Alex's Deep Tango Thoughts...

I think it's not a good thing (being in a small community) to dance with the same three or four followers (really one or two) over and over again, week after week, month after month, year after year - for three years. I have known this since I first started dancing tango, but doing something about it can prove to be difficult logistically - work and weather and such can preclude runs to Denver for experiential tango diversity.

Like I said, I have known this for some time and here's how it manifests itself in my own case study. I attended one of Gustavo & Giselle's intensive 6 day workshops in BsAs back in April. The topic was "cambios de dirrecion"...changes of direction. I also took a four day intensive workshop with them this summer in Atlanta...more changes of direction with other stuff mixed in.

My problem has been that I have been unable to smoothly lead any of this new stuff with the followers in Aspen. But I try, try again. I study the video footage. I dance it in my mind. I dance it in "air tango" by myself. I practice it every chance I get, but to no avail with the followers in my (former) community. They just don't get it. I know, I know, the whole thing about it has to be clearly led and all that. But, a recent teacher said that followers have to "understand" that certain things are possible. Things outside of the tango norm.

Point being is that here in Austin, I went to a practica, and tried a few of these "changes of direction"...with women I have never danced with before...and they came out perfectly...no problem with lead or follow. The women made statements about it feeling "good"...and statements to the effect of "I didn't know you could do that..."

Don't get me wrong...I'm not blaming the (former) followers in this...it's just interesting that no matter how much I tried to lead it, it didn't work all these months, then all of a sudden with new followers, it works perfectly.

It makes me think that there is some sort of mental/ physical/ emotional/ kinesthetic/ hardwiredneuropeptide/ subatomic/ quantum physics kinda thing going on when you dance with same people over and over. The realm of possibility gets narrowed or restrained in some way.

And tango is all about the possibilities....right?

Note to self:: Post about "subatomic ochos"... and the conundrum of "superfast subatomic ochos in traspie"....(grin)

Viva la republica! (The Republic of Texas)

My splitting headache of the day subsided in Abilene, so I pushed on through on Friday night, pulling into Austin around 10:30pm. It ended up being around a sixteen hour drive on Friday - five hours on Thursday from Aspen to Trinidad, Colorado. Twenty or twenty-one hours total - nine hundred fifty miles.

I've been sleeping late, taking naps, going to bed early. The twenty hours on the road was good for my mind...good for my soul...long overdue and much needed re-booting. These past few days I have been hanging out and reconnecting with my older brother. We listen to 107.1 KGSR radio station almost continuously. Here is the link to the live stream: http://www.kgsr.com/Login.aspx?Destination=http://www.kgsr.com/stream/index.aspx. We walk/run around Town Lake...we talk about real estate and development in Austin...we talk about women...we talk about relationships...we talk about women some more...we eat bbq'd chicken in the backyard...and drink Miller Ponies...

I got some good tango last night...more later about my trip...my move...my transformation as a man...and tango...

It feels good to be back in Texas...

Painted Ojos

This is possibly my last photo in the Aspen area. This was a paint horse who was curious about my packing/loading activities. I am two days behind schedule, but then again, I had an artificially imposed departure date that was based on tango events in Austin on Wednesday night. I was going to go to tango last night in Aspen, but I guess it was cancelled because of the World Series game, or nobody showed, or the teacher didn't show - whatever - it's like I said in an earlier post - this tango community is dead or dying. There is a teacher coming in from Buenos Aires in less than two weeks for a tango workshop - he's a personal friend - and no one - out of the three organizers in the area (including the primary organizer) - has even sent out a notice that he is coming to Aspen for a workshop. It's no wonder we have the same six people showing up for workshops - now it will be five. Oh well, I can't worry about it anymore...it's just a shame to see a tango community die because of apathy and inattention....onward and upward...here is the photo....

Non-Tango :: Dance quells prison violence and teaches love...

Taken from the video blog on Nerve::

You’ve probably seen the charming, disarming video of 1500 Philippino prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Oh but there’s more…a little bit of mambo in their lives, Sister Act (above) and…the Black Eyed Peas?

Thank God CNN brings the scoop (click here to see them perform Electric Dreams for CNN’s Hugh Riminton):

• About 1,500 inmates at Philippines prison are forced to dance every day
• One of their stars is a self-described "she-male" awaiting trial on meth charges
• Prison boss says violence has ceased ever since dancing started
• Accused mass-murderer inmate says dancing has taught him "love"

10/23 :: Addendum :: It doesn't look like they are "forced" very harshly, certainly not at gunpoint, and my guess is that they would much rather be out of their cells dancing, practicing, listening to music, and getting fresh air. I would say this is more positive therapy and better "rehabilitation" in theory. I would rather criminals re-entering society having experienced dance than the alternatives.

Adios Aspen

I thought about titling this post either "Adios Aspen" or "The Last Tango in Aspen"...my last tango in Aspen (tonight) was watching Jimmy and Mara dancing three songs at Jimmy's - prior to beginning salsa - Saturdays are "salsa nights" at Jimmy's, but he has always danced a set of tango before hand.

Jimmy (of Jimmy's Restaurant) and Mara dancing tango each Saturday night has done wonders for tango in Aspen. Heather - our teacher and community leader here in Aspen - and Jimmy were once a couple - and have a son together. My first tango classes were taught by Jimmy and Heather as a team. They split a couple of years ago but remain close friends.

