Schools, teachers, workshops, festivals – part two - Scoli, profesori, seminarii, festivaluri - partea a doua

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Schools, teachers, workshops, festivals – part two

If the information on the net and the recommendation from those who knew more than me were not enough to persuade me to attend a workshop, I gave them a second chance: live demo at bien venido milonga.

This was the case with Richard and Rachel from Germany. I saw them dancing… yeah, they looked good, they moved well together, good technique, but there was something missing. It was a dance with a lot of complicated things. I felt nothing watching the dance. They didn’t impress me. There was a good communication between them, he felt her quickly, and they completed each other very well, they helped each other dance, and any little “mistake” was nicely and elegantly fixed up. But what are we talking about? All this things were part of basic technique… that helps you to do all kind of things, meaning the simple part. I’m not talking about their abilities as teachers, maybe they have a clear and very well structured way of teaching, but I don’t think I would like to do what they were doing, as any teacher has its own “stamp” on his pupils. At least at the beginning, any pupil, without being aware of it, will copy his master: the men will copy the gentlemen teacher and the girls the lady teacher. And even in fine arts school, there are years when the students copy all great artists works in order to study and understand the technique used by those great painters, and then, they can use this technique on the paintings that represents themselves. So, I am too “green” in the tango field, and I try to imitate all I see like a monkey, until I will have my own style, so I have to pay attention what I want and from whom I want to learn. I saw people dancing as their teacher, not as a technique but imitating the gestures : )) Unconsciously at the beginning, but if you figure it out, the sooner the better… each school has its own specific style, this is not happening only in tango, it’s the same thing in any other field… and if we take a closer look, even in Bs As there are different tango styles, from one barrio to another, one style being named by the barrio’s name…

There were also Aisha and Victor. I didn’t attend the workshop, I saw only the demo at the bien venido milonga… I thought they were a weird couple in dance. No comment.

I went to Budapest, at the Autumn Tango festival last year. A very nice experience. But I would like to talk about Budapest separately, some other time.

There were Sharna and Isaac. And we loved them. And appreciated them. More Sharna, as far as I heard. I didn’t go to see them, I didn’t see their demo. I saw some videos on the net, and I thought they did not match as a tango couple, and she seemed 100 times better than him. I wished to attend their classes. It could be an additional experience.

Ismael Ludman came here as well, but I couldn’t go. The echoes were very good, everybody was charmed, a very nice person, but his dancing nuevo… not that interesting for me. At least not for the moment. His dance with Jennifer was very impressive. That was a match! The whole dance was very interesting: at the beginning he tested what and how she could do, adaptation to the partner. She seemed very relaxed, in control, awaiting, and very prompt: he was proposing something, she was responding, and it was like a conversation: ok, I did that, now what’s next? and he proposed another thing, then came response from her... very exciting! Interesting, fascinating, electrically. That was my perception from outside.

Until now, Nay and Jen are on the top. Not because they were the first teachers I loved the most, and opened my eyes, and because they are very nice and other subjective things, but for the results I had after working with them. After each workshop there was a progress, and this is what other people said to me too. Each of us felt this progress, with a lot of work is true, but all of us grew and learned from them.

Scoli, profesori, seminarii, festivaluri - partea a doua

Daca cei care veneau sa tina un seminar nu ma convingeau cu informatia de pe net si recomandarile de la cei care stiau mai mult ca mine, le mai dadeam o sansa, cu demonstratia de la milonga de bien venido.

