How we tackled our fears of performing, of being judged

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PHOTO BY MARTIN NOBIDA

PHOTO BY MARTIN NOBIDA

This year, Stefan and I made a decision to conquer our Tango fears - fears of performing, of being judged. We chose the Argentine Tango USA Championship as the perfect project to push us to learn.

Preparing for this experience helped us to better understand the nature and complexities of fear and in fact to tune into the love that is always there deeper than all of it.

It was in fact a hugely joyful experience and I'm very grateful to Stefan and our many wonderful teachers, helpers, guides, friends, and family. We participated in the finals alongside new and old friends and it was exciting to discover that it's possible to dance freely and happily in such a charged setting !!

So happy to always be learning in Tango and so glad to share in this loving community that prizes connection above all.

Masterful Performances, Great Tangos

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by Derrick del Pilar

Social tango is an intimate, personal experience that puts you in direct contact with another body—the most sublime dances make you forget that you are on a crowded pista, surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of other couples: for a moment, you slip between the walls of the worlds, you are alone with your partner and the music.

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Songs of Return: Tangos for the Journey Home

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Songs of Return: Tangos for the Journey Home

by Derrick Del Pilar, Craftsman of Return

From the plane I watch the city unroll its carpet of tiny light points beneath me as the dusk shadows fall. The downtown core stands tall, concrete pillars blazing near the water’s edge. From there the neighborhoods of low houses spread out, flat and interminable, melting into the endless plains beyond.

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The LA Tango Explosion of 1986

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Dear Holly,

Hello; if it seems that I know a lot about the early years of tango in Los Angeles, it is because I lived it 24/7, week after week, month after month, and year after year. Tango for me was every night, non-stop.

I can think of two things that really gave tango a big and unexpected boost in L.A. during the summer of 1986, when the show Tango Argentino was booked at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood:

1) The producers of the show, and their agents, did something unusual: they invested heavily in television advertising, going far beyond what you would have experienced with most shows or movies. In those years, there was no cable or satelite TV, and no internet or PC's. If you had a show or movie to promote, you had to do it the old-fashioned way, with ads placed in local newspapers, in magazines, on the radio, and especially on local television stations.

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The Error of Tango

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by Mitra Martin

“Do not fear mistakes...there are none.” - Miles Davis

My theory is, Tango emerged from dealing with unexpected circumstances. Or, what we might normally call mistakes. Problems. Failure. Starting with the failure to be happy.

Having not checked any of this with any single bona fide expert Old Milonguero or even anyone of remotely Argentinean descent, I’m still pretty sure I’m right, so take it with whatever salt you want.

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