tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38194576623626506632024-03-18T18:19:14.733-05:00In Search of TangoPaul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-24188740517611995112024-02-15T09:14:00.032-06:002024-03-11T00:25:57.195-05:00Ismael Choreography<br>
Ismael Heljalil (1929-2018) was a revered figure within the milonguero community, known for his kind nature and gentle demeanor. Though details about his life remain scarce, his legacy endures through the dance videos he left behind, offering glimpses into his gentle character and profound love for tango. (Please click the link to watch on YouTube.)<br>
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What distinguishes Ismael Heljalil from his peers is his distinctive choreography, characterized by a seamless fusion of rock, back steps, and turns. His movements, dominated by a fluid interplay of retreats and rotations, reveal a mastery of the art form. A hallmark of his style is the rock steps with the left leg as the fulcrum to place his right leg behind, culminating in a graceful pivoting to the right.<br>
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While this movement can be mirrored with the left leg, Ismael's preference leans towards the right, showcasing his comfort and mastery with his signature spin.<br>
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Another notable move involves rocking the right leg back, shifting weight to his left leg while pivoting to the left, and then stepping the right leg forward. As his weight is now on the right leg, he can either continue walking in circles to the left, or step back with his left leg and pivot to the left. No one can alternate right and left turns with backward and forward steps as seamlessly as Ismael does. This remarkable ability hinges on his unparalleled musicality.<br>
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In essence, Ismael's dance style is characterized by a continuous rotation anchored in backward motion, skillfully blending elements of rock, back steps, and turns. This unique approach sets him apart, inspiring many to emulate his technique, yet few can truly replicate his finesse. What is difficult to copy is not his footwork, of course, but his comprehension of music, underscoring the depth of skill possessed by the master himself.<br>
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"If God could dance, he would dance like Ismael. He masterfully improvises what he feels in the moment. He walks, and oh…how he walks with intimate knowledge of every phrase and nuance of the music from his soul." - Jantango<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-76355724438920581442024-02-08T13:05:00.035-06:002024-03-03T07:40:11.247-06:00How to Make Your Leading Stand Out<br>
When we lead the dance, it is important to depart from boring convention. Here are some tips to help you lead with distinction:<br>
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1. <b>Embrace variety in your dance route</b>: Instead of sticking to a predictable path on the dance floor, dare to explore different directions and shapes. Break away from monotony by leading your partner in unexpected move patterns and angles.<br>
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2. <b>Incorporate backward steps</b>: In tango, men mostly move forward and women move backward. If a man could break the pattern and dance backwards, it would be a change for both parties and make the dance stand out. (Click the link to watch on YouTube.)<br>
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3. <b>Simplify your movements</b>: In a world where complexity often reigns supreme, dare to stand out by embracing simplicity. Remember, less is often more when it comes to making a lasting impression.<br>
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4. <b>Master the art of pivoting</b>: In tango, it's customary for men to navigate the dance floor while women move around them, often resulting in men relying on static steps. However, by integrating pivots into your movements to enable agile and fluid turns toward your partner, your lead will truly shine.<br>
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5. <b>Engage your torso and hips</b>: Most men don't rotate their torso and hips very much when dancing. If you can engage your torso and hips more, your leading will reach a higher level. The first rule of tango is that your torso must always face your partner, no matter which side of you she is on or moving to. The competence to swivel the torso or hips helps the man to maintain good physical contact with the woman and enhances his ability to use his torso to lead her.<br>
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6. <b>Use a variety of rhythms</b>:Most men dance too fast and in a monotonous rhythm. If you slow down the pace and use a variety of rhythms, your dance will stand out from most people. Pause and slow motion are to dance what punctuation is to writing. They make your expression more meaningful and interesting.<br>
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7. <b>Lead her to turn in slow motion</b>:A slow-motion turn can better express a woman's grace. When leading movements that involve turning, such as ocho and planeo, slowing down can make the movements stand out.<br>
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8. <b>Dance to express, not to impress</b>: Above all, remember that tango is a dance of feelings, connection, and expression. Instead of focusing on showcasing your technical prowess, dance with genuine emotion and feeling. Let the music guide your movements, allowing its rhythm and melody to inspire your every step. By dancing to express the music and feelings, you'll create a profound and unforgettable experience for both you and your partner.<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-43033059837890506682024-02-06T15:01:00.054-06:002024-03-18T11:56:04.773-05:00Philosophies that Separate Two Different Worlds<br>
Chinese philosophy embraces a holistic perspective, viewing the universe as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of disparate parts. It posits that despite the existence of contradictions, harmony prevails, with seemingly opposite elements interdependent and complementing each other like the two sexes. Humanity is perceived not as isolated individuals but as a collective entity, wherein success hinges on collaborative efforts. Central to this worldview is the pursuit of unity, balance and harmony, eschewing conflict escalation and adversary elimination. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2024/01/understanding-china-yellow-river-and.html" target="_blank">Understanding China: Yellow River and the Character of the Chinese Nation</a></i>.)<br>
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Emphasizing peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Chinese philosophy prioritizes collective interests over personal ones, advocating for consensus-building and the creation of an equitable, just, and moral global community. In this framework, human rights extend beyond individual entitlements to include the collective well-being of all humanity, encompassing equality, justice, freedom from poverty and crime, a safe and satisfactory living environment for all, cooperation and resource-sharing, humanitarian assistance, as well as individual liberties.<br>
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Politically, the Chinese emphasize the role of the state in fostering unity, managing differences, providing infrastructure, protecting the vulnerable, and advancing the common good. They endorse democratic centralism while opposing decentralization and partisan politics. Economically, China operates a mixed economy that includes state-owned, private and market components, with the goal to achieve common prosperity for all citizens. This approach harnesses individual initiative while maintaining state oversight of capital to safeguard the interests of all people. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/12/plutocracy-vs-democracy.html" target="_blank">Democracy vs. Plutocracy</a></i>.)<br>
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In international affairs, China upholds the following five principles: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. It advocates for international cooperation, peaceful development, global common prosperity, and the creation of a community with a shared future for mankind.<br>
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In contrast, Western thought is characterized by atomism, which deconstructs the world into discrete entities and posits that these entities compete for self-interest. Western individualism views people as independent actors with conflicting interests, subscribing to the Darwinian concepts of the "struggle for existence" and "survival of the fittest." It embraces a "law of the jungle" mentality wherein the suppression or elimination of opponents is seen as necessary to safeguard one's own interests. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2023/03/darwinism-and-eastern-philosophies.html" target="_blank">Darwinism and Eastern Philosophies</a></i>.) The Western view of human rights is individualistic, prioritizing personal interests over collective concerns. This version of human rights is highly deceptive. While ostensibly promoting freedom for all, it in fact only serves a privileged minority, allowing them to exploit competitive advantages to defeat the disadvantaged majority, thereby controlling legislation, the economy, media, military affairs, and foreign policy, to benefit themselves. The result is that the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and for most people, human rights and freedom have become empty words.<br>
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Politically, Western elites employ Machiavellian tactics and engage in partisan maneuvers, fostering social division, conflicts and polarization. Economically, Western ideology champions private ownership, free competition, capitalism, mercantilism, financialism, and neoliberalism. Although these unscrupulous, profit-oriented practices may spur initial economic growth, they also aggravate inequality and corruption, subjecting national interests to the dominance of capital and ultimately resulting in economic failures. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2023/03/americas-troubles.html" target="_blank">America Is in Big Trouble</a></i>.)<br>
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In international relations, the West adopts strategies of divide and conquer geopolitics, promotes unipolar hegemony, and engages in zero-sum games. These approaches disrupt global equilibrium, provoke conflicts, and sow turmoil worldwide. The success of the West historically hinges on the conquest, colonization, genocide, exploitation, and plunder of weaker nations.<br>
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For a considerable period, the Chinese struggled to comprehend Western behaviors, yet they have now come to understand its underlying logic. Unless Western plutocrats alter their philosophical outlook, global peace remains elusive. This sentiment was succinctly expressed by the Chinese delegation during the Sino-US talks in Alaska: "We overestimated you and assumed you would adhere to basic diplomatic norms. We must clarify our stance: You lack the authority to assert dominance over China." Despite the potential calamitous consequences of their worldview, Western plutocrats are unlikely to relinquish it. It may require the collapse of the existing paradigm before humanity can aspire to construct a new world.<br>
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Fortunately, which philosophy of the two can lead mankind towards a brighter future is becoming more evident. Humanity is amidst unprecedented global transformations. With China's ascent and the West's decline, nations in the Global South are beginning to glimpse hope on the horizon. Ultimately, a world characterized by equality, justice, cooperation and peace will triumph over the current landscape of inequality, bullying, plunder and war. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/10/tango-and-pluralism.html" target="_blank">Pluralism vs. Monism</a></i>.)<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-20643123233938071472024-01-26T22:41:00.220-06:002024-03-06T10:56:10.581-06:00Understanding China: Yellow River and the Character of the Chinese Nation<br>
The topography of China is high in the west and low in the east. The west is composed of many mountain ranges with altitudes exceeding 5,000 meters, among which the highest Himalayas are 8,848 meters above sea level. The east gradually drops to a plain below 50 meters above sea level. The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Har Mountain with an altitude of 5,369 meters, located in Qinghai Province. This second longest river in China crosses the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Loess Plateau, Inner Mongolia Plateau, and North China Plain from west to east, and finally flows into the Bohai Sea. Its drainage area reaches 795,000 square kilometers, covering Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong nine provinces.<br>
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Millions of years ago, east of the Taihang Mountains (box in map below) in central North China was the ocean. The North China Plain (the upper two thirds of the green area below) was formed by the accumulation of sediment from the Yellow River over millions of years. The middle section of the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau, carrying a large amount of sediment. It transports 1.6 billion tons of sediment downstream every year, about a quarter of which remains on land, and the rest washes into the Bohai Sea. The silt deposited in the lower reaches of the Yellow River gradually raises the riverbed. Every once in a while, the Yellow River will change its course due to the blockage of large amounts of sediment. Wherever the terrain is low, that's where the diverted river will flow, bringing sediment with it. For millions of years, sediment from the Yellow River has filled the low areas back and forth, creating the vast North China Plain, which is larger than the UK. Today, the Yellow River is still reclaiming land from the sea and constantly pushing the coastline eastward. Scientists estimate that the Bohai Sea will be filled in within a few hundred years, further expanding the North China Plain.<br>
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Archeology has discovered that eight thousand years ago, people already lived in this plain created by the Yellow River. The North China Plain has always been the most densely populated, economically and culturally prosperous region in China due to its fertile soil, temperate climate, and abundant rainfall brought by the maritime monsoon, making this region suitable for agriculture. The Yellow River nourishes the people lived on this plain, but it also brings them disasters. As the riverbed rises, people need to constantly strengthen the river embankments to protect farmland, villages and cities on both sides. As a result, the riverbed gradually rises above the ground, and in some areas is even 5-10 meters above the ground, turning the river into a hanging river. Once the embankment breaks, it will cause a devastating disaster, washing away everything in its path. Historical records show that in the past 2,500 years, the Yellow River burst and flooded 1,593 times, and had major diversions 26 times. Every time the Yellow River bursts and floods, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people are killed and displaced. River management has never stopped since ancient times. Perhaps no other populace in the world experiences such a complex love-hate dynamic with their mother river as the Chinese. They express gratitude for her nourishing while harboring resentment for her harshness. But it is precisely with this rugged character that the Yellow River has cultivated the Chinese people's spirit of perseverance, tenacity, hard work, and resilience.<br>
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Chinese parents tend to use strict discipline to train their children so that they can learn to face the severe challenges of life. This is not unrelated to the fact that they themselves grew up under the temper of the Yellow River. Westerners who embrace individualism emphasize protecting children's individuality and independence. Chinese parents pay attention to cultivating children's perseverance, endurance and team spirit. Such education is closely related to their harsh living environment. In front of the Yellow River, individuals are insignificant. Controlling the Yellow River relies on collective strength. Therefore, Chinese philosophy emphasizes collectivism and teamwork. Western philosophy conceptualizes individuals as autonomous and independent actors, giving precedence to personal interests over collective concerns. Chinese philosophy perceives individuals as interconnected and interdependent members of society with a common destiny and shared interests and responsibilities. This prioritization of collective concerns over individual interests is influenced by their shared burden imposed by the Yellow River.<br>
