We went to both Paradiso on Friday night as well as Victor's own Milonga Sentimental on Sunday night. The dancers were out in force. But no despidida would be complete without the age-old tradition of the "Goodbye Dance"! Legions of dancers lined up and patiently waited for their turn to
This was a great chance to watch all the followers in "action" with one of the top leaders in Toronto.
But hey guys, what happened? Where's the mile-a-minute toe tapping/knee-lifting/leg-flapping, the "not really following but putting on my own show", the "just doin' my own continuous ochos", the "you dance salon-tango while I flail around nuevo-tango style" and all those other fascinating following trends? With the exception of one newly-minted tango instructor/milonga organizer/disciple of "Fabio!" who has now adopted that shoulder spasm also known as "the shrug"- all the followers danced beautifully and actually followed. Is there some kind of "World Cup" of tango following going on that no-one has told me about? If that's true then judging from the beautiful dancing I saw last weekend Toronto is definitely a front-runner.
How depressing. Keep this up and I may have to lose my sense of humor.
4 comments:
It IS rather depressing to see so many people dancing well, isn't it Irene. Doesn't leave much for us to write about...
Were you at Royal Tango in Montreal two weeks ago?
Dear Johanna,
Yes, Toronto tango is like a artic plain lately, and all the Fabios have migrated to warmer climates with the loons...what can we possibly do?
Actually, I'm really glad that the followers in Toronto are making so much progress. We know tango dancers who have been dancing (badly) the same way for decades or more - and no number of private classes, trips to Buenos Aires had changed that. Maybe the Toronto followers are adopting a different mentality to the dance instead of learning steps and adornments? My teachers have taught me that following well is "simple" and "easy" - but sometimes we are our own worst enemy.
Irene
Dear Caroline,
Yes we were, and I guess you were there too. You should have come over to say hi - obviously you recognize us from this blog.
We were also in Quebec City the next day. We're planning a series of posts about our experiences!
Irene and Man Yung
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