Tangotourist in Europe, Summer 2014
An abrupt ending to an endless weekend.
I can’t tell if I liked it or not. But I’m sad it’s over. There were some people I am glad to have met.
We were all languishing in the abundance waiting for it to warm up, tying to get it there, and then it was over.
By today I was leading the rhythmic thing without getting so bored, but also finding its limitations. The marks were good enough to perceive that when they tried to stop or hold me I was already stopped, and they would lighten up their grip. But when they did occasionally mark a voleo or gancho it tended to be stiff and clunky, disrespecting the arc.
The revels were sorta ok in close embrace but the moment I opened they would freak out and start running around me. Could not mark side step with her left foot in any embrace, no possibility of voleo with right leg, and they refused to manage sacada of any kind. Basically just like the average Sydney follower except better connection and embrace, so long as I only mark change of foot and alteracion.
M’s question: would it have been better with more diverse music with same dancers, friendliness, and ratio? I would have been more inspired to mark, but the ratio problem would have been more frustrating… It didn’t bother me much because I was so uninspired.
In conclusion: No one seems to be able to train a revel so let’s just dance in a way that the girls can pick up by dancing in the milonga. Then swagger around like we’re the shit and put down everything else, claiming it’s dangerous or ugly or lacks musicality and connection.
This is a video of the last tanda, in which people were a little happier and dancing with more playfulness…the rest of the weekend much more sedate.