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The fertile, rich and troubled land of the lower reaches of the Yellow River makes the people living on the land not only enjoy the blessings of the Yellow River, but also face the challenges it brings. This paradox has nurtured the dialectical thinking of the Chinese people. The Chinese do not perceive things in stark black and white terms like Westerners do. They recognize that opposing qualities juxtapose in all things, akin to the nature of the Yellow River. This awareness empowers them to approach the complexities of life with composure, remain vigilant during peaceful times, and discern opportunities within challenges. Chinese philosophy opposes simplistic, polarized thinking, such as zero-sum game and unipolarism, and believes that moderation and balance are more in line with the laws of nature in which diverse things complement each other and coexist harmoniously like the two sexes. This seemingly meek position allows the Chinese to live in harmony with an environment that is both contradictory and integrated. Confucius' teaching that "a gentleman does not form factions", the Confucian stance of not taking sides, and the Chinese people's refusal to participate in Western-style partisan politics, these are all due in part to the wisdom given to the Chinese by the Yellow River. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/10/meeting-in-middle.html" target="_blank">Meeting in the Middle</a></i>.)<br>
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Managing China's huge population and making them act in a unified manner to carry out large projects like regulating the Yellow River and building the Great Wall, which involve vast areas of land, huge amounts of manpower, enormous resources, comprehensive planning, and the joint efforts of the whole country, requires a unified, centralized government with strong organizational capabilities. In fact, China's state power was born out of the need to control the Yellow River. Dayu, the founder of the Xia Dynasty (about 2070 BC - about 1600 BC), the first dynasty recorded in Chinese history, was known as a great leader who led the people to manage the Yellow River. With thousands of years of experiences, the Chinese have mastered the way of mobilizing and organizing the masses, and have trained the Chinese people into the most organized, disciplined, and well-managed people, making this nation extremely strong and able to face the most severe challenges. The Western political model based on individualism, division, and party politics, in which different interest groups fight against each other and take turns in power, may serve the special interests, but cannot meet China's needs.<br>
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In summary, the character, mindset, culture, and political framework of the Chinese nation are inextricably intertwined with the Yellow River. This influential river shapes the people under her nurture to embody qualities of magnanimity, generosity, kindness, wisdom, and strength - reminiscent of the attributes of their mother river. Such a nation is resilient, indomitable, and cannot be underestimated. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/11/understanding-china-geography-and.html" target="_blank">Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and the Chinese-Style Modernization</a></i>.)<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-20291601581064340022024-01-17T03:03:00.048-06:002024-02-09T03:02:16.429-06:00Paola Tacchetti<br>
Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073), a Confucian scholar from the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote a beautiful essay, <i>On the Love of Lotus</i>. The following is the English translation.<br>
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"There are many kinds of lovely flowers and plants. Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty only loved chrysanthemums. Since the Tang Dynasty, affection for peonies has become a fashion. But my favorite is the lotus, which comes out of the mud but not stained, washed with clear waves but not looking coquettish. An emblem of purity, modesty and perfection, it stands there quietly, allowing its fragrance to waft far - something to be regarded reverently from a distance, and not be profaned. To me, chrysanthemum is the hermit among flowers, peony is the plutocrat among flowers, and lotus is the gentleman among flowers. Alas, few have loved the chrysanthemum since Tao Yuanming, and none love the lotus like myself, whereas the peony is a favorite with many people."<br>
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I was reminded of this essay when I watched Paola Tacchetti dance tango. I saw her dancing only once many years ago in Buenos Aires. She was still very young at the time, dancing socially at Salon Canning. In a pool of sophisticated dancers, she was like a fresh lotus protruding from the water. Her partner, a prominent milonguero, kissed her hand to show his admiration for her after they danced, which left a deep impression on me.<br>
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Recently, I was reminded of the essay again when I watched some Paola Tacchetti's dancing videos taken around the same time. I like her style because she is a natural, without pretense and exaggeration. Her dance has a pure and intrinsic beauty that is in sharp contrast to the affected fashion of our times. Such innocent dance style is rare nowadays.<br>
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Tango conveys a person's character and aesthetic taste. True beauty is gentlemanly - free, simple, implicit and genuine, rather than pretentious and conceited. I hope the prose quoted above can inspire more dancers to become like Paola Tacchetti, especially in this age of ostentation and artiness.<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-38067900185277983312024-01-05T22:36:00.115-06:002024-02-05T17:56:00.637-06:00Learning from a Talented Tango Girl<br>
I was impressed by the skills, grace, musicality and control this little girl displayed in her dance, and believe adult dancers can also learn something from her.<br>
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Here are few highlights from this dance.<br>
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<b>Salida with forward step (0:07-0:14)</b><br>
In a normal salida, the two partners step in parallel to the same side. But in this case the man alone took a side step to the left, while the girl swiveled her hips and took a forward rather than side step with her right leg, enabling her left leg to take another forward step and pivot, and her right leg to do a slow and beautiful planeo.<br>
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<b>Split-leg turn and sandwich (0:26-0:31)</b><br>
Most adult dancers do not spread their legs like a compass when turning, but this girl does that a lot, and she does it often in a reduced speed, which adds grace to her dance and makes the movement more eye-catching. In this example, her split-leg turn is followed by a pause as the man sandwithed her, she then collected her leg and did a delicious curtsy, all executed flawlessly.<br>
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<b>Barrida (0:33-0:36, 1:32-1:37)</b><br>
The girl stepped forward with her right leg (or in the second case stepping back with her left leg) to allow the man to do a barrida, sweeping her right leg to the right with his right leg. She followed by collecting her left leg until it touched his right foot, then crossing over to land on the other side of his foot. Barrida is generally an unobtrusive move, but her execution left a strong impression on me, mainly due to her control over the speed of the movement.<br>
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<b>Ocho in slow motion (0:36-0:41)</b><br>
Here the girl did an ocho at a deliberately slower pace. She knows how to dance fast, but she chooses to do some moves in slow motion, showing very good judgment. Most adult dancers don't care if they actually draw an 8 on the floor when they do ocho, but this girl did just that carefully. That's why her ocho looks so beautiful.<br>
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<b>Planeo (0:43-0:45)</b><br>
This is another elegant planeo, also executed in slow motion. Adult dancers tend to exaggerate their movements, such as lowering the knee to create a larger planeo that is close to the ground. But this girl's movements all look natural, without exaggeration, and the result is better, in my opinion, with a more natural and innocent beauty.<br>
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<b>Moving backwards with front ocho (1:40-1:45)</b><br>
Here is another example she drew 8 at a slower tempo, this time using greater hip rotation, so that she could move backwards while doing front ocho. Most adults turn too hastily, so their ocho lacks the beauty it deserves, but this girl is particularly good at using slow motion to show the grace of her movements, despite that her partner was sometimes more energetic, demonstrating her excellent musicality, control and aesthetic sense.<br>
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<b>Sandwich (2:10-2:19)</b><br>
Another sandwich in slow motion with a captivating deep knee flexion.<br>
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Overall, I was very impressed by this little girl's sophistication, or rather her talent. I hope that adult dancers can learn the ease with which she dances, especially learn to slow down the pace when doing pivots, ochos, planeos, and leg collections because, as this little girl demonstrated, that will add grace to the dance. This, of course, also means that leaders first need to slow down their pace and give women ample time to display their feminine beauty, especially when doing movements involving rotation.<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-46183155948215745312023-12-20T13:26:00.066-06:002024-02-05T09:06:08.158-06:00Tango and Interdependence between the Sexes<br>
Interdependency is an inherent part of human relationships. There is immense value in the interdependence between the two sexes. Men and women have different strengths,
weaknesses, experiences, expertise, and perspectives. They bear different responsibilities and share different tasks in teamwork. Each gender offers discrete forms of emotional support and companionship, makes distinct contributions, and brings different qualities to a fulfilled life. Happiness for either gender hinges on the presence and contribution of the other. Neither gender can be happy without the other.<br>
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Feminists blindly oppose women's dependence on men. But the dependence of women is a result of natural selection, which helps the two sexes form a sustainable relationship for the benefit of offspring. Women's beauty makes them attractive to men, aids in the propagation of the species. Women's tenderness and sentimentalism complement men's strength and toughness, fostering mutual attraction and connection. Women's petiteness and fragility make them sensitive to other's vulnerabilities, so they can be good mothers and caregivers. Women's hormonal fluctuations during menstruation associated with their fertility, and their need for support during pregnancy and childbirth, make them more dependent in some ways, but that is not inherently negative. The reliance of women serves as a crucial incentive for men, making men more responsible, and giving men immense satisfaction. This in return strengthens bonds, encourages mutual support, care and empathy, culminating in stronger emotional ties that lead to solidarity, cooperation, shared responsibility, and a more harmonious relationship.<br>
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Similarly, men are dependent on women in numerous areas, including romance, household responsibilities, companionship, emotional support, parenting, caring for elders, and more. Women's qualities like tenderness, sentimentality, attention to detail, aesthetic preferences, etc. can complement men's areas where they might need women's inputs and support.<br>
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The mutual attraction, attachment and dependence between the two sexes have always been profoundly moving themes in literature and art. The popularity of tango, in particular, lies in its ability to encapsulate and fulfill these fundamental human needs. Tango, with its intimate embrace and intense physical interactions, beautifully balances women's delicacy and reliance with men's strength, satisfying both genders. Women are drawn to tango as it allows them to express their attachment and dependence, while men find satisfaction in women's reliance and obedience.<br>
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Good tango dancers comprehend these needs and possess the ability to address them. A proficient tanguera excels in conveying women's attachment and dependence on men while showcasing her feminine beauty through dance. Similarly, a skilled tanguero can satisfy women's attachment and dependence while allowing their feminine beauty to shine. The ability of tango to gratify these needs between the two sexes relies not only on the understanding, but also on the skills, both have implications far beyond tango itself. Indeed, when you see how a man dances tango, you know what kind of man and husband he is, and when you see how a woman dances tango, you know what kind of woman and wife she is. Deepening this knowledge, improving these skills, and converging the two should be the lifelong pursuit of every tango dancer.<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-67965785056137206382023-06-08T17:20:00.170-05:002024-02-12T03:53:09.324-06:00Dancing with Hips<br>
Dancing tango requires skillful rotation of the hips, especially for women. This is because in tango the man typically dances around the dance floor and the woman dances around the man. Since her torso is attached to his torso in the embrace, the woman needs to rotate her hips in order to step on either side of the man or dance around him. This technique, known as dissociation, works best on a woman because the suppleness of her body makes her more suitable for dancing around the man, rather than the other way around. The flexibility of a woman's body also makes her dance more appealing, hence the gender role division of men leading women and women beautifying dance.<br>
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In practice, the hips don’t need to turn much. A 45° rotation of the hips is sufficient for her to place her right leg on his right or her left leg on his left, although some movements, such as molinete and back sacada, may require a greater rotation of the hips. From an aesthetic standpoint, however, exaggerated hip rotation can better express women's gender characteristics and femininity. As a result, in certain styles women deliberately turn their hips wider for enhanced expression.<br>
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In addition to display the flexible beauty of a woman’s body, hip rotation can also increase the range and possibility of her movements. By skillfully rotating her hips, a woman is able to navigate agilely around the man, fine-tune her position in relation to him in complex movements while maintain good connection during the interplay. A well trained woman can turn her hips more than 90°. This way she can step wherever she wants around the man, even move backwards with the front ocho, or move forward with the back ocho. The proficiency in hip rotation also allows her to exhibit a sense of grace and fluidity in her dancing, making her performance captivating. Women who excel in tango and stand out on the dance floor are invariably those who possess a remarkable ability to maneuver their hips with finesse.<br>
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Swiveling the hips and pivoting the lower body while keeping the torso relatively still against the partner's body takes some practice to master, but it is a fundamental skill that a tango woman must develop. A woman's tango can be truly stunning only if she can execute hip rotation flawlessly. This is also true for men, as the competence to swivel the hips helps the man to maintain good physical contact with the woman and enhances his ability to use his torso to lead her. The first rule of tango is that your torso must always face your partner's torso, no matter which side of you she or he is on or moving to. Therefore all tango dancers must learn and be proficient in this technique. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/06/disassociation-and-gear-effect.html" target="_blank">Dissociation and Gear Effect</a></i>.)<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-12148095279801900462023-05-19T13:07:00.109-05:002024-01-06T15:07:03.161-06:00Why Women Fail to Do Cruzada<br>
Tango dancing begins with a four-step routine called salida done diagonally on woman's right and ending with the woman's cruzada. The first step of salida is a side step. In the second and third steps the man walks on the woman's right, causing the need for her to recove the symmetrical position in line with him. The most convenient way or shortcut to recover that position is to cross her left leg in front of her right leg in the fourth step. There is no other signal telling her to do the cross except that he is walking on her right. In other words, the woman relies on her sense of equilibrium to return to a symmetrical position with the man by crossing her left leg in front of her right leg.
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Tango women must be able to perceive and adjust their body position in relation to their partner. The sense of equilibrium is essential for maintaining alignment. A well-developed sense of equilibrium not only provides women with balance, stability and control over their movements, helping create a visually pleasing appearance, it also makes them sensitive to changes in their body position in relation to their partner, enhancing their ability to maintain proper alignment and weight distribution in partnering work.
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Students with a strong sense of equilibrium can quickly get used to crossing their left leg in front of their right leg when the man walks on their right, while those with a weak sense of equilibrium are less sensitive to changes in body position in relation to their partner, thus often fail to do cruzada. For such women, practicing salida helps to get them into the habit of doing cruzada when the man walks on their right.
