Tango Chemistry

On Monday I had an absolutely terrible tango class. Legs this way, arms another, it was really disappointing and after my disaster of a milonga, I was feeling like maybe tango isn't for me. I got a lot of corrections - posture, hips the wrong way, feet together etc. etc. The hips! The goddam hips! Locked, locked, locked, forward towards your partner at all time, don't lift the hip when lifting the leg! What's life without a bit of hip action, guys???

I left the class feeling really disheartened, but I have a funny feeling my new red tango shoes are to blame. Ever hear the story about the little girl who gets red shoes and then can't stop dancing and gets kicked out of church and finally a woodsman has to chop her feet off? Yeah. Red shoes. The footwear of the devil.

They don't need much breaking in, as they're pretty comfortable already, but before I was going for class in a pair of ordinary high-heeled shoes for a month, and I'd worn the new shoes for a total of about 2 hours. So it was obvious that I needed to take some time to 'learn' the new shoes.

I did this by throwing them on and doing some housework in them, and of course lots and lots of walking. Since my place is not at all big, this meant walking backwards round and round a coffee table for song after song. The neighbours probably think I'm losing it. For three years they've watched me bellydance to my reflection in the TV screen, and now I'm walking backwards for hours around a coffee table.

Anyway, the exercise was a good one because it helped me understand where my weight goes according to where my foot is with these new shoes. I think mood and the state of my nerves has a lot to do with it too though. Class yesterday was my best yet in terms of how euphoric I felt afterwards. All that talk about exercise and endorphins must be true because I was on cloud 9 after class and literally skipped back home. Remember that dreamy feeling I talked about? I had that practically every time I danced, and praise heaven, some boys turned up too!

Technically, I was no better than Monday. I had the same if not more number of corrections and had to totally deconstruct the way I do my figure of eights because I've been doing them wrong all this time.

But I think my new shoes and I are starting to become friends. I hope they decide to cooperate with me for this Saturday's dance. I'm still two minds as to whether to go or not. I think I have come up with the perfect strategy for not freaking out when dancing socially - take off my glasses. If I can't see, I can't see my partner's feet or my mistakes, or the snotty super tango dancers that give us evils if we bump into them. Perfect!!

Image: http://www.tangoandchaos.org/chapt_6school/5posture.htm