“Yo no teacher. Yo dancing!”

- exact words of an old milonguero friend of ours in Buenos Aires, when asked if he was also a teacher.

While I’m not an authority on Tango, I feel the need to write about something that I consider very important to address.

What’s bothering me right now is people who don’t want to take the full, long journey to discovering Tango. People who “proudly” claim that because they’ve been to X amount of festivals and taken X amount of hours of class and practice, that they can teach, and that they know Tango. It makes feel a little worried about what’s happening to Tango.

The thing I have heard a lot of from these people is that “time matters not”. And you all know how I feel about that. Yes, some people just “get” it after a short period of time, while others can dance for 10 years and still not have a clue. But this is no reason to start teaching too soon. When someone feels that they are ready to teach early in their Tango life, they might think they get it – but those who truly do “get” it, aren’t teaching as beginners – they’re too busy dancing.

I can be understanding on one level, because when you’ve only been dancing a year or so, you have absolutely no idea how much more you are about to discover in Tango. But for this precise reason I do not feel it is right to start teaching prematurely, and I do not feel it is right to state with arrogance that you know what you’re talking about, when really you’re still a baby by Argentine standards. It kind of reminds me of how when I was a teenager I thought I knew everything. Then I entered my 20’s and really thought I knew everything. Now that I’m 30, I see that I have a lot to learn and that I can just slow down and enjoy it.

Understanding Tango is so much more than how many hours you’ve been putting into your dance or how many festivals you’ve been to. Tango is a personal journey that takes a long time. It is so rewarding to be patient and allow it to happen on its own. Immediately assuming that since you once helped someone in practica or know how to explain an ocho means that you’re ready to teach, can be dangerous. It shows little respect for the true professionals out there who have earned their positions with a lot of effort and time. If you ask me, I’ll say that it’s not good Tango.

One reason I believe that Tango takes time, is that Tango is also about life experience. Tango is life experience. As I get a few months closer to my 5-year Tango anniversary, I reflect on all that I’ve been through in life during my Tango journey. As I matured, had my heart broken, lost my father, moved to a different country – all of these things went hand-in-hand with Tango. Experiencing these things while learning and dancing Tango at the same time, was instrumental in my development as a dancer. My previous life experiences were also instrumental, but allowing Tango to unfold in your life as you go through various milestones is priceless.

To teach prematurely, in my opinion, is to treat Tango like an empty dance. An empty, purely physical… thing, with no history or spirit. Anyone who reads this blog regularly has read this post about what I think Tango is. And I stand by it. Tango is a wonderful dance, it is a wonderful challenge for mind, body and soul. It’s great to do it well, it’s great to learn new steps, and it’s great to help others discover it. But it is not great to forget that Tango has roots. I feel it is arrogant to claim authority about something without respecting the core of it.

I was fortunate enough to study with a fabulous couple from Buenos Aires for the first four years of my Tango development. We became friends and they took me under their wing. They didn’t just teach me to dance – they taught me how to prepare a good mate, make empanadas (yummm), open my heart to love, speak a little bit of Spanish…they taught me their culture. Because of them, I got a geography lesson, a history lesson, a love lesson, and thanks to their inspiring me to explore Argentine culture more in depth, I can dance an okay chacarera. Not great, but not bad. Because my learning experience was so full and rich and intense, I just can’t imagine having actually been a teacher myself during all of that. I can’t imagine even wanting to teach when I was in the midst of absorbing so much myself.

As I’ve matured in Tango and in life, my feelings about Tango have evolved. What’s important to me has changed. I’ve finally discovered myself in the dance and I dance like me. I’ve developed incredibly strong bonds with people through Tango. But most importantly, I’ve realized why it is that I dance Tango. I’m no longer looking for interesting, tricky steps. I’m no longer worrying about looking the best when I dance. You know what I look for in Tango, and why I dance it? I look for my soul and yours. I dance because I want our souls to meet and have a conversation while our bodies move in time to the music.

And ever since my month in Buenos Aires, the #1 reason I dance Tango at all is because I feel like it is my one connection to my new favorite city. I feel like it’s my way of checking in with Buenos Aires and saying “hola – I still love you”.

Slow down, Tangueros. Slow down. Don’t disregard your learning process. And whatever you do – do it from your heart, do it out of love.

I had a dream that Ney and Jennifer were already in Seattle, and that I met them at a bar.  The three of us became fast friends.  For some reason he took me under his wing and shared his secrets with me – the keys to unlock the mystery of gracefully following all kinds of different turns.   While I’m sure all of this won’t quite happen, I’m hoping that we’ll at least get along and that I’ll enjoy my lesson with them.  I am just enamoured of their elegance and I’ve been so excited to meet them that I hope I’m not starry-eyed when I do.  I hope I can be serious and absorb what it is I need to absorb from their visit.  And that I can just enjoy it.  But aren’t they cute????? heeeeeee…. This is a big deal – it’s the first non-Argentine couple I’ve been giddy about.  Like ever.

[youtube=[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=2d-IMpavcy4]

Ok, that’s it.  I have my private lesson scheduled with Ney & Jennifer, and it will take place in 18 days from now.  Woo woo!

I’m excited to meet them, particularly Ney, for a couple of reasons.  One, their dancing is beautiful. Duh.  Two, Perugia.  

See, a while back, while still living in Italy, I had e-mailed Ney asking if he would add a link for Umbria’s tango community to his website.  He sent me a very nice response – and added the link to his page.

Coincidentally, just a couple of months later my friend Helaine, who started Umbria Tango, invited Ney and Jennifer to Perugia to perform at their Friday night milonga.  (They were already to be in the Capri Tango festival as well as Florence, so it seemed opportune.)  Naturally they went…

I’m just dying to know what they thought of Perugia and its ever so warm Tango community.