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Bad embrace can also cause women to be insensitive to changes in their body position in relation to their partner. Some women wrap their left arm around the man's right arm, causing their body to be on the right side of the man's body. This misalignment makes them less sensitive to changes in the man's body position. Novice women dancing in open dance hold also can't perceive subtle changes in their partner's body position due to the lack of physical contact. Both may cause them not to do the cruzada when the man walks on their right.
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The right embrace is square and symmetrical, in which the two partners face each other chest against chest, his left hand holds her right hand at shoulder height, his right arm wraps around her body, and her left arm is hooked around his shoulder, so the two are perfectly aligned. This correct embrace is not only the most comfortable, it also allows the woman to feel any subtle changes in the position of the man's body, so when he walks on her right, she will naturally reposition her body with the cruzada to bring her body back into line with his.
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In my experience, failing to do cruzada is a common mistake women often make. Perpaps half of the women I dance with fail to do cruzada from time to time, and most of them are not new to tango. By adding a step, cruzada often serves as weight shift on the woman's part, thereby transforming the dancing system from balance system to cross system, or from cross system to balance system. Because this affects how the man leads the next step, it is vital for the woman to do the cross when the man wants her to do so by walking on her right. Developing a strong sense of equilibrium, using correct embrace, maitaining proper alignment, being sensitive to changes in the body position in relation to the partner, and practicing enough salida all help to get into the habit of doing cruzada.
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-33211107082680813722023-03-18T05:29:00.117-05:002024-01-03T11:46:56.260-06:00Ocho<br />
Although all tango women can do ocho, many fail to grasp its importance and
dedicate sufficient time to practicing it. However, if there is one step that
can significantly enhance a woman's tango, it is ocho. This is because ocho
encompasses all basic techniques that are essential in women's dancing,
including embrace, posture, connection, torso communication, pivot,
dissociation, gear effect, cadencia, and the ability to return to the home
position in a timely manner after each step. A woman who can do ocho well will
also be good at other moves, and a woman whose ocho is clumsy won't be good at
other moves either. Moreover, ocho is the most frequently used female step in
tango. It can best express a woman's feminine beauty, such as her softness,
gentleness, suppleness, lightness, grace, and elegance. A woman's tango can be
truly stunning only if she can execute ocho beautifully. While some may argue
that molinete is another quintessential female step, it is merely a sequence of
forward and backward ochos.
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The term "ocho" originates from the Spanish word for "eight". In this figure the
woman traces the shape of an S on the floor with one leg and then repeats the
same with the other leg. The two S shapes overlap in opposite directions,
creating the visual effect of the number 8. To execute ocho, the woman begins by
rotating her hips and walking to one side of her partner. She then pivots,
rotates her hips again, and walks in the opposite direction.
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It's crucial to perform ocho with excellent connection, balance, flexibility,
smoothness and elegance. Women who use open dance hold tend to turn their entire
body instead of rotating their hips, causing a breakdown in connection and lack
of intimacy. The correct way is to keep your torso connected to your partner and
swivel your hips before making the step, as shown in the following video
(6:10-10:00), so that you can maintain close physical interaction with the
partner as you perform ocho.
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Most tango instructors emphasize
<a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/06/disassociation-and-gear-effect.html"
target="_blank"
>dissociation</a
>, i.e., the rotation of the hips, when they teach ocho, while neglecting to
teach another important technique,
<a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/03/cadencia.html"
target="_blank"
>cadencia</a
>, or the swing of the body. However, combining dissociation and cadencia can
heighten the elegance of ocho, and create a swing-like sensation that enhances
the pleasure of the movement. In order to swing the body, it is important to
moderate the dance tempo. Many students dance too fast and hastily, leaving no
time for their bodies to sway. The man should give the woman sufficient time to
execute each step, while the woman should perform each move with poise,
sophistication and elegance, as demonstrated below.
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Ocho can be danced in a variety of ways. It is the most colorful step of all
steps that can fully display women's feminine, gentle, soft, pliable, graceful
and creative beauty. Here are some examples.
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Mastering these variations can make a woman's dance more captivating. Tango
women should make practicing them a part of their daily routine, dedicating
10-20 minutes every day until they have internalized the movements and developed
their own personal style. The key word here is internalization, which enables
the woman to concentrate on her partner rather than the steps. Women must
overcome the urge to show off. They may know many variations of ocho, but it's
better to mainly use the normal form and only add some variation here and there,
instead of overwhelming themselves with too many options.
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Ocho can be a very seductive move due to the physical interactions between the
partners. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/06/disassociation-and-gear-effect.html"
target="_blank"
>Dissociation and Gear Effect</a
></i
>.) Instead of concentrating on her own performance, the woman should focus on
the physical interactions with her partner, devoting her attention to making him
feel good, and establishing a deep and meaningful communication with him as she
dances ocho. This is only possible when she has internalized the movement. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-four-stages-of-your-tango-journey.html"
target="_blank"
>The Four Stages of the Tango Journey</a
></i
>.)
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-87659905892298570532023-03-11T15:07:00.576-06:002024-03-14T17:57:06.810-05:00America Is in Big Trouble<br>
What creates wealth is the real economy like agriculture, manufacturing, mining, energy and construction. The trade, professional service and financial sectors only provide assistance in exchange for a piece of the pie. They do not generate wealth by themselves. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/06/mammonism.html" target="_blank">Mammonism</a></i>.)
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Today's American economy is too service-oriented and financialized. Except for a few remaining high-tech and military industries, most of the manufacturing has moved to countries with low production costs. The US economy has undergone severe deindustrialization over the past few decades and has become increasingly dominated by financial capitalism that relies on financial operations to reap the wealth of the world, while its productivity has long been unable to support its hegemony. Our apparent strength is built on virtual finance rather than real economy. The Federal Reserve prints a huge amount of money each year. Our national debt has exceeded $32 trillion. Private lending reached another $30 trillion. Much of this money flows abroad through purchases of foreign goods, loans to other countries, and payments to our debt creditors, as the US dollar as the world reserve currency is demanded by all countries. It is estimated that there are more than $80 trillion dollars in circulation abroad.
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This allows the US not only to harvest the wealth of the world with printed dollars, but also to influence other economies with its monetary policy, such as using monetary easing (reducing interest rate and increasing dollar supply) to stimulate borrowing, and monetary tightening (increasing interest rate and reducing dollar supply) to make the dollar appreciate relative to other currencies, causing the repatriation of capital to the US and the contraction of other economies, enabling US financial oligarchs to acquire foreign assets and stocks at a discount price. Monetary policy is often operated in conjunction with other measures, such as creating regional tensions, social unrests and color revolutions under the pretext of human rights etc. to worsen the investment climate in other countries so that the US can reap their wealth while profit from arms sales and wars. Of course, the beneficiaries are the US special interests, not the American people.
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The current world economic order established by US special interests is unfair and immoral from the standpoint of developing countries. To maintain this order, the US special interests have made unremitting efforts to stifle the growth of rival economies, such as UK, Germany, USSR and Japan in the past, and Russia, Europe and China today. They have instigated the Russia-Ukraine conflict to contain Russia while creating a security crisis for Europe, cut off cheap Russian energy supply to the continent, seized the European market with expensive American energy, which sparked severe inflation that affected people's lives, a dramatic increase in the cost of production that damaged the European economy, and a significant capital outflow from the region, further eroded Europe's strategic autonomy, tied Europe to the American chariot against the rising East, and made Europe more dependent on the US for security. They are currently creating tension in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea to contain China.
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America's determination to maintain its global hegemony contradicts the aspirations of other nations to develop their own economies. Most countries desire a cooperative, equitable, and peaceful environment for development that benefits all parties. The US policy of prioritizing America's interests, promoting unipolar hegemony, and asserting extraterritorial jurisdiction has encountered opposition from developing countries worldwide.
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Faced with mounting debt, inflation and financial crises that a hollowed-out economy must face, US policymakers are caught in growing anxiety. But, instead of focusing on solving deep-seated structural and institutional problems within the United States itself, they resorted to high-handed tactics to pass on the crises, including continuously raising the debt ceiling, forcing other countries to buy more and more US treasuries with no intention of repaying the debt, flexing military muscles, provoking regional conflicts, launching cognitive, trade, technological, and financial wars, using US domestic law to exercise long-arm jurisdiction over other countries, imposing unilateral sanctions to suppress foreign companies, freezing and confiscating foreign overseas assets, weaponizing the US dollar and the SWIFT system, sabotaging civilian infrastructures of other countries, and engaging in embargo, decoupling, clique and isolation, etc. These tactics aimed at containing other economies also caused serious damage to our own, ruined America's reputation as a fair player, weakened its international influence, damaged the credibility of the dollar, further isolated America itself, and is causing a global sell-off of US treasuries and de-dollarization that will ultimately end US hegemony. To make matters worse, uncontrollable inflation in the US has forced the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates aggressively, triggering the current wave of bank failures and a global economic downturn, causing turmoil in the financial markets of many countries, especially heavily indebted countries.
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For its own self-interest, the United States has become a source of instability in the world. Of course, its vested interests will not stop being the troublemaker. Some think they can harvest others's wealth forever just by keeping the money printing presses running. Others are willing to start another world war to maintain US hegemony. On the surface, it is the overcapitalization and overfinancialization that have led to America's crises, but the root of the problem lies in the ideologies that the American elites believe, that is, capitalism, Darwinism, Machiavellianism, the law of the jungle, and zero-sum competition. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2023/03/darwinism-and-eastern-philosophies.html" target="_blank">Darwinism and Eastern Philosophies</a></i>.) It's just that they forget that their hegemony, built on mounting debt rather than real ecomony, is not sustainable. Most tango dancers do not embrace the ideologies of the American plutocrats, I believe, because these ideologies contradict the spirit of tango, but we cannot but be wary of the negative influence of these ideologies on our life and tango.
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The world that the majority of nations seek is a democratic world where all countries have the same opportunity to develop their economies and advance the lives of their people through win-win cooperation. US policy makers must abandon their selfish, bullying and myopic approach if they truly believe in democracy. The American electorate deserves leaders who demonstrate greater moral principles. Otherwise, America will ultimately face the repercussions of its behaviors. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-vicious-circle-of-regime-change.html" target="_blank">The Vicious Circle of Regime Change</a></i>.)
