacadas from the forward and back ocho’s. First the leaders sacadas from the forward ocho’s, which you may think is quite simple and yes, I would agree with you, but when Felix is teaching them it becomes a different ball game. He worked us hard on the move itself but more on the intention and where our axis should be. Both leader and follower had to be balanced and in their axis when taken the step. The leader had to give the correct signals to the follower, while maintaining upper body posture and the follower had to feel the intention and move in unison.
The result after the lesson was pure satisfaction, the movement became fluent, graceful and effortless as now both parties moved together within their own axis. The back ocho sacada was even more difficult and one which would take me all night to write about, so I think I leave that one for another day.
Sometimes I think maybe too much detail is placed while teaching tango, but when you suddenly discover that it becomes fluent and effortless, then you realise it’s worth the time and the effort in getting it right.
Have fun as I do………..
Tango Mundi with Mike Lavocah
A Weekend of tango with Mike Lavocah was quite an experience. We covered simple turns, dynamics and the milonga dance, but the best workshop had to be the musicality workshop. Mike drilled us with different beats and rhythms, speed and timing. At one point in the workshop he explained using the Giro as an example When you break into a giro it should be in time; hence as we learn the turn using the four point method , so we should also time the turn using the beats and finish in the correct position. Easier said than done, I danced with my partner who has very good timing and only once could we achieve this while dancing. To break the music down in beats from 8,4 and use the pauses in the dance was difficult.
Certain beats only allow you to walk, to do anything else would be chaos. Mike explained this using different composers and rhythms. Some tunes were so hard on the beat ( pulse ) that it was hard to find a pause in which to foot trap, turn or even ocho. Other types of music from composers’ like Di Sarli, wash over you allowing you more time to decorate. Francisco Carnora has some lovely music, a good solid rythm with pauses that can be easily read.Tracks like Poema and Hotel Victoria are good to practice with.
One piece of music that I have struggled with since I started to Tango is La Yumba. The composer Osvaldo Pugliese, It haunts me, every time I hear it I run and hide. The pulse is intense like a march and yet at certain points of the music he breaks out in to softer components; that are nice, but very difficult to dance too. Mike did play some Pulgiese, especially the endings of the music as a lot of them have the same type of ending. He builds them up to a climax, and just as you think it's going to explode in to dramatic ending, it finishes with a soft strike on the strings. Lovely!
After the workshop we had a practica and at one point I sat on the side to see how people were dancing to the music. I found myself counting beats and watching for the pauses in the music; and how dancers would react to these changes. It was very interesting to see how different we all dance to the same piece of music.
I’ll leave you with this note:
Don’t analyse the music when you dance. Listen to your partner, feel the music and enjoy yourself. If you analyse too much, you will miss the moment.
This is my classical guitar and the one I'm currently having lessons on. It's a Manuel Rodriguez and it's made in Spain. It has a nice action and sounds lovely.
This is my first composition.
I have used my semi acoustic guitar for this piece, It's something I have been working on for some time. It's a little rough around the edges, but hey ho no ones perfect..........
A little something just for you
Week 4 of Lessons
This is the first piece of music that I have had to read and play. It is the first of two parts and the second will follow shortly. It has taken me 4 weeks to learn this piece of music, frustration has had the better of me at times, but I am getting there. It's not the best recording as my classical guitar has no pick ups so I have had to play direct into the microphone of the PC.
Little Andante
Music Man.
Once upon a time, this boy was given a harmonica, as a present by his mother. He sat there and blew this thing until he was blue in the face. Then one day his father said “Boy not like that, like this” he blew this harp with such passion that the boy was memorized. The sounds coming from this small instrument were fantastic; he looked at his father with astonishment and pride. “ My dad can play the Harmonica” yes that boy was me.
I’ve played a lot of instruments since that moment; Drums, keyboard, Sax and Guitar, but I’ve never mastered any of them. However the two I have stuck with and played most of, are the Harmonica and Guitar.
This brings me to this moment in my life. I’ve played guitar for almost 29 years and have never mastered it, I’ve played in bands but never with dedication, as one should.
So, I have decided to find a teacher who teaches classical and Spanish guitar and have lessons where I can start to read music, and play pieces that have always been out of my reach.
Here is a little taster of my other passion. It is short as it is live streaming and that uses bandwidth.
As I progress I will update my Blog, so stay tuned to Stevie-ano’s musical trip.
Quicktime required to play track. (Download quick time here)
Guitar (Spanish Piece)
Harmonica (You are my sunshine)
Dos corazones que laten como uno
Two Hearts Beat As One
I was lucky enough at the Tango Mundi weekend to share a moment with someone under the watchful eye of Debbie Morrall. She really put the icing on the cake to finish off weekend of fantastic tango.
She demonstrated how the follower influenced the dance with regards to connection, time and pace by grounding her feet; as we took up the embrace and danced my pace was suddenly stopped to almost stillness, She had suddenly grounded her steps placing the brakes on my pace. I found myself in uncharted waters; as I now had to listen to what she was feeling and react in the way she wanted me too. I was speechless………Captured and buzzing with excitement.
A new dimension to tango has now engulfed me, I take time to engage, take hold, listen and feel before making a single step. My tango has suddenly slowed down to point of stillness. I have found myself lost within the space I possess; encapsulated by the music as I listen to what I’m feeling, what she is feeling; and when I move I step with her placing my feet in synchronisation, thus dancing as one around the floor.
A magical moment when; Two Hearts Beat As One. I don’t really know the answers to this beautiful dance, but what I do know is that my journey has just begun, and above all of what I’ve been taught; I will listen along the way………
I’ll leave you with this thought……….
A Japanese proverb:
Eternally the river runs, but constantly the water changes.
My interpretation:
Tango is my dance, which is eternal, but it constantly changes with every new partner I embrace.