I will never forget one exercise Jimmy had us all do in that first beginner class. He dimmed the lights and asked everyone to sit meditation style on the floor. He then asked each of us to visualize ourselves dancing a beautiful tango. As beginners, most of us didn't know what beautiful tango looked like, but I think this is an important exercise for more advanced dancers that we don't do enough of. Downhill skiers and other athletes visualize themselves doing what it is that they do. I recently read an article about this - I will try to find it.

So, in closing, my last tango in Aspen was watching Jimmy and Mara dance tonight - the last song they danced to was Adios Nonino by Astor Piazolla (Jimmy is a big AP fan...)...

And so it is..."Adios Aspen"...and adios to my tango days in Aspen...adios to the snow and cold...adios to the mountains and the aspen trees and the bears and the foxes/deer/elk...and the crisp cool clean air...these are the things I will miss...but saddest of all...and missed more than anything else...will be my friends...

Adios...

My dream last night...

I was treated to dinner by my closest tango friends in Aspen - as a "going away" celebration. It's sad really, to leave Aspen behind after 10 years, and leave behind my tango friends of 3 years.

At the restaurant, a friend from another table, Giovanna, came up to me to say goodbye - I ran into her earlier in the week and told her of my move. She said that she was sorry we didn't have the chance to get to know each other better. We hugged for a moment there between the tables, and I walked back to my table, choking back the tears which are now flowing freely. It was a beautiful thing for her to say, in my friend La Nuit Blanche's words - "terrible beauty".

Back to my dream...After too many pomegranate martinis, I crashed at about 1:30am. I dreamed that my Uncle and I were fishing large tree branches out of a river. (I did this last summer at a friend's lake house - there were many large branches in the lake after a close call by a tornado.) We were camping and as I pulled a particularly large branch out of the water and up into the woods, I was struck with the (apparent) fact that it was late morning but it was still very dark. Thick clouds loomed overhead, and it was like it was night, but you could tell on the horizon that the sun was up.

As I turned to go back to the river, I noticed two large bears - polar bears of all the possible species (Earlier in the day, I had watched some YouTube footage of the National Wildlife Federation's trip to Greenland - to witness the melting of the ice firsthand.) The two bears were wearing colorful sweaters - like stuff animals would.

I ran down to the river, behind them, but they caught my scent and started running, chasing me down I suppose. I ran the "tarzan run" trying to elude them, but they were close behind on my trail. They were talking to each other - in English - having a casual conversation like a momma bear and a baby bear - the momma was explaining in detail how to track/sniff prey.

And then I woke up...

Looming darkness...being chased by talking sweatered polar bears...a tangled mass of large tree branches under water...camping with my Uncle...it's either all very profound and auspicious...or it's the martinis...

The last of the fall colors...

Leone :: Sad Beauty

sad beauty
Originally uploaded by Leone.

A very nice photo by my flickr friend Leone...

Google Search :: Barcelona Italian Food Store

Using my site meter, sometimes it's interesting to look at how people arrive at my blog...

Today, someone did a Google search using the search string "barcelona italian food store" .... and my blog popped up in the search results... from the post on the Perdizione Grocery Store Tango short film...

I found this to be hilarious... the google search that is... and my blog being returned... in the top three results no less... hilarious...

Revisiting Tina Tangos on :: How to Sit at a Milonga

I always thought this was a good one...and very valuable/necessary/proper... written by Tina on her "siguiendo mi corazón :: tango, love, buenos aires" blog

Here is the "How to Sit at a Milonga" article...

Oreo Art :: Social Commentary :: Ultimate Protest/Sacrifice

This has nothing to do with Tango :: I ran across this YouTube video this morning and thought it was cool because it is "Oreo Art" and I love Oreos... this is pretty amazing talent...




The artist is Phil Hansen.


Then I searched for the original photo and was struck by the importance and magnitude of the original event - a Buddhist monk named Thích Quảng Đức self immolated in 1963 in Vietnam - in theory as a protest to the war. Here is more from Wikipedia :: Thich Quang Duc...

Clay's Tango Surveys

Clay (Portland Tango Fest) has created three surveys...
#1 Principles for Teaching Beginning Tango
#2 Characteristics & Traits of Tango Dancers
#3 Why I Dance Tango

they are quick and easy to take...here is the link...

http://www.claysdancestudio.com/surveys.shtml

Tanguera Worship

un besito por la pantorrilla de una potranca rusa...at the milonga last night at the Masonic Temple in Glenwood Springs, Colorado...and sadly, very possibly my last milonga here...as I will be moving away from Aspen in the coming weeks...to the Georgia countryside...

It was a very small milonga, coinciding with a Saturday workshop by visiting Denver milonguero Tom Stermitz. There were only about eight of us all together. Essentially it was a small private milonga/party. We were gathered around one of the tables, with all the food arranged in the center, drinking wine and socializing - it felt just like a Buenos Aires milonga. They are all my closest friends in Aspen...and I will miss them...truly...

Note that I am copying the birthday card I uploaded a week or so ago. Photo of me and Tatyana by my friend Bob...