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The following video explains the American monetary system, from Bretton Woods agreement, decoupling of USD to gold, USD pegging to oil, consumer capitalism, vendor financing, outsourcing manufacturing, job losses, big trade deficits, huge inequality, big military, lots of wars, printing more and more money and having more and more debt, to devaluation of USD and inflation. The speaker attributes this doomed system to dollar as the world reserve currency and suggests that these will all end when a new currency regime emerges. The question is whether vested interests in the US will allow that to happen before the empire collapses?<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-4025134969971901532023-03-01T22:37:00.068-06:002023-12-04T23:07:44.032-06:00Darwinism and Eastern Philosophies <br>
English naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western Hemisphere. His book, <i>On the Origin of Species</i>, published in 1859, revolutionized Western thought.<br>
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Darwin's theory is based on the idea of natural selection. Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. This is largely due to the fact that
variation exists within all populations of organisms. Throughout the lives of the individuals their genomes interact with their environments to cause random mutations arise in the genome, which can be passed on to their offspring. Because individuals with certain variants of the trait tend to survive and reproduce more than individuals with other less successful variants, the population evolves.<br>
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While most scientists came to accept evolution as descent with modification, not all agreed with Darwin's assertion that natural selection is the primary, but not exclusive, means of modification. Some favored competing explanations that assigned a lesser role to natural selection. One critique is that Darwin placed too much emphasis on the "struggle for existence" and "the survival of the fittest" among individuals, and did not give sufficient consideration to the role of coexistence, interdependence and cooperation within a species, and the importance of ecological balance between species in the evolution of species. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/10/tango-and-pluralism.html" target="_blank">Pluralism vs. Monism</a></i>.)<br>
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While Darwin's theory has given us a new conception of the world of life and revolutionized the whole study of nature, it also had adverse impacts. One of the negative consequences was the misguided use of the concepts of "struggle for existence" and "survival of the fittest" among individuals to human societies by some people in the West. This has resulted in ideologies such as social Darwinism, exceptionalism, racism, individualism, law of the jungle theory, zero-sum competition, and unipolar hegemony, etc., that pose a threat to human solidarity, social harmony, and world peace. The harms these ideologies have done to mankind should not be underestimated, as Western civilization ever since Darwin was built on power, warfare, conquest, colonization, genocide, exploitation, and looting of other peoples, with Darwin's fellow countrymen taking a prominent role. These ideologies have also fuelled Western capitalism that led to brutal competitions, severe inequality, depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecological balance, and damage to the environment. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/12/plutocracy-vs-democracy.html" target="_blank">Democracy vs. Plutocracy</a></i>.) <br>
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Fortunately Darwinism did not have as much an impact in the Eastern Hemisphere, where the prevailing philosophies, such as Confucianism and Taoism, value the unity of nature and man, the natural way of life, and the harmonious relationship and win-win cooperation between nations and people. While it is too early to draw conclusions about the merits of Eastern and Western philosophies, the rise of the East and the decline of the West in our times seems to suggest that collectivism and cooperation, not individualism and competition, are more conducive to the success of the species. This is also attested by tango. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/11/understanding-china-geography-and.html" target="_blank">Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization</a></i>.)<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-16546376499521843082022-03-30T05:24:00.071-05:002023-10-15T10:27:14.263-05:00Two Tangos, Different Charms<br>
We describe Latin dances such as rumba, cha-cha and samba as passionate, hot and sexy, but we no longer describe tango in that way. Rather, we use elegant, graceful and soulful to describe this dance that once belonged to the Latin dance family. In other words, in its development tango has been gradually refined and gentrified, evolving from the dance of brothel to Tango de Salon.<br>
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But once upon a time, tango was a hot, sexy, passionate Latin dance.<br>
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Comparing the two kind of tangos, we can see the following differences.<br>
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1. Tango de Salon is danced at a slower pace. Earlier tango is danced at a faster pace.<br>
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2. In Tango de Salon the steps are larger. In earlier tango the steps are smaller.<br>
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3. In Tango de Salon the woman's hip movement is moderate, remaining relatively paralell to the man's hips, but in earlier tango the hip movement of the woman is quite large, perpendicular to the man's hips.<br>
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4. Tango de Salon highlights elegance and harmony. Earlier tango highlights hot gender identity and gender expression.<br>
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5. Tango de Salon focuses on subtle, inward feelings. Earlier tango focuses on exaggerated visual impression.<br>
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Both tangos have their merits, one shows maturity and elegance, the other shows vigor and passion.<br>
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The fact that earlier tango is no longer seen is more or less a shame to me because I believe earlier tango still has an aesthetic value and its techniques, as the couple in the video below tried to reproduce, are worth studying. The evolution of human aesthetics, however, has its own logic that is beyond anyone’s personal preference. As a general trend perhaps, that "Elegance is the only beauty that never fades." - said Audrey Hepburn, is the underlying logic of human aesthetics and tango. Vigor loses with time, but elegance remains.<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-80217679341361595762022-02-22T07:08:00.364-06:002024-03-07T21:08:42.582-06:00Steps and Choreography<br>
Many men only focus on the steps and don't pay enough attention to the choreography when they lead the dance in tango. In fact, the quality of a tango is determined more by choreography than steps.<br>
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To explain this, let's take a closer look at how the milongueros dance tango.<br>
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In the dance of the milongueros, the most impressive thing is not their steps, but their dance arrangement or choreography, which has the following common characteristics.<br>
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1. They dance at a slower pace, allowing the woman to follow in a restful, comfortable, and elegant manner.<br>
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2. Every step is well thought out and clearly led, focusing on expressing feelings, not on impression.<br>
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3. There is a pause after each phrase, just like there is a punctuation mark after each sentence.<br>
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4. The pause is not completely still, but in subtle motion to give the woman a chance to do embellishments.<br>
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5. The steps are simple, small, but pulsating, like surging waves rather than flowing water.<br>
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6. Between two steps is a soft transition, often in the form of a slow turn, preparing the next surge in a different direction.<br>
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7. Surging step, pause, soft transition, and another surging step constitute the basic rhythm of the dance. This arrangement can better reflect the music, sentiment and feelings that characterize social tango.<br>
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The dance of the milongueros is in sharp contrast to our tango, which tends to be busy, hasty and beat-chasing, prioritizing steps rather than feelings. If their tango is art, then ours is more like gymnastics. We tend to step on every beat and dance at a hurried, monotonous pace, leaving little room for the woman to do decorations. There is a lack of pause, slow motion, subtlety, depth and emotional expressions in our tango. The following is an example. <br>
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These are not novices but fairly skilled dancers. In fact, the quality of their dance is better than most such scenes found online. I chose this clip to illustrate that dance techniques and choreography are two seperate skills. What most dancers need more is the latter. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/02/floorcraft-choreography-and-hastiness.html" target="_blank">Floorcraft, Choreography and Hastiness</a></i>.)<br>
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Of course, there's a learning curve. In the following video, I saw some progress.<br>
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Some dnacers in this video seem to have learned the style of the milongueros. One shining example is the man in the hat appeared in 3:10-3:50, who used a lot of pauses and slow motions. As you can see, by adopting the choreography of the milongueros, the dance becomes deeper, tastier, less gymnastic, and more musical and meaningful.<br>
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The following is another good example.<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-2848209649429550292022-01-07T01:48:00.128-06:002023-11-27T10:39:33.755-06:00Tango in Small Cities<br>
There are numerous teahouses in the streets and alleys of Chengdu, China, and every one of them is booming with business. Chengdu people like to spend time with friends in teahouses, drinking tea while chatting, reading, playing chess, listening to local operas, etc. This leisurely pleasure has become an indispensable part of Chengdu people’s daily lives.<br>
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What the teahouse is to Chengdu is like what the milonga is to Buenos Aires. There are numerous milongas in the streets of Buenos Aires. The Portenos like to pass time there, meeting friends, drinking coffee, listening to music, and dancing tango. Over time, they became skilled dancers, and tango became an integral part of their daily lives. For many Portenos, a day without tango is like a day without food.<br>
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Tango dancers in small cities where their number is small and milongas are rare don't have that luxury. That’s why I used to drive to nearby big cities to dance tango. For a three-hour milonga, the round trip took me five to six hours. In addition to fatigue and sleepless nights, the cost adds up to a considerable amount annually. In the end I couldn't take it any more and had to accept the reality to dance locally.<br>
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Dancing locally may not be as gratifying as dancing in big cities, but it is convenient, time-saving, and affordable. It's okay to go out to dance occasionally, but to enjoy tango on a regular and sustainable base, you have to do it locally. Tango aficionados in small cities must face this reality. In big cities there are established tango groups and milongas readily available. But in small cities we have no choice but to make our own. Creating a tango community isn't easy, but if we don't do that and choose to travel long distances, then we'll have to say goodbye to tango when we are tired of travel. Would it not be better if we put that energy in building our own tango community, so that we can enjoy tango just like people in big cities?<br>
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Tango dancers in small cities have to have a strategic vision. We can't expect other people to plant trees for us to enjoy the shade. We have to plant our own trees and enjoy our own fruit. Building a tango community requires dedication and a lot of work. Despite the difficulties, we should not exchange that vision for immediate pleasure. We must invest for the future, so that when we cannot travel around, we will still have a place to dance tango. Don't be intimidated by starting small and slow. So long as we stick to the cause, the community will grow. Right now we are still in the start-up stage, but that stage will pass. What we ought to think is how to make our community bigger, stronger and better, not to leave the community and dance elsewhere.<br>
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The importance of building a local tango group cannot be overstated. It is where we improve our dance skills and enjoy tango on a daily base. Tango is teamwork. Without a team there cannot be tango. You go out to dance tango because there is a better team out there. So why not spend time on improving our own team? As tango dancers we can't only think about the present but not the long-term, focus only on personal improvement but ignore team building, enjoy without contributing, and take without giving back. I have provided you with a place to dance tango, and I do it willingly as my contribution to the group. I expect every one of you to make your own contributions, not as a way to return the favor, but as a way to strengthen the group and make it better and more united. Do not come just to have a good time. Ask yourself at least once a month, "Have I done anything for the group this month?" If everyone can do their part, then our group will grow faster, so that tango can become an indispensable part of our daily lives, too. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2019/12/never-forget-why-we-started.html" target="_blank">Never Forget Why We Started</a></i>.)<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-49635895111673427172021-12-09T23:51:00.683-06:002024-02-12T10:32:57.552-06:00Democracy vs. Plutocracy<br>
The American thinking is microscopic and analytical. Americans atomize people into individuals and believe that each individual is a free, independent and autonomous being with an unalienable right to pursue self-interest and is responsible only for his/her own interests; therefore, competition with others is justified. American law promotes and protects competition. Anyone may defeat another as long as the means are legal. The result is that a small number of smart individuals gradually defeated all others and established their dominance. These smart individuals argue that they have the right to form political parties to protect their interests. There are irreconcilable conflicts of interest between interest groups, all of which must have representations in the political decision making process. For fairness' sake political parties take turn to rule through election. One-party rule is considered undemocratic. Using money, lobbying and press to influence elections and policy making, on the other hand, is considered freedom of speech. Consequently the media is exploited and becomes a political instrument, elections are more and more driven by ideologies rather than practical matters, and those who can afford are in the best position to control public opinion and the political system, causing legislations and policies overwhelmingly favoring the wealthy. Since elections can be manipulated by money, misinformation, incitement and slander, they become increasingly dirty, and the elected politicians tend to be sensational and lack moral integrity and practical abilities. They serve their patrons and their own re-election more than the interests of the people. The rotation of power by opposing parties causes policies to oscillate between the two extremes and makes long-term planning impossible. The current administration often takes irresponsible actions such as overspending, over borrowing and overprinting of money to benefit its own tenure, leaving disastrous consequences to future administrations. Partisan fights severely weaken the government's ability to govern and cause deep divisions among the people. It is a very corrupted, divisive and inefficient system, but Americans seem to believe that this is the only way to be democracy.<br>
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In fact it is partisan democracy rather than people’s democracy. A growing number of researchers argue that the American political system has become alienated into plutocracy, a cartel disguised as a government that is controlled by capital and special interests, and is no longer a democracy. The political elites funded by the special interests do not care about the interests of the American people at all. This can be clearly seen from what they have done. America has the most severe discrepancy between rich and poor in the world. It has the highest number of covid cases and deaths in the world. The nation’s finance has been so badly mismanaged that it has a debt of $30 trillion dollars and counting, much of the money went into the special interests in the form of government contracts and subsidies. It has very severe racial conflict, human rights abuse, poverty, doping, gun proliferation, and public safety problems. Its prisoner population is the largest in the world although its total population is only one fourth of that in China and India. Its healthcare is the most expensive in the world that ordinary Americans cannot afford. It is among countries with the latest effective retirement age, a grief for its elderly population. (According to the US Life Insurance Guide, the average retirement age in the US is 67.9 for men and 66.5 for women. By contrast, the retirement age in China is 60 for male, 55 for female white-collar workers, and 50 for female blue-collar workers.) Its public education is broken and infrastructures crumble. It has been at war for 229 years in its 245-year history, constantly creates tensions and provokes conflicts around the world in order to maintain its global military presence, lucrative arms sales and massive military spendings to benefit the vested interests. These special interests are the loudest hawkers of the so-called American values, which is how they keep themselves in power and dominate the world. They call it democracy, but the American people actually have very little say in matters that concern them.<br>
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In comparison, the Chinese thinking is macroscopic and holistic. Human rights as understood by the Chinese are the collective rights of the people. These rights include coexistence, equality, sharing, cooperation, and the well-being of society as a whole, as well as personal freedom. The Chinese regard people not as independent and autonomous individuals but interconnected and interdependent members of society who are born into relationships with roles and responsibilities to fulfil. The Confucian culture prioritizes community over individuality, encouraging people to seek common ground and set aside differences, put communal interests above personal interests, abide by the ethics established to maintain social harmony, and work together as a team. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/11/understanding-china-geography-and.html" target="_blank">Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization</a></i>.)<br>
