Argentine Tango Practica

On the first Friday of every month Anthony, our Argentine Tango instructor, holds a pratica at Lioudmila's from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. We decided to go since we really needed the practice. It wasn't crowded and we knew the other couples that came from other dance venues.

Argentine Tango is very different from the other ballroom dance we know. Here is a quote from Wikipedia that sums it up: "Argentine Tango relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers, there is no "basic step." One of the only constants across all Argentine Tango styles, is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the follower rarely has her weight on both feet at the same time. Argentine tango is a new orientation of couple dancing. As most dances have a rational-pattern which can be predicted by the follower, the ballast of previous perceptions about strict rules has to be thrown overboard and replaced by a real communication contact, creating a direct non-verbal dialogue. A tango is a living act in the moment as it happens."

All dancing is a special way of communicating with your partner. You are together there in the moment talking back and forth without speaking. Argentine Tango is so much improvisation that it brings that communion between partners to another level.

For example, in American Tango I lead my partner to do a fan. In Argentine Tango I lead my partner through the fan. As I interpret the music I can change the tempo of my lead in the middle of a step.

The Fabulous Bel Airs at Harris Pavilion

We met our friends Janet and Jeff, and Kathy and Randy, at the Harris Pavilion for dancing to the Fabulous Bel Airs. The Harris Pavilion in historic Manassas has a series of dances through the summer with a variety of bands. Manassas offers a lot for visitors with a variety of restuarants and cafes along with distinctive specialty shops and galleries. It's perfect for a day of strolling and shopping. When you get tired of that you can sit down to eat at a sidewalk cafe. The Harris Pavilion is situated in the middle of the Historic Distict of Manassas. It has a full calendar with events all year long. When it gets too cold for anything else they have ice skating.

We heard the Fabulous Bel Airs last year and really enjoyed them. We got to dance some rhumba, cha-cha, and lots of swing.