Sebastian Arce posted this on Facebook, October 21, 2010 and I completely agree. Probably this is one of the most important lessons in Argentine Tango.
For those who don´t know Sebastiàn Arce: Sebastiàn is one of the best known Tango dancers of our time. Being a student of Gustavo Naveira and Fabiàn Salas he developed Tango Nuevo to its limits, creating a new exciting way of dancing Argentine Tango.
Pronouncing the importance of the basics, the simplicity and the feeling of Tango Argentino is a strong statement, every dancer, specially every teacher who is mainly concerned with teaching patterns of steps should listen to.
Why is it so important to walk the tango first?
Because there is something in the tango dance that has no relationship with the figures and can not be learnt through the figures…
What exactly?..
Because in the walk hides something that can be described as the smell on the right dish you prepare, the exact sky colour tonality you are looking for while painting a canvas, the right sequence of notes while composing a melody, or the word that describes your true feelings while writing a poem…
In the tango walk the embrace develops as a main element on one structure that later will be changed NOT BY WILL but… BY FEELING… when the emotions are so strong inside the embrace that can not longer fit inside the tranquillity or the excitement of the walk then is when body enters a different stage of expression…
Teachers, dancers, and anyone! should start by forbidding himself to do steps for at least one week, and you will automatically feel the difference on your inner dance.
It will not be easy…Your ego will play against you…You will feel that your dance is empty…AND IT IS…because, before you were NOTHING, or better to say, your dance WAS NOTHING… your dance was missing something important : YOU! After the emptiness, after fighting with your ego, you might meet acceptance, and with acceptance, PEACE…With PEACE, you will reach the state of mind that frees you from the structure, and you will not longer belong to your body but TO YOUR FEELINGS… from there forwards, let the body do its thing… you… YOU… just enjoy the DANCE!