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Democracy as understood by the Chinese is people's democracy rather than partisan democracy. People have different personal interests and opinions; therefore, uniting them and governing the country according to the common interests and common will of the vast majority of the people is the essence of democracy. Five-thousand years of political experiences made the Chinese deeply aware of the harms of partisan politics and the importance of a unitary political organization, or party by the western term, that serves the best interests of the people. This organization, the CCP with 100 million members who regard the interests of the nation as a whole as their highest mission, plays a pivotal role in uniting and leading the people. The country's decision-making body is elected every five years by the CCP's National Congress and the National People's Congress based on candidates' vision, character, ability and achievements rather than sensationalism, empty promises and ideological nonsense. Political decisions are made after thoroughly investigating and consulting the people and are carried out with the full participation and supervision of the people. These decisions address the common concerns of the vast majority of the people as well as the long-term interests of the nation. Chinese government does not work for the special interests. Its mission is to build an egalitarian and harmonious society for all and lead the Chinese people to common prosperity. The government ensures its purity and self-renewal through continuous improvement of various institutions and mechanisms such as meritocracy, collective decision making, clean government, self-correction, anti-corruption, people's supervision of the government, complaint and petition system, disciplinary inspection, age restriction, term limit, and impeachment procedures, etc., to ensure good governance and prevent dictatorship.<br>
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The different understandings of human rights between Americans and Chinese are reflected in their attitudes toward many things. For example, Americans believe that taking covid precautions is a personal matter. The individual is responsible for his/her own wellbeing and does not need others to tell them what to do. They can do whatever they want as long as it fits them. Chinese, on the other hand, believe that covid prevention is not only a personal matter but also related to the health and safety of others. It is necessary to impose some restrictions on personal freedom for the benefit of the entire population. Americans believe that gun ban is a violation of individual rights. Chinese, on the other hand, believe that a safe living environment is a fundamental human right for the vast majority of the people, thus gun control is necessary. Americans believe that restrictions on private enterprises is a violation of the individual's right to pursue wealth. Chinese, on the other hand, believe that equality is a fundamental human right. It is necessary to restrict practices that will perpetuate the gap between rich and poor. Americans believe that individuals are entitled to their own inventions. They use patent barriers to prevent others from succeeding in the same field while they make huge profits for themselves. Chinese, on the other hand, see invention and innovation as means to benefit society and are more willing to share intellectual properties, which explains their extensive collaboration on research and development and China's rapid progress in science and technology. Americans believe that individual rights are superior to sovereignty. The United States frequently uses human rights as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and imposes its own values on other nations. Chinese, on the other hand, believe that launching wars and inciting color revolutions to overthrow other governments under the pretext of democracy and freedom, creating instability and refugee problems around the world, are the greatest human rights violations. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-lessons-of-tango.html" target="_blank">The Lessons of Tango</a></i>.)<br>
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As successful and powerful as the United States once was, a country that fails to mend its ideological, structural and institutional flaws will end in disaster. These ideological, structural and institutional flaws inevitably lead to the domination of a handful of special interests such as military-industrial complex, arms dealers and capital predators, and the failure of the vast majority of the people. The process of a democracy turning into a plutocracy and its doom, learning from the long history of China, will not exceed three hundred years. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-vicious-circle-of-regime-change.html" target="_blank">The Vicious Circle of Regime Change</a></i>.) For this reason, Chinese culture stands for collectivism and egalitarianism against individualism. With the rise of China, Confucian values will also have a greater impact on the world. I believe that will be something to celebrate for the world. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/10/tango-and-pluralism.html" target="_blank">Pluralism vs. Monism</a></i>.)<br>
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0CG8G+7P Lopok, Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia-8.5843476 117.5267868-36.894581436178846 82.3705368 19.725886236178845 152.6830368tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-58397780054856484672021-11-30T12:35:00.175-06:002024-03-14T13:06:22.036-05:00Cradle Effect<br>
The comforting embrace, enchanting music and rhythmic motion of the milonguero style of tango can cause the woman to enter a state of daydreaming, similar to a baby being swayed to sleep in her cradle, that she doesn’t want to wake up when the tanda ends. I call that magic outcome the cradle effect. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/09/tango-is-feeling.html" target="_blank">Tango Is a Feeling</a></i>.)<br>
<br>
In the beginning of a tanda, some women may try to keep a distance from their partner if they do not know the man. But an experienced leader knows how to relax a woman, relieve her resistance, and mesmerize her with the dance. Here are three ways to do that.<br>
<br>
The first is to have a comfortable embrace, or to put it figuratively, provide her with a cozy cradle. You must embrace her gently, tenderly and affectionately to let her feel safe, comfortable, and not coerced. You should allow her if she wants some personal space but must insist on using your torso instead of your arms and hands to lead her, otherwise she will focus on the steps. Your goal is to soothe her with your embrace and make her feel you and communicate with you with her body rather than her arms and hands, so that she can focus on feelings instead of movements.<br>
<br>
The second is to immerse her in the music, or figuratively speaking, hypnotize her with the music. You must dance the music and not steps, so that her attention, too, is tuned to music rather than steps. You have to let her resonate with the music and forget about the steps in order to enter that daydreaming state. To do so you need to present her with your own interpretation of the music. If you step on every beat mechanically without any interpretation, then she, too, will step on every beat mechanically without actually listening to the music and enjoying the interactions with you. Here again, good music plays a crucial role, which, however, is in the hands of the DJ. Dancers can only use whatever music provided to them as much as possible. (See <i><a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-two-cents-on-music-selections.html" target="_blank">My Two Cents on Music Selections</a></i>.)<br>
<br>
The third is to make the steps simple and easy so that she doesn't need to work hard on the movements and is able to give her full attention to the music and feelings. (See <i><a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-elegance-of-milonguero-style.html" target="_blank">The Elegance of the Milonguero Style</a></i>.) You should not make her do intricate fancy steps because the goal here is to mesmerize her and not to impress. Difficult steps defeat that purpose. Generally speaking, natural, simple, small and rhythmic movements make it easier for the woman to enter the state of daydreaming. When you feel that she has stopped struggling, surrendered herself to you and is completely in one with you, she is in that state.<br>
<br>
On her part, all she needs to do is relaxing her body and surrendering herself to the man. (See <a href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2019/09/learning-tango-two-perspectives.html" target="_blank"><i>Learning Tango: Two Perspectives</i></a>.) The woman must overcome her ego, independence and desire to act, and focus on the embrace, connection, music, feelings, synchronization and being one with the man. Women in general are more emotional, intuitive and susceptible to music and feelings than men, so they are more likely to enter the hypnotic state. Which perhaps is why more women love tango than men. This is not to say that the cradle effect does not work for men. Men, too, desire to be rocked to dream in the comforting embrace of the woman. When both partners know how to do that, the dance becomes mesmeric, intoxicating and unforgettable. (See <a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2017/06/dancing-milonguero-style-to-rhythm-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Dancing to Rhythm and Melody in Milonguero Style</i></a>.)<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-23914734509497757762021-11-18T11:51:02.028-06:002024-03-18T15:30:16.626-05:00Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization<br />
Five thousand years ago, several linguistically related civilizations with state
forms emerged in the Yellow River basin and Yangtze River basin in eastern Asia.
These civilizations gradually merged and integrated into one, known as Chinese
civilization, and continued to expand until it encountered natural obstacles in
every direction. To its northeast lay the cold and harsh Siberia, while the
north was dominated by the desolate Mongolian Deserts. The west was composed of
many mountain ranges with altitudes exceeding 5,000 meters, among which the
highest Himalayas are 8,848 meters above sea level. The south featured the
rugged terrain of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and dense tropical jungles, and to
the southeast and east lay the vast Pacific Ocean. These formidable natural
barriers, insurmountable in ancient times, effectively isolated China from the
outside world. Protected by these natural barriers, the Yellow River and Yangtze
River basins enjoy a temperate climate and abundant rainfall brought by the
Pacific monsoon, making these regions suitable for agriculture. This unique
geographical environment has played a significant role in shaping the distinct
characteristics of Chinese civilization.<br />
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The Chinese civilization was able to develop its unique and remarkable culture,
largely due to geographical barriers that prevented outside influence. These
same barriers also provided protection against foreign aggression, allowing
China to remain the only civilization to survive uninterrupted for five thousand
years. Confined by geographical barriers the ancient Chinese thought that the
land they lived in constituted the main body of the world, which they called
tianxia, literally, "under heaven." The Yellow River and Yangtze River basins
are located in the center of that world; thus China was named Zhongguo, or
literally, "central country." Richly endowed by nature, China was much more
developed than the surrounding uncivilized fringe lands. Chinese peasants who
settled in kinship-based villages were attached to their fertile farmland and
showed little interest in exploring the deserted areas beyond their borders.
This fostered their restrained and peaceful temperament. Instead of expanding
outward militarily, they built the Great Wall to protect themselves from the
nomads of the north. This 21,000-kilometer wall, locates on the 400 mm
isoprecipitation line and spanning from east to west, served as a dividing line
between agrarian life and nomadic life. The nomads who entered the Great Wall
were eventually assimilated by Chinese farming culture, becoming Chinese
themselves. Therefore, Chinese civilization is a product of its geography,
attesting the advantage of the sedentary, productive way of life over the
nomadic, predatory way of life. The Chinese take great pride in their land,
culture and lifestyle, as China has been the most civilized, advanced,
sophisticated, and prosperous country in the world until the Industrial
Revolution.<br />
<br />
Due to this closed geographical environment, the ancient Chinese formed their
monistic worldview, believing that the world was an interacting whole rather
than as distinct parts. The Chinese world was not a pluralistic world composed
of many sovereign countries, but a monist world with China being the only
civilized empire. The surrounding ethnic tribes were viewed as vassals in the
Chinese tributary system, many of which were gradually sinicized and became part
of China. In 221 BC, the state of Qin (pronounces chin) achieved the unification
of China by defeating all other Chinese states. Qin established a unified empire
with a centralized government, abolished enfeoffment, set up prefectures and
counties, and standardized the law, writing system, currency, vehicle tracks,
weights, and measures. Some researchers pointed out that the need to share water
resources and carry out large-scale water conservancy and irrigation projects
involving large areas of land and huge human investment was an important reason
why the ancient Chinese attached importance to unity, sharing, cooperation and a
centralized system. Qin's system, inherited by all succeeding Chinese dynasties,
laid the foundation for China's long-term unification and had a profound impact
on shaping the stability, sophistication and continuity of Chinese culture. In
return, this culture has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for tolerance,
assimilation and integration. The Confucian notion of dayitong, or grand unity,
reflects this holistic, magnanimous and all-encompassing nature of Chinese
culture. Its influence is so great that neighboring vassal states sought to
emulate it. Throughout history, many ethnic groups who conquered or partially
conquered China were eventually assimilated and integrated into Chinese culture.
This process of sinicization, rather than military expansion, is responsible for
the vast territory of China and stands as a testament to the strength of Chinese
civilization.<br />
<br />
Consistent with this monistic worldview is the Confucian outlook on society,
which, too, is holistic. The Datong society, or the great unitary society, as
spelled out in Confucian classics, is a society where people all care about the
well-being of society as a whole, the wise and virtue are selected to govern,
honest people live in harmony, the weak and sick are taken care of, and there is
no evil and crime. It is the ideal harmonious society in the minds of the
Chinese people. Unlike in the West where individuals are deemed independent and
autonomous, accountable only to their own interests, and where the strong bully
the weak is the norm, causing people to be egocentric, aggressive and hostile,
Confucianism promotes a society that is like a large family, where members
cooperate, seek common ground, prioritize communal interests over personal
interests, and work together as a team. In Confucianism, individuals are not
seen as independent and autonomous, but rather as members of society who are
born into certain relationships with specific roles and responsibilities to
fulfill. They follow etiquettes designed to maintain social harmony, just like
tango dancers need to observe the
<a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2013/12/milonga-etiquette.html"
target="_blank"
>milonga codes</a
>
in the milongas. These etiquettes or proprieties were practiced before the time
of Confucius by the people of the West Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-771 BC).
Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) and his disciples were scholars and advocates of these
ancient rites. In other words, Confucianism is rooted in an earlier Chinese
tradition.<br />
<br />
Confucianism values the harmonious relationships among people and the well-being
of society as a whole. It believes that the people are the foundation of
society, which will be stable only if its foundation is strong. A Confucian
ruler is like the head of a large family whose authority is derived from the
people and whose responsibility is to ensure the well-being and safety of the
people. Confucius said, "The ruler is the boat, and the people are the water.
Water can carry the boat, and water can overturn the boat." Mencius (372 BC-289
BC), another Confucian sage, also emphasized the role of the people, stating
that they are the most important, followed by the state, and the monarch is the
least. Confucianism holds that the legitimacy of the ruler comes from the
support or mandate of the people, and a ruler who is unrighteous will lose that
mandate. In other words, Confucianism is a people-centered, rather than
ruler-centered, God-centered, or capital-centered, collectivist humanism, as
opposed to the individualistic humanism of the West. This collectivist humanism
has had a profound impact on Chinese politics, including Sun Yat-sen's Three
Principles of the People, the CCP's aim of serving the people, and more recently
Xi Jinping’s initiative on building a community with a shared future for all
mankind. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/12/plutocracy-vs-democracy.html"
target="_blank"
>Democracy vs. Plutocracy</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
Based on this collectivist humanism, Confucianism promoted the idea of
benevolent governance. Benevolence is a core concept in Confucius' teachings.
Unlike Machiavelli who separated morality and politics, Confucius held that
personal morality and the governance of the country are closely related. Only
through self cultivation can a ruler manage his family, govern his country, and
bring peace to the world. Confucius emphasized that benevolence is the essence
of humanity and proprieties are its expression. The difference between humans
and animals is that humans have compassion or benevolence. He maintained that
proprieties must be grounded in benevolence in order to be authentic, or else
they become nothing more than a facade of insincerity. His followers, however,
split into two camps. The school that emphasized benevolence was later
recognized as the orthodoxy of Confucianism. The school that prioritized
proprieties later evolved into Legalism. Qin’s unification of China in 221 BC
was achieved through the use of military power and severe penal laws under the
influence of the Legalist school of thought. Due to its brutality, the Qin
Dynasty survived with only two rulers before it was overthrown by widespread
rebellions. Learned from this lesson, in 134 BC Emperor Wu of the Western Han
Dynasty accepted the advice of a Confucian scholar, Dong Zhongshu, to replace
other schools of thought with Confucianism exclusively and practice benign rule.
