And then it clicked...

For me, and for most people I'm assuming, learning does not happen in a linear fashion.  I will work at something for weeks on end and never quite get it, then one day it just clicks and it makes complete sense.  Friday was that day for me.  My goal from last week was to dance fluidly, creating a dance rather than repeating steps.  I feel that I have made tremendous progress towards this goal.  On Thursday, at Tango Club, I was still struggling.  I was concentrating on the steps so much that my dancing was fragmented and even though it had somewhat of a similar look, it wasn't tango.

Maeve, my girlfriend, came to Tango Club with me last week.  She had a really good time and she picked up on the dance far more quickly that I did.  When she was lead by others she was very responsive, following without thinking about where she was going, truly allowing herself to be lead.  However, when I danced with her I felt that she was very difficult to lead.  She was thinking more about the dance and the steps she needed to take.  She wasn't letting go and letting me lead, rather, she was concentrating on where her feet should be going and anticipating my lead.  I stopped and told her to let go, to stop thinking about the dance and just let herself move with me to the music.

I think some of the best advice for one to follow is that which they give others.  I was not letting go, I was thinking too hard about the dance, and I was removing the dance from the music.  The dance does not happen in a vacuum.  The dancer's attention is focused on so many things, and numerous things can bring the dancer out of focus.  The milounguero is attentive not only to his partner (what foot is she on, which direction is easiest for her to travel) but also the other people on the dance floor.  He also has to focus on what is happening in the music, and this is where my attention was lacking.  Though the music adds another distraction in a list of many, it also helps the milounguero by acting as his leader.

On Friday I tried to let the music guide me to achieving fluidity in the dance.  I believe I did fairly well to achieve this goal but this will continually be my focus in the upcoming weeks for my dancing.