Asa a fost cu Richard si Rachel din Germania. I-am vazut dansand… . dah, aratau fain, se misca bine impreuna, tehnica buna, dar lipsea ceva. Era un dans cu o gramada de figuri complicate care iti luau ochii. N-am simtit nimic cand au dansat. Nu mi-au transmis nici un fel de emotie. Era o comunicare foarte buna intre ei, si el o simtea pe ea foarte repede, si se completau foarte bine, se ajutau in dans unul pe celalalt, si o zbarca o scoteau foarte repede si bine si elegant la capat. Dar despre ce vorbim aici? Toate astea tin strict de tehnica minima parerea mea…, cu care poti sa faci o gramada de scheme, figuri, adica partea simpla. Nu contest capacitatile lor ca profesori, poate au o metoda foarte clara si bine structurata, dar nu cred ca vreau sa ajung sa fac cea fac ei, pentru ca, acum sa recunoastem, orice profesor isi are amprenta asupra elevilor lui. Cel putin la inceput, inconstient, orice elev isi va copia profesorul: baietii pe prof, si fetele pe profa. Chiar si la arte plastice, exista ani, in care studentii copiaza picturile marilor artisti pentru a studia si intelege tehnica folosita de respectivii pictori, ca mai apoi, sa poata folosi acea tehnica in picturile care ii exprima pe ei, in caz ca au nevoie. Iar io inca sunt mult prea cruda in tango, si tot ce vad imit ca o maimutza, pana sa am io stilul meu propriu, asa ca ar trebui sa fiu atenta ce vreau sa preiau si de la cine. Am vazut personae care danseaza ca profesorul lor, nu ca tehnica neaparat, ci ca gesturi : )) E o chestie inconstienta la inceput, daca apuci sa-ti dai seama cu atat mai bine. Fiecare scoala are specificul ei, dar asta nu se intampla doar in tango, e acelas lucru in orice domeniu,… si daca stam sa ne gandim, chiar in Bs As sunt diferite stiluri de tango, ele pot diferi de la un cartier la altul, un stil putand sa preia chiar numele cartierului…

Au mai fost si Aisha si Victor. Nu am fost la seminar, am vazut doar demonstratia de la milonga de bien venido… mi s-au parut de la inceput o combinatie ciudata, ca parteneriat, si ca dans, si ca aparitie. No coment.

Am fost la Budapesta, la festivalul de tango in toamna anului trecut. Foarte fain ca experientza cu totul, iar impactul cu tango a fost destul de mare. Dar cred ca mi-ar place sa vorbesc despre Budapesta separat, alta data.

Au mai fost Sharna si Isaac. Care, iarasi au fost indragiti. Si apreciati. Mai mult ea, din cate am auzit. Nu am fost, nu i-am vazut nici demonastrand. Am vazut ceva clip-uri pe net, unde mi s-a parut ca nu se potrivesc ca pereche, iar ea mi s-a parut ca e de 100 de ori mai buna ca el, si il eclipsa efectiv. Nu am suferit prea tare ca nu am fost. Mi-ar fi placut sa ma duc. Ar fi fost o experienta in plus.

A mai venit si Ismael Ludman, nici la seminariile lui nu am fost. Ecourile, foarte faine, toata lumea incantata, baiatu’ foarte de treaba, dar face noevo… neinteresant pentru mine. Nu in momentul de fatza. Impresionant a fost dansul lui cu Jenifer. A fost intr-adevar o combinatie! A fost foarte interesant tot dansul lor: la inceput el testeaza ce si cat poate ea, acomodare cu partenera. Ea mi s-a parut super relaxata, sigura pe ea, in asteptare, si foarte prompta: el ii dadea ceva de facut, ea, facea, si parca ii zicea: ok am facut asta! Acum? … si el ii dadea alta, si ea, face, cu atitudinea de parca iar zicea: asa, si acum?.... Foarte fain! A fost interesant, captivant, electrizant. Io cel putin asa am vazut lucrurile de pe margine, prin optica mea.

Pana in momentul de fatza Ney si Jen s-au pastrat pentru mine pe primul loc. Nu neaparat ca au fost primii profi pe care i-am iubit foarte mult, si care mi-au deschis ochii, ca sunt ei dragutzi, si alte lucruri care sunt subiective, cat pentru rezultatele pe care le-am avut in primul rand eu in urma seminariilor lor. Dupa fiecare seminar, s-a observat o crestere, si asta zic si oamenii cu care am mai vorbit, fiecare a simtit cresterea pe propria piele, cu munca e adevarat, dar toti am crescut si am invatzat de la ei.