Since then Confucianism has become the orthodoxy of China. Different from
Christianity and Machiavellianism, which maintain that human nature is
inherently evil, Confucianism believes that human nature is inherently good,
therefore opposes the Legalist idea of using strict laws and harsh punishments
as the main means of governing, and advocates for ruling with virtue and
education, thus beginning the Chinese tradition of respecting for morality and
learning.<br />
<br />
In 587 AD, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty established the imperial examination
system, which combined education and official selection into one system, further
promoted Confucian learning, opened the way for talented people from all walks
of life to enter politics, thus giving rise to the scholar-official class, the
litetati. The imperial examination system played a key role in forming China's
advanced and effective political institution. China's modern civil servant
selection system is developed from the imperial examination system. Many
researchers believe that, compared with Western electoral democracy, China's
<a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-vicious-circle-of-regime-change.html"
target="_blank"
>meritocratic system</a
>
is more capable of producing leaders with moral integrity and practical
knowledge and abilities, as attested by China's achievements over the past 40
years, and more recently China’s handling of the covid-19 pandemic. In the past,
the imperial examination system failed to prevent
<a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-vicious-circle-of-regime-change.html"
target="_blank"
>dynastic cycles</a
>. Now the Chinese try to fix that by political reforms such as collective
leadership, clean government, self-correction, disciplinary inspection,
anti-corruption, people's supervision of the government, complaint and petition
mechanism, age restriction, term limit, and impeachment procedures, etc., to
improve their system, ensure good governance, and prevent it from becoming an
autocracy.<br />
<br />
It is also from this people-centered collectivist humanism that Confucianism
advocates for the equitable distribution of wealth, and denounces the practices
of putting economic interests above morality, using unethical means to
accumulate wealth, fighting for monetary gains, and widening the discrepancy
between rich and poor. Confucians argued that the state should disperse its
wealth among the people and not compete with the people for wealth. Confucius
said, “Rulers should not worry about not having enough but inequality.” This
moral view encouraged Chinese rulers through the ages to adopt more egalitarian
policies and implement benevolent governance. On the other hand, this emphasis
on morality and learning over business has led to a historical devaluation of
merchants in traditional Chinese society, where they were ranked below scholars,
peasants, and craftsmen. The early practices of the CCP after the founding of
the People's Republic of China in 1949 reflected this Confucian tendency,
prioritizing morality and scholarship over business. However, during the reform
and opening up era initiated by Deng Xiaoping, the government shifted its stance
to encourage business and entrepreneurship, with the slogan of "letting some
people get rich first." Subsequently, the Chinese government has also introduced
policies aimed at poverty alleviation and anti-monopoly, upholding the Confucian
tradition of egalitarianism, while recognizing the importance of economic
development as the means to achieve common prosperity. The Confucian emphasis on
real economy over commerce also has resulted in China's physiocratic tradition,
focusing on agriculture and manufacturing instead of taking the path of
profit-oriented capitalism, mercantilism and financialism that may initially
stimulate the growth of the economy but will umtimately lead to its corruption
and failure. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/06/mammonism.html"
target="_blank"
>Mammonism</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
Another Confucian concept that has had a profound influence on the Chinese
people is the Golden Mean, which emphasizes the virtue of moderation and
harmony. Confucius believed that harmony is the fundamental law of nature, while
the golden mean is the way to achieve it, that extremism turns things into their
opposite, that being escessive is as bad as being dificient, and that humility,
politeness, impartiality, and avoiding extremes are qualities of a true
gentleman. (See
<a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/10/meeting-in-middle.html"
target="_blank"
><i>Meeting in the Middle</i></a
>.) It is worth noting that these Confucian values are incompatible with Western
liberalism and individualism. Chinese people lack the arrogant, extreme,
domineering and aggressive spirit of many Westerners, Confucianism is the main
reason. This emphasis on balance and harmony has prevented the Chinese from
engaging in Western-style partisan politics, which tend to create division,
conflict, hostility and polarity. While Western culture emphasizes partisanship
and competition, Chinese culture prioritizes unity and cooperation. The Chinese
tend to look at issues in a holistic, comprehensive and balanced manner. Today's
Chinese politicians are acutely aware that both morality and personal freedom
are important and an excessive focus on either one can be detrimental.
Overemphasis on morality can stifle initiative and creativity, while
overemphasis on individual liberty can worsen conflict and inequality. The
balance, however, is not easy to achieve. Historically, Confucian morality has
been transformed by Neo-Confucianists into a rigid ideological shackle that
restricted personal freedom. Western liberalism and individualism are the
opposite extreme. The Chinese now strive to find a balance and build a
harmonious society with both social morality and individual freedom. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/10/tango-and-pluralism.html"
target="_blank"
>Pluralism vs. Monism</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
The peaceful life of the Chinese has finally come to an end. In 1839, Western
powers used opium, warships and cannons to finally bombard China's door open,
forcing the government of the Qing Dynesty, the last Chinese dynesty, to sign a
series of unequal treaties for ceding territories and indemnities. Under such
humiliation and the realization of the gap between agricultural China and the
then already industrialized West, the Chinese began to look for ways to save
their country. In the next eight decades since China's defeat in the First Opium
War in 1840, they tried the Westernization Movement (1861-1895) that attempted
to develop China's industry and modern armies and navies, the Reform Movement of
1898 that attempted to reform China's imperial system, and the Revolution of
1911 to overthrow the monarchy. All these failed to save China. Predations by
Western powers and decades of civil strife have drained China's resources,
turning China from the richest country in the world into one of the poorest.<br />
<br />
Some Chinese eventually concluded that the root of China's ills lay in its
culture. In 1919, the radical May Fourth New Culture Movement broke out. Willing
to try anything in a desperate situation, some Chinese intellectuals blame
China's failure on Confucianism, accusing it of limiting human freedom and
creativity, and propose bringing it down and replacing it with Western-style
democracy and capitalism. Other Chinese intellectuals were skeptical about
liberalism and capitalism, turned to another Western ideology, Marxism, for
help, believing that socialism is more in line with China's traditions and
national conditions. This led to the confrontation between the KMT and the CCP.
In the end, the side with the support of the majority of the people prevailed,
and the loser, the KMT, fled to the Chinese island of Taiwan across the Taiwan
Strait. In the first three decades after the founding of New China in 1949, the
Chinese, while facing the blockade by Western powers, did many groundwork for
its latter development, including land reform, women's liberation, universal
free education and healthcare, and basic industrial infrastruture building, etc.
Many lessons were learned from trial and error. In 1978, under the leadership of
Deng Xiaoping, the CCP re-examined the lessons learned from the previous thirty
years, made the decision to reform and open up in an attempt to release people's
initiative by introducing market mechanisms into the Chinese economy while
maintaining the structural advantages of its socialist system.<br />
<br />
We have all witnessed what happened afterwards. In just 40 years, China has been
miraculously transformed from a poor and weak country into the world's second
largest economy with a 42-fold increase in GDP, become the world’s largest
manufacturing powerhouse, lifted 770 million people out of poverty, created a
middle class of over 400 million people, with per capita income increased by 23
times, made the average life expectancy of its population now longer than that
of the US, become the world's largest investment market, largest consumer market
and largest trading partner with more than 130 countries, and is playing an
increasing role in world economy and international affairs. Unlike some Western
power that practices hegemonism, bullying, intervention, containment,
subversion, and coercive diplomacy, China’s foreign policies stand fast to the
five principles of international relations, namely, mutual respect for
sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each
other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence,
along with China's Belt and Road initiative for global common prosperity and the
initiative for building a community of shared future for mankind. These foreign
policies have obvious Confucian influence and are supported by more and more
countries in the world.<br />
<br />
China is entering the most prosperous era in its history again, and it is
accomplishing this not by aggressing, conquering and plundering other peoples,
but by leading its own people to work hard and cooperate with other countries
for win-win results. What China has achieved have restored the confidence of the
Chinese people in their own culture, philosophy, system, and path. The core
values of Chinese civilization were established by Confucianism, without these
values, socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-style modernization -
a different kind of modernization that emphasizes fairness, justice, equality,
civilized values, green economy, common prosperity, peaceful development, and
international cooperation and sharing - would not have been possible.
Confucianism embodies the accumulated wisdom of the Chinese people, emphasizing
the unity, balance and harmony between man and nature, individual and society,
law and virtue, ruler and the people, morality and economy, and between
individuals. With its holistic vision, magnanimity, idealism, and positive
thinking, Confucianism has served as a unifying force and the source of strength
for the Chinese nation, encouraging its people to continuously improve
themselves and their country. While Confucianism must adapt to changing times,
as it has always done in the past, it is deeply embedded in the language,
literature, culture, thinking, conducts and consciousness of the Chinese people.
For more than two thousand years, Confucianism has been repeatedly tested,
replenished and enriched by every generation of Chinese. It will continue to
have an impact on their quest for a better future. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2024/01/understanding-china-yellow-river-and.html"
target="_blank"
>Understanding China: Yellow River and the Character of the Chinese
Nation</a
></i
>.)<br />
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-53798999275260865482021-10-28T01:01:00.334-05:002024-01-19T20:04:25.242-06:00The Vicious Circle of Regime Change<br />
The history of the United States is so short that most Americans are ignorant of
regime cycles and blindly optimistic about the status quo. In fact, any regime
or political system has a life span, which can be as short as a few years or as
long as a few hundred years. It will eventually be replaced by another regime or
system.<br />
<br />
But with thousands of years of history the Chinese understood that well. China
has experienced thirty-one dynasties since its unification by the Qin Dynasty in
221 BC. Among them, the nine longest-lived dynasties that ruled all of China are
the Western Han Dynasty, 231 years, the Eastern Han Dynasty, 195 years, the Tang
Dynasty, 289 Years, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, 103 years, the Northern Song
Dynasty, 167 years, the Southern Song Dynasty, 152 years, the Yuan Dynasty, 162
years, the Ming Dynasty, 276 years, and the Qing Dynasty, 295 years. The rest
are all less than a hundred years.<br />
<br />
Every dynasty at its inception achieved a balance acceptable to all interest
groups and political factions through redistribution of power, wealth and land.
Over time, that balance would be broken. Wealth was reconcentrated into the
hands of a few. Land was annexed again by the landlord class. When most people
lost the means of production, the economy lost vitality. At the same time the
regime was corrupted by power, weakened by partisan fights, alienated into
oligarchy, plutocracy, autocracy, tyranny, hegemony, etc. Bad governance and
mismanagement such as profligacy, corruption, militarism, overspending,
excessive taxation, heavy debts, uncontrolled issuance of currency, etc.,
eventually led to political, economic and financial failures, which were
intensified by natural disasters, plagues, foreign invasions, rebellions, etc.,
causing the regime to collapse. The life span of a dynasty might vary, but the
regime would peril regardless. Three hundred years is the upper limit of how
long it takes for a regime to die. In China, no dynasty, even among the most
successful ones, survived for more than three hundred years. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/12/plutocracy-vs-democracy.html"
target="_blank"
>Democracy vs. Plutocracy</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
From their long history the Chinese have learned many things that countries with
a short history do not know. For example, a country with a short history often
pursues a policy of plundering, exploiting and bullying the weak, but the
Chinese understand that the ultimate winner must be the one with justice, moral
integrity, and support from the people. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2021/11/understanding-china-geography-and.html"
target="_blank"
>Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style
Modernization</a
></i
>.) Based on that knowledge the Chinese instituted their current government, the
People’s Republic of China. It is a government of the people, by the people and
for the people, aimed at the well-being and prosperity of all its citizens
rather than a small number of landlords, industrial tycoons and bankers. History
has also taught the Chinese that only when the people have the means of
production, they will be the most productive and happy; therefore, the
government provides people with land, opportunities, projects, financial and
technical supports, etc., to help them be successful in all kinds of business
ventures, but prohibits them to use competitive advantages to form monopoly and
cut off other people’s opportunities. That way, China has eliminated poverty,
become the world's largest manufacturing powerhouse, and created the world’s
largest middle class population. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2023/03/americas-troubles.html"
target="_blank"
>America Is in Big Trouble</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
History has also taught the Chinese to improve their system through meritocracy,
collective decision making and continuous reforms. They implement good
governance by selecting officials with both moral integrity and practical
abilities based on long-term reviews of the candidate's character and
performance. Political decisions are made in democratic ways through thorough
investigations, consultations and discussions rather than partisan fight.
Thousands of years of political experiences made the Chinese deeply aware of the
dangers of partisan politics. Parties only represent the special interests.
