Last night I had the privilege of attending a workshop taught by Alicia Pons, here on her 5th visit to the Triangle.
A renowned Milonguera, she is known for all sorts of cool Tango things like her display of feminine elegance, precise footwork and the list goes on and on…
But for me, it’s her incredible PASSION for the dance that makes her a world-class instructor, a term that is used far too often and far too casually.
She outlined five basic principles of connection. These were meant for Tango, but they can and should be applied to any dance.
In dance, true progress comes from re-examination of the self. Not from patterns, tricks, techniques etc. Anyone can do these, and everyone does these.
Any good dance instructor should, first and foremost, lead students on a journey of self-examination.
Examine what you do over and over again, and never settle in or become too comfortable with your dance or the philosophy that underlies it.
1. Connect with yourself.
Be aware, plain and simple. Be aware that your are breathing. Far too often we forget that we actually exist while we are dancing. We become so focused on the next step that our own movement becomes lost and end up looking like choreographed machines.
2. Connect with the music.
LISTEN before you do anything. Resist the urge to just grab your partner and go through the motions. Music leads, always.
Sometimes, I think we fall back on a mental routine that tells us to activate some pattern simply because a certain type of music is playing.
3. Connect with your partner.
In the words of Alicia Pons, “The embrace is handmade”.
Of course it is! It’s woven from the thread of partner and music.
I think every dance should be handmade. I am in love with this idea.
If for nothing else, out of respect for your partner, tailor the dance to them and the music. And if you view dance as a gift, is it really appropriate to give every partner the same gift?
4. Connect with the floor.
Cut the string, relax the shoulders, and break the egg. Allow your energy to travel into the floor and avoid sustaining it all in the shoulders in one big ball of tension.
I was corrected on this one. It’s easy to do, so watch out.
5. Connect with other couples on the dance floor.
She didn’t touch on this one too much, probably due to time constraints. But, it goes without saying that you probably won’t be the only one on the social dance floor.
I think you should always exercise special awareness. Be aware of where you are in relation to everyone else.
I urge our readers to ponder the above points. Take a second to examine yourself, if your priority is growth and fulfillment as a dancer.
I understand that some “dancers” may view the above as total bullocks. These are usually the men out there who boot up and sequentially execute their dance routines like a Windows PC.
If you think this kind of computerized dancing is cool, remember that it’s usually the men who love to wrap their arms around technology and cool gadgets.
Women on the other hand …
I will leave you with my favorite Alicia Pons quote.
“Men, sometimes the embrace feels so good, it’s more than enough.”
If memory serves me right, there was not a single expression of disagreement from any of the ladies in attendance.
