Tango is not only a fascinating dance but also a fascinating philosophy, culture and lifestyle. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony and beauty, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango unites us into a team, community and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through affinity, altruism, cooperation, and accommodation. It is a dance that teaches the world to love.



September 4, 2011

True Beauty Comes from Within


We love tango in part because tango is beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that. People pursue beauty for the same reason that plants bloom and birds sing. Beauty is a natural trait to attract mates. It provides a better chance for living things to thrive, thus is a valuable resource to whoever possesses it. Consequently beauty is admired, idolized, worshiped and emulated. Many methods are developed to make people look beautiful, and billions and billions are spent each year for that. As a result, beauty is no longer natural and real. In many ways it becomes an artificial and deceiving illusion.

When people are obsessed with the illusion, substance are neglected and problems occur. A beautiful woman may have advantages, but at the same time she may also have disadvantages. She may be spoiled, haughty, shallow, and unprepared for the tough realities in real life. She may demand more and be hard to please. A likely prey of men, jealousy of women, and heart breaker to many suitors, she may have more enemies than she can handle. Consequently, she can be suspicious, mistrustful, overly protective, arrogant, and aloof. She may live a less worry-free life. One has to bear in mind the cost of pursuing beauty. Beauty is only a skin deep. It is neither the only thing nor the most important thing in life and tango.

Just as those who focus on the look tend to overlook inner qualities, dancers who are fond of flashy steps tend to ignore feelings. However, without feelings tango becomes an empty shell. True beauty comes from within. It lies in the shared commitment, understanding, cooperation, agreement, resonance, chemistry and harmony between the partners. If you visit Buenos Aires, you will see that is how tango is danced by the milongueros. They don't care much about fancy steps. They concentrate on the relationship, music and feelings, and their dance is so beautiful that it is imitated by shallow-minded foreigners without understanding its essence. (See The Conceptional Beautify of Tango.)

Tango is still young in the US. It takes maturity to overcome superficiality and to understand true beauty. The more I dance with women of all ages, the more I appreciate mature women. I found that, even in Buenos Aires, mature women are better dancers overall. Their youthful freshness is fading, and they start to focus more on the substance rather than the surface of dance. It is my hope that tango in this country, too, will overcome its shallowness and pay more attention to the substance as we become more maturer.





6 comments:

  1. Dance reflects a culture, and tango is the USA doesn't have and will never have the culture of Buenos Aires. Tango as a dance will never be the same in the USA as it is in Buenos Aires.

    I heard tango music in Chicago as a child when the dance was popular for ballroom dancing. It wasn't the same style as the Argentines danced, but it was tango music.

    Americans are focused on form and how things look and who is the best, etc. It may take a long time for dancers to dig deeply within to find the feeling of tango. In the meantime, those who have discovered tango in their being will dance it with the same passion as Argentines.

    Glad we had a chance to meet during your August trip to Buenos Aires.

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  2. Food for thought...Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I wish more men felt that way about "mature" women!!! We'd be dancing as much as we desired. There would never be complaints about lack of connected, advanced leaders. How wonderful that would be!

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  4. In my community it seems that the men put on a “show” for others instead of dancing with their partner. I always see women get kicked around, pushed or being manhandled. When I first started Tango several years ago, I wanted to learn the big flashy moves. Now that I am a little more experienced, the less I want to do. A simple beautiful connection with my partner is all I look for now. I may not dance much during a Milonga, but when I do, it is great. A few really good Tandas is a whole lot better than a bunch of bad ones. A few really good steps with the music and connection with my partner is a whole lot better than a whole bunch of bad step out of rhythm or no rhythm.

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  5. I've learned a big lesson from reading these posts...just be myself and that's enough...

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  6. Paul Yang. You seem to understand the tango in the way that some do not. I'd like to dance with you! I love what you've written and admire your candid approach to the dance. Thank you!

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