Partisan fights severely weaken the government’s ability to govern and cause
deep divisions among the people. Rotation in power by opposing parties leads to
incoherent policies and makes long-term planning impossible. Voters are not
always well-informed and rational, and can be easily manipulated by empty
promises, emotional incitement and misinformation. The elected politicians tend
to be sensational and lack moral and practical experience in governing. They
work more for their patrons and their own re-election than the long-term
interests of the people. The current administration often takes irresponsible
actions such as overspending, over borrowing and overprinting of money to
benefit its own tenure, leaving disastrous consequences to future
administrations. Without continuous reforms, these myopic practices motivated by
self-interest will make a regime impossible to escape the fate of the historical
cycle. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/10/tango-and-pluralism.html"
target="_blank"
>Pluralism vs. Monism</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
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Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-4149135773517412252021-09-20T10:13:00.066-05:002023-07-21T04:21:00.509-05:00Internal Memo to Our Members<br>
We have resumed our weekly milonga since this June, which shows our determination to face the pandemic with a more positive attitude, our confidence in coping with the situation, and our willingness to put trust in each other in the group. Covid-19 will continue to be a fact of life for a long time. We cannot let it stop us living and dancing. But in order to do that we must be vigilant and take precautions to protect ourselves from the virus.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately, what we are dealing with is not just the virus, we are also dealing with the selfish and irresponsible attitude of many people in this country. They put their personal liberty above the safety of others, continue to travel, party and hold public events, and resist any precaution that may restrict their personal freedom, including wearing masks, social distancing, quarantine and vaccination. America is the richest country with the best medical facilities and best medical staff in the world, yet there have been more than 50 million confirmed cases and more than 800,000 confirmed deaths in this country already, the worst record in the world. While in China, a country of 1.4 billion people, the virus has been contained long ago, in the US, with only a quarter of China’s population, the number of confirmed cases still exceeds 200,000 per day. The Americans are clearly more victims of their own crazy ideologies than coronavirus.<br>
<br>
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<br>
While the pandemic is still so severe, many public tango events, including festivals, marathons and encuentros in this country, have already resumed or are preparing to resume. We do not think that is a good idea under the circumstance. Letting a large number of people who come from various places and don’t know each other packed in a room dance tango in close embrace increases the risk of spreading the virus. It takes only one carrier to infect the entire herd, who then will bring the virus to the hotels they stay, restaurants they eat, airplanes they fly back, and to their homes. We believe the best way to enjoy tango during the pandemic is to have small private milongas among dancers who know each other well and are taking precautions. Different groups should not interact with each other to avoid cross-infection.<br>
<br>
Out of these considerations, this group has formulated the following rules for our gatherings during the pandemic:<br>
<br>
1. Participants must complete the vaccinations including the booster shot.<br>
<br>
2. Wear masks and sanitize hands frequently during the gathering.<br>
<br>
3. Do not bring people outside the group to participate at this time.<br>
<br>
4. Dance only at this group and not any other group to avoid cross-infection.<br>
<br>
5. Take preventive measures and avoid risky activities in daily life.<br>
<br>
6. Quarantine yourself for 7 days if you have suspected symptoms or may cause risks to the group after attending social gatherings, traveling by plane, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, etc. You need to be tested negative before returning to the group.<br>
<br>
7. Be a vigilant and responsible team player.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-60677285611383134222020-11-17T19:45:00.251-06:002023-11-30T11:49:57.791-06:00Milonga Codes<br />
Tango entails intimate physical contact and intense emotional interactions that
can affect people deeply on many levels, thus must not be approached casually.
The enjoyment of tango depends not only on the dancers' abilities but also on
the dynamics of their relationships and the broader social ambiance, influenced
by the behavior of all participants. As tango has evolved, codes of conduct have
emerged, assuming a significant role within the dance. Learning these codes and
mastering the proper way to behave and treat each other in the milonga is an
essential part of a dancer's education. The following are things you must know
when you go to a milonga.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>Part One: Preparation for Dance</h3>
<br />
<b>1. Personal hygiene</b><br />
Tango is danced in close embrace, therefore personal hygiene is important. You
need to take a shower, wash hair, brush teeth and change cloth before going to a
milonga. Smells from your hair, mouth, body or cloth can make your partner
uncomfortable.
<br />
<br />
<b>2. Makeup</b><br />
Appropriate make-up shows respect for others. It's advisable to refrain from
using greasy hair dyes, heavy styling creams, and excessive makeup, as close
contact during dancing can lead to your head coming into contact with your
partner's face and clothing, and both of you may sweat. Wear perfume with a
pleasant fragrance and avoid odd scents. Be mindful that some people may be
allergic to certain chemicals.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Dress code</b><br />
Your outfit should match the beauty of the dance, not spoil it. Men look better
in suits, not casual clothing like T-shirts and jeans. Women look better when
dance in dress or skirt - not too long or too exposed. Do not wear ornaments
that may rub your partner's chest in close embrace. Men should wear leather
shoes. Women should wear high heels. Sneakers and sandals are inappropriate.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Seating</b><br />
When the dancers enter the venue, they will be cordially received by the milonga
host, who then will take them to their seats. In a small venue, men and women
are seated separately on different sides of the room. In a large venue, men and
women sit at different tables but the tables are mixed to facilitate cabeceo.
Unless a request to sit together is made, couples and friends who come together
are seated apart to ensure everyone the same opportunity to invite others or be
invited by others.
<br />
<br />
<b>5. Changing </b><br />
Women change in the ladies' room, not at the table. Men, too, go to the men’s
room to prepare for the dance or to fix themselves between tandas. This is not
only for looking good but also for showing courtesy and respect for others and
the dance.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Dating couple</b><br />
A couple who come to dance instead of dating should not sit together, otherwise
people may avoid inviting them out of respect for their relationship. A dating
couple only dance with each other, thus should not occupy a table that is easily
accessible. Such seats should be left to people who need to do cabeceo. In
Buenos Aires, a dating couple usually sit at a quiet corner. They do not dance
with others, neither do other people bother them.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Equal opportunity</b><br />
With the exception of dating couples, all dancers have equal opportunities to
dance with anyone else in the milonga. There should not be discrimination and
coterie. Cliquing is inappropriate in the milonga because it causes segregation,
making it difficult for others to invite a member of the clique. Women should
not sit with their male friends and dance only with them. Separate seating helps
to prevent cliquing. <br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>Part Two: Invitation</h3>
<br />
<b>1. Verbal invitation</b><br />
A verbal invitation may put a woman in the dilemma of either accepting the
invitation unwillingly or saying no to the man, thus is not the best way to
invite a woman to dance. But in places where tango culture has not been
established, that often is the way men use to invite a woman. In that case the
woman should respond in an amicable manner, especially if she does not accept
the invitation. Arrogance and rudeness do not conform to the spirit of tango.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Cabeceo</b><br />
The correct way to invite a woman to dance is nodding at her from a distance.
The woman may nod her head to accept the invitation, or she may turn her head
away to decline. This way of inviting a woman to dance is called cabeceo.
Cabeceo gives the woman the freedom to accept or reject the invitation without
being obligated to dance or causing public embarrassment to the man. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2011/08/womens-role-in-cabeceo.html"
target="_blank"
>Women's Role in Cabeceo</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>3. Active participation</b><br />
For cabeceo to work women must participate in the invitation process. Women
should not sit there chatting, browsing their phones, or wearing a blank face
and ignoring men. Rather, they should actively make eye contact with men and be
responsive to men's cabeceo. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2013/03/tango-etiquette-eye-contact-talking.html"
target="_blank"
>Tango Etiquette: Eye Contact, Talking, Clique and Hierarchy</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Light</b><br />
The light in the milonga, therefore, must be bright enough for people to see
each other and do cabeceo. Some milonga organizers dim the lights or use disco
balls in order to create a romantic air, which only does a disservice to the
milonga.<br />
<br />
<b>5. What if you made a mistake</b><br />
When doing cabeceo, you need to make sure that the person is nodding at you and
not someone behind you or next to you. However, in a crowded milonga errors
could occur. Sometimes a man thought that a woman has accepted his cabeceo, only
to find that she goes to join another man. In that case he has to quickly
cabeceo someone else while on his way to pick up the woman, or go to the men's
room instead. Sometimes two women at the same table both think they are
cabeceoed by the same man. To avoid confusion, the man picking up the woman
should look into her eyes while walking towards her and avoid making eye contact
with any other woman. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-issues-on-cabeceo.html"
target="_blank"
>The Issues on Cabeceo</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>6. Rotating seat</b><br />
Cabeceo could be hindered by distance, crowd, dim light and bad eyesight. As a
remedy you may rotate your seat in different parts of the venue to facilitate
cabecceo, if the seats are not fixed. If the seats are fixed, you may
temporarily leave your seat and walk to where you are able to make eye contact
with the person of your choice, and then do cabeceo. <br />
<br />
<b>7. How to invite a woman who is talking</b><br />
A gentleman does not interrupt a woman when she is talking. If you want to dance
with a woman but she is talking with someone - which unfortunately is a frequent
occurrence in the US, you should move closer to where she can see you and wait
there patiently while look into her eyes until she notices you, and then seize
the opportunity to cabeceo her. If she keeps on talking without paying any
attention to you, then you should give up on her and search for another
woman.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Do not try to oblige a woman to dance</b><br />
If you try to make eye contact with a woman but she turns a blind eye, what does
that mean? "She did not see me, I should go to ask her directly." Wrong. She
turns a blind eye because she does not want to dance with you. If she wants you
she will let you know. You should not force your way to her seat to ask her, as
which may put her in a dilemma that she was trying to avoid in the first place.
Instead, you should stay where you are and wait until she makes eye contact with
you, and then cabeceo her to see if she will accept your invitation.
<br />
<br />
<b>9. Listening to what she means</b><br />
If you verbally asks a woman to dance and she replies "I am resting my feet."
What does that mean? "She wants me to allow her few minutes." Wrong. No matter
how tactful her words are, so long as she does not immediately join you, that is
a decline. You should give up on her for the moment and turn to someone else. Do
not linger there waiting, as which, if she is expecting someone else, could make
her feel uneasy.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Acting in good faith</b><br />
The woman who said "I am taking a break." to one man should not accept another
man’s invitation right away. She should at least wait until the next tanda.
Otherwise she would hurt the feeling of the man who asked her first. Neither
should another man go immediately to invite her. You would break her faith with
the first man if she accepts your invitation. Or, you would bring contempt to
yourself if she keeps her words. <br />
<br />
<b>11. Practicing good manner</b><br />
You should avoid being inconsiderately blunt. For example, instead of saying
"No." to a verbal invitation, you may say, "I am taking a break now, may I dance
with you later?" Such polite decline gives the inviter a way out without feeling
being rejected and humiliated in front of other people. Women who are resting
may take off their shoes. That way, no men will bother them.<br />
<br />
<b>12. Going all out</b><br />
Some women accept an invitation out of fear of hurting other's feelings, but
then they dance perfunctorily without emotional involvement, letting the inviter
feel disappointed. That is also improper. If you do not want to dance with the
man, you should not accept his invitation. If you accept the invitation, then
you must spare no effort to assume your role as his partner. Declining an
invitation is normal. Perfunctoriness, on the other hand, antagonizes the spirit
of tango. Of course, all such errors could be avoided if cabeceo is used as the
way of invitation. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-to-get-more-invitations-in-milonga.html"
target="_blank"
>How to Get More Invitations in the Milonga</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>Part Three: Dancing</h3>
<br />
<b>1. Taking a detour</b><br />
The woman who has accepted the cabeceo should sit at her seat and wait for the
man come to take her into the dance floor. To avoid interrupting the people
already dancing on the dance floor, the man picking up the woman should not walk
through the dancing crowds but should take a detour around the dance floor to
where the woman is.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Seeking permission</b><br />
Before taking the woman into the dance floor, the man should make eye contact
with the leader of the approaching dancing couple and get his permission.
