How Was Your Dance Weekend? Posted on 06.17.2007

Not so good. I had great plans, but fell very sick on Thursday, and that spoiled the whole thing. I had agreed to help my teachers at their milonga, and it was too late to back out of it. By Friday night I managed to recover enough to be able to drive up there, and take a chair at the entrance. It is a nice way to meet people, get noticed. And I did.

Unfortunately, I couldn't fully profit from my position. The state I was in didn't let me last on the floor, sometimes not even a sole tanda. However, I danced with two leaders I had been wanting to try for a while.

The first one, I believe, has been at every milonga I happened to be since I started, but never asked me to a dance, which I found quite intriguing. He turned out having a very tight, rigid embrace. Not my favorite style of dancing, but not totally unpleasant overall. In fact, I would have easily been in the zone after the first couple of songs, but he started making comments, and that made me a little tense. So, the zone was out of the question, at least for the moment.

The verdict: I will not actively seek dances with him in the future. However, if he asks me again,
I will dance with him again. I can dance like that, it is perfectly fine with me. And then, maybe the zone is not that far away.

I almost gave up hopes of ever catching attention of another leader I tried that night. He was very exclusive, dancing only with a friend, and a couple of her girlfriends, and the rest of the time not dancing at all, and not making eye contact whatsoever. His friend made him ask me, I later learned, a kind soul. He asked me at the very end of the night, when I was already dead tired, so I lasted only one song. But dancing with him completely reinforced my visual impression of him as a leader. Everything was there and yet, something very important was missing. At first I thought it was musicality, but in the end I believe the very cause of "it" lies elsewhere: he dances like he doesn't particularly care.

Now I have a question. Is it in my power to change that? There is only one way to find out. I will dance with him again, provided he asks me again. I let him know that I cared about dancing with him, and had to cut a tanda only due to my poor condition that night.

I had to stay in on Saturday (here went my happy milonga night!), and Sunday night. Perhaps I will be in shape enough to practice with the partner #2 tomorrow night. If I am lucky enough, I might meet someone new and interesting at the practica, like it happened last week. Also will see if the leader who practiced with me last week, if he is in attendance, is willing to repeat the experience.
I liked him more than I care to admit. Suspense, suspense.

No, I didn't have an especially good dance weekend, but it was somewhat eventful. I guess I am getting a little tango-gluttonous at times. In addition, taking a break helped me to sort out some emotional stuff, cool some heat down, at least so it seems now. Therefore it is all good.

Update:
That was me who was rigid, not the guy. Eventually, I learned how to dance in close embrace. About 6 month later, the guy asked me again, and we liked each other very much. He has been one of my favorites ever since.

I do not see what was wrong with the other one, either. Our paths do not cross often nowadays, but I enjoy dancing with him whenever I get a chance. His movement is smooth, his lead is clear, and I like his sense of music.

Decidedly, in their ignorance, beginners can be so arrogant at times.