An Illusion

We had our tango workshop with Luciana Valle tonight. She said a lot of interesting things. A lot of philosophical stuff which is the essence behind such dances as the tango, which would have been easy to miss if one were not paying attention and really listening to what she was saying.

Tango is a social dance. It's for the two of you, not for the outside. It's not for show, even in performances, it's for the two people dancing together, and it's still a social dance.

(Which means that tango is almost the opposite of what many people think it is. It comes from the inside, of the self and between the dance partners, not the outside. Trying to learn technique and steps can only go so far.) She commented on pretentious lead dancers as well.

Toe.. heel.. it doesn't matter. She emphasized having weight straight down, shoulders over hips over feet, never locking the knees, having balance in the middle of your feet, not sticking out the butt or the stomach, elongating that part of the lower torso, the push-pull between legs of the follower's walking movement, moving the leg first and then the body, the opposite for the lead, the illusion of long legs, and the togetherness of the lead and follower's movements.

Break his heart with every cross. She described the movement between lead and follow like "No.. no.. no.. no... okay.." (Hm.. I think I'm good at that part.. hehe)

She said many times that "it's an illusion." It's an illusion. I think this was in reference to where your weight is on the supporting leg while the other leg is free and extended, but probably has some larger significance as well, which a two hour class was not enough to understand.

She also used a lot of interesting, and funny, metaphors. Like peeing...! Leading like a vacuum. The sound of the movement, flowing.

Altered State of Mind

More on waltz and raves.

Richard Powers' Zen and the Art of Waltzing

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Update: Here's the archived page on waltz and raves.

And if the waltz were to become a rave? This original idea has become the trademark of a company, Nicolas Musin's abcdancecompany from Austria, which has for a number of years invited young artists to create short choreographies on the theme of the waltz, thereby creating a sort of library of this dance from the 19th century to the present day. The piece to be presented in Venice, the last volume of the series in the version of Nina Kripas and Claudi Bombardo under the direction of Nicolas Musin, performs the traditional waltz in the manner of one of the most typical expressions of youth culture, the rave. There is a strange affinity, says Nicolas Musin, between the waltz - this sort of "dice game between two adults who are by turns master and object of the other", in which it is necessary to reach a "complementariness in order to be able to spin to the point of dizziness and achieve that altered state of a single consciousness through two bodies" - and the tribal rituality of rave's techno dance.

Waltzing and Raves

Big Dance... An all night dance party, the mood altering effects of particular dances especially waltzes, and an atmosphere I'll imagine has similarities to a rave since I've never been to one. And of course, in all of the Jammixes, Friday Night Waltzes, and other dance events, there is the song which has become known as the "trance waltz," Nara (clip).

This film festival Web site actually makes a connection between the Viennese waltz party culture of the 19th century in Austria and the modern rave culture of the 1990s.

More than a few people have commented that waltzing or music in waltz time makes them happy. I even came across some mention of a study with gerbils being exposed to waltz music making their serotonin levels rise.

Waltzing is kind of like a drug, but without any negative health effects.

Superdance

A few nice waltzes of the night:

Jessica Andrews
I Bring It To You
clip

I blinded B with my hair during underarm turns, but hey, the guys keep leading them....

Jessica Andrews
Helplessly, Hopelessly, Recklessly
clip

I don't think this was actually played but Jessica Andrews has this other waltz which I almost thought was the same one, since what are the chances of hearing two new waltzes by the same singer? They're both nice but kind of so-so.

Shrek
Dana Glover
It Is You (I Have Loved)
clip

I'm not sure if this was the song, but W let me lead part of it. Though he was following moves I didn't realize I was leading....

Faith Hill
Cry
clip

A Walk To Remember
Mandy Moore
Only Hope
clip

More hair blinding and dizzying waltz at 3am, before being convinced to stay for the dance film clips, which was very good. The Beauty and the Beast clip got the most laughs.

And at some point, a nice hustle with a stranger, where the hustle arms came out. Dancing late into the wee hours before morning is a different sensation.