Forcefully squeezing into the floor is impolite. If the oncoming dancing couple
are novices who cannot slow down, it would be better to let them pass. Dancing
in front of them does you no good because they are likely to cause a rear-end
collision. Experienced dancers will leave a gap for you to enter, and it is safe
with such people dance after you. <br />
<br />
<b>3. Dancing social tango only</b><br />
There are different styles in tango, some are suited to social dancing in the
milongas, others are not. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-styles-of-tango.html"
target="_blank"
>The Styles of Tango</a
></i
>.) Dancers should avoid styles that are not designed for social dancing. Using
the milonga to demonstrate and promote performance tango does a great disservice
to the milonga. (See
<a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2011/12/social-tango-and-performance-tango.html"
target="_blank"
><i>Social Tango and Performance Tango</i></a
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Tanda and cortina</b><br />
Tango music is played in a set of three or four songs, called a tanda. Between
two tandas is a short interlude, called cortina, which is used to clear the
dance floor and change partners. One should dance the entire tanda with the same
partner. Unless you have a very good reason, calling off in the middle of the
tanda is impolite. <br />
<br />
<b>5. One tanda a time</b><br />
You just danced one tanda with a woman and felt really good, can you ask her to
continue for another tanda? While this is up to the two of you, keep in mind
that other people are looking forward to dancing with her also, and that her
male companion may feel uncomfortable about it because dancing multiple tandas
in a row with the same woman indicates you like her. For a woman, accepting such
a request signals the reciprocal feeling. It is wise not to encourage the man if
you have no intention to get involved.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Brief conversation</b><br />
Dancers often start the dance after the prelude of each song in order to figure
out the rhythm of the song. While waiting they may engage a small talk. This
brief conversation, however, sometimes becomes too long. Some people stand there
talking even after others around them all started to dance. As a rule of thumb,
when the rhythm of the song becomes clear, or when people around you start to
dance, you should begin to move to avoid causing obstruction to traffic.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Do not advise your partner</b><br />
Criticizing or correcting your partner while dancing puts yourself in a superior
position and may hurt your partner's feelings. Milonga is where people come to
enjoy dancing with each other. Teaching should be left in the classroom. If you
admire a master, attending his/her class is a good idea, but do not ask him/her
to teach you on the dance floor, as that could oblige him/her to do the thing
they should not do in the milonga. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2012/07/art-of-love.html"
target="_blank"
>Tango - The Art of Love</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>8. Complying with navigation rules</b><br />
The outer edge of the dance floor is divided into two or more lanes like the
tracks in a race arena. These tracks or lanes are for skilled dancers who can
keep up with traffic. Dancing couples should dance in their respective lanes in
a counterclocwise direction, known as the line of dance. Those who want to
practice new steps should do so at the center floor to avoid causing obstruction
to traffic. Zigzagging between lanes or dancing against the line of dance can
easily cause collisions with others and should be avoided. (See
<i
><a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2016/03/spot-dancing-in-tango.html"
target="_blank"
>Spot Dancing in Tango</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>9. Keeping a proper distance</b><br />
Each dancing couple should maintain a proper distance from the couple dancing in
front of them and not be too close or too far apart. Beginners often focus on
doing steps in place, causing blockage to traffic, or follow too tightly and
leave little room for the dancers in front of them to move around, causing
collisions. These are all inappropriate. (See
<a
href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2014/04/cadencia-and-flow-of-tango.html"
style="font-style: italic;"
target="_blank"
>Cadencia and the Flow of Tango</a
>.)<br />
<br />
<b>10. Safety first</b><br />
The man who leads the woman has the responsibility to protect her and prevent
her from being bumped, kicked or stepped on by others. For the same reason, he
should not lead her to do things that may hurt her or others, such as high
boleo, kick, gancho and lift.<br />
<br />
<b>11. Maintaining a healthy dance environment</b><br />
All dancers should behave in their best manner - friendly, respectful, polite,
considerate, cooperative and accommodating. If someone behaved disrespectfully
to others, the rest of the crowd should boycott him/her for a while to let the
person feel the public disapproval, as milongueros all do in the milongas of
Buenos Aires. This will help to keep the dance environment amicable and
healthy.<br />
<br />
<b>12. Evacuating the dance floor</b><br />
The cortina between two tandas lasts only for thirty seconds or so. This very
short interval is designed to clear the dance floor and change partners. Dancers
should leave the dance floor during the cortina. Staying on the dance floor
talking during the cortina will hinder the preparation for the next round of
dance. <br />
<br />
<b>13. Escorting the woman to her seat</b><br />
Some women may become disoriented on a crowded dance floor. Escorting them back
to their seats after the tanda is a common practice in Buenos Aires. The man
should not talk with the woman after sending her back lest delaying her being
invited for the next tanda.<br />
<br />
<b>14. The last tanda</b><br />
Near the end of the milonga the DJ usually will announce the last tanda. If you
sit next to a couple, it would be nice to let the couple dance the last tanda
and not preempt the invitation to the woman, unless her male companion is tired
and she still wants to dance the last tanda. Your good manner will be a blessing
to the milonga.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-70958918545034105552020-10-28T06:06:00.055-05:002024-01-14T10:38:41.915-06:00Tai Chi and Tango<br />
I was introduced to learn tai chi, a slow-motion Chinese martial art, and was immediately hooked by its attributes pertinent to tango - flexibility, balance, precision, control, rhythm and beauty. Here is an example of tai chi.<br />
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Tai chi is practiced in a half squatting posture that requires the strength and flexibility of the legs to enable one to move like a cat. The body weight is placed on one leg and slowly transferred to the other leg back and forth while the torso remains upright in the movements. All body parts, including arms, hands, torso, waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles and feet, are used in the making of the movements, demanding good coordination, balance and control. Every movement is well defined to meet the aesthetics and must be done precisely according to the standard. The request on the strength and flexibility of the legs is extremely high due to the slow motion in half squatting posturing, which can effectively develop the strength, flexibility and control of the legs.<br />
<br />
All of these are relevant to tango because, like tai chi, tango, too, is mainly a leg exercise, although all parts of the body including arms, hands, torso, waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles and feet are used and must be well coordinated to form the steps. Tango dancers often do not realize that their lack of lightness, balance, control, coordination, precision and elegance is a result of the lack of strength and flexibility of their legs. Those who want to overcome these shortages can benefit tremendously from practicing tai chi.<br />
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<br />
Although tai chi does not need to be practiced to music, it has rhythm of its own, as you can see from the opening video. Tai chi is deliberately practiced in slow motion to increase its exercise effect, which can help tango dancers develop the ability to dance in slow motion. However, tai chi can also be practiced in fast motion to help develop nimbleness and speed, as showing below.<br />
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<br />
All these attributes make tai chi an excellent exercise for tango dancers to build up their leg strength, improve the coordination and beauty of their movements, and develop their dance ability expecially in slow motion.<br />
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<br />
The following video teaches you some basic tai chi moves if you are interested.<br />
<br />
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<br />Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-46850211071975977572020-10-10T09:19:00.124-05:002024-03-17T19:41:39.984-05:00The Lessons of Tango<br />
Broadening your horizons, or being petty, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Zooming out to see the whole picture, or zooming in to see yourself as
everything, the resresults are different.<br />
<br />
Thinking from the perspective of the team, or thinking from the perspective of
the self, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Prioritizing unity, or prioritizing individuality, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Focusing on what's in common, or focusing on the differences, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Being compassionate, or being egocentric, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Taking the concerns of others into account, or rejecting different views, the
results are different.<br />
<br />
Being agreeable, or being disagreeable, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Cooperating, or being uncooperative, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Accommodating with each other, or fighting with each other, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Being one with your partner, or being yourself only, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Willing to make concessions, or having your own way, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Being moderate and balanced, or being extreme and aggressive, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Working for the common cause, or working for self-interest, the results are
different.<br />
<br />
Striving to achieve oneness and harmony, or striving to win competition, the
results are different.<br />
<br />
Win-win cooperation, or zero-sum game, the results are different.<br />
<br />
Peaceful coexistence, or the law of the jungle, the results are different.<br />
<br />
The former reflects the nobleness of humanity, the latter reflects its
despicableness.<br />
<br />
The former is the result of enlightenment, the latter is the manifestation of
ignorance.<br />
<br />
The former, which is germane to tango, leads to a better world.<br />
<br />
The latter, pertinent to individualism, leads to dissension, disunity, polarity,
conflicts, and failure as a nation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-80224656730655066402019-12-21T14:39:00.053-06:002023-10-04T12:48:44.738-05:00Never Forget Why We Started<br />
As our second anniversary is approaching, we can be proud of the progress we’ve
made in the past two years. Our number is steadily growing. Our dance skills
have improved a lot. We now hold our own milonga on a regular base. When we go
out to dance as a group, people are impressed by us. We start to have an impact
on the tango community in this city.<br />
<br />
But there are no grounds for complacency. We are still far short from our goal.
Our number is still small. Our dance skills are still not adequate. We are still
a marginal section in the local tango scene. The entire community remains in the
shadow of the Nuevo influence. A lot more still wait for us to do both in terms
of personal growth and community building.<br />
<br />
But some of us feel so good about themselves already that they don’t want to
remain low profile. They want to show others what they can do and experience new
things with new people. They start to miss classes when there are conflicting
events to ours. Some think they are good enough to be on their own and don’t
need the group anymore. Some left already.<br />
<br />
While exploration is commendable, we shall not forget why we started. This group
has a mission. We are not individualists who come only for personal gain and
leave when that goal is reached. We are here for a bigger cause: to promote the
milonguero style of tango, to build a strong tango community, to change the
tango culture in this city, and to bring more people into our cause. (See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2018/09/champaign-milongueros.html"
target="_blank"
>Champaign Milongueros Group Charter</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
This vision requires team work, commitment, discipline, responsibility, grit and
personal sacrifice. If we only think about ourselves and neglect our mission, we
will end up repeating the mistake of those before us who have wandered in tango
for many years and still do not have a place to dance. People seeking
independence will discover soon or later that they need a home group to study,
dance, improve themselves and enjoy tango.<br />
<br />
Gathering a group of like-minded dancers is important because we cannot enjoy
tango with just anyone. We can only enjoy tango with dancers who share the same
philosophy, dance the same style, use the same embrace, mastered the same steps,
and reached the same level of proficiency. Tango is the collective work of a
group of like-minded and educated dancers, without whom one alone cannot enjoy
tango no matter how good his/her dance skill is. That is why we must not just
think about ourselves but work together, help each other to grow, and join hands
to build a strong team.<br />
<br />
Of course, this is more difficult to implement than to say it. People are very
different and unleveled. Some are quicker learners and better dancers than
others. It takes time for everyone in the group to reach the same level of
proficiency. Meanwhile, those who are better may lose patience and think it’s
just easier to go out and dance on their own. When we put self-interest above
the common cause, we lose the perspective, the group suffers the consequence,
and we all pay a price.<br />
<br />
But if we remain united and work together to support and encourage each other,
the group will grow faster and become better sooner, and we will all benefit as
a result. It takes committed people to make a strong group. It takes a strong
group to make an impact. Until we become such a group, we cannot convince others
to join us, and we cannot make a real difference. Therefore, the most important
thing for us to do now is not to flaunt around but to improve ourselves. History
will be made by those who stick to the cause, work together and don’t give up.
(See
<i
><a
href="https://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2022/01/tango-in-small-cities.html"
target="_blank"
>Tango in Small Cities</a
></i
>.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819457662362650663.post-69362608636626525192019-09-06T03:13:00.279-05:002024-02-11T11:52:07.610-06:00Learning Tango: Two Perspectives<br>
The following behaviors are common among beginners: (1) They are eager to learn fancy steps but overlook basic skills. (2) They imitate movements but ignore technical details. (3) They focus on themselves but neglect their partner. (4) They lean back to avoid intimate physical contact. (5) They lead and follow with arms and hands. (6) They grasp hold of the partner to do steps. (7) They don’t listen to and follow music carefully. (See <a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2019/07/learning-tango-imitating-steps-vs.html" target="_blank"><i>Imitating Steps vs. Developing Skills</i></a>.)<br>
<br>
These are all due to one reason: they regard tango only as steps. To them, learning tango is learning steps, and they think if they can do steps, they can dance tango. This step-centered perspective causes them to neglect many other aspects of the dance.<br>
<br>
It is important to understand that in tango what we dance is not the steps but the music and the feelings that music inspiresis. Tango is a feeling that is danced and that feeling comes from music. Steps are but the tools used to express the music and feelings. Of all the elements that made tango, music and the feelings stirred by the music are the most important two, without which there is no tango, only gymnastics. (See <a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2011/12/tango-and-romanticism.html" target="_blank"><i>Tango and Romanticism</i></a>.)<br>
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You need to know steps to dance tango, of course. But just knowing steps doesn’t mean that you can do them musically and coherently with a partner. Tango is team work, in which the man uses his body to effect the movement of the woman. The woman must therefore follow his lead and not just focus on doing her own moves. Focusing on the steps can cause her to ignore the lead. This is why dancing with a beginner often feels awkward, as she dances only to what she thinks the steps are rather than following the lead. The man leads according to music. When music is sharp, his lead is sharp. When music turns to tenderness, his lead becomes softer. Therefore, the same step must be danced differently according to the music. Instead of fosucing on doing her steps, the woman should focus on following the lead and expressing the music.<br>
<br>
Different leads carry different messages. For example, when the man’s right chest becomes pushing and his left chest becomes pulling, that indicates he wants her to swivel her hips to his right, and when his left chest becomes pushing and his right chest becomes pulling, that indicates he wants her to swivel her hips to his left. Often, the lead emitted from his chest is so subtle that it cannot be seen and must be felt. Tango is a sophisticated body language. Learning tango is not primarily learning steps but learning that body language, learning to conceive, respond to, communicate with and be one with the partner's body with your body. (See <a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2011/11/tango-is-language.html" target="_blank"><i>Tango Is a Language (1)</i></a>.)<br>
<br>
This perspective requires the dancer to change focus from steps to the body, embrace, connection, communication, music, and the emotions stirred by the music, to use your body to feel, to share with the partner what you feel, to exchange feelings through direct physical contact, to move your body in harmony with the movement of the partner's body, and to please the partner with your body. Tango is not any ordinary dance. It is intimate interplays between two dancers. Instead of focusing on emulating steps, let dancing with you be a treat for your partner be the purpose and focus of your learning and dancing tango.<br>
<br>
The transformation from a step-oriented, self-centered and single-focused beginner to a feeling-oriented, partner-centered and multitasking team player is a long process. Beginners will not fully understand the essence of tango until they have accumulated enough knowledge, skills and experiences. But the right perspective from the outset can head you in the right direction and shorten the process to become a qualified tango dancer. (See <a href="http://yangningyuan.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-four-stages-of-Our-tango-journey.html" target="_blank"><i>The Four Stages of the Tango Journey</i></a>.)<br>
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<br>Paul Yanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850021582471988048noreply@blogger.com0