Hey sister, we have a problem !

I feel deeply how the tandas without steps are looking for solution in wrong direction. Instead of blaming men ladies must find the solution among themselves and together contribute to the dance community they want to have.

Ladies must find ways to distribute the existing tandas among sisters more evenly!

If you want more men to attend the milongas find ways to make them come and stay!

You know your community and together you will find ways fitting your situation. Talk with your sisters! You can find some ideas in one of my earlier postings  Sisters it is time to take care of ourselves, solve our problems! It will be fantastic if men want to join, cooperate with us to get a better situation, but we must be the ones to fix it!

* In all stories about the old days I have read, ladies were respected. Good followers were few and bad steps were accepted and ignored so the followers could feel like queens.
* Men had a really strong social control among themselves. No newcomer came to the milonga without an invitation.
* Many hours of training was a total MUST. As a leader you need to know your steps well, and you need to know her steps so you can compensate if needed.

I feel a deep respect for the men of the old days, who worked hard during many years for a dance, created a strong social control within their group and nurtured respect for the ladies who hardly could move to the music. They did work hard and created a solution for a difficult situation.

I think ladies of today would win if cooperating with sisters, creating a positive social control and dance training. This could be one way to a more decent dance life!

Another kind of tango..

I did grow up with tango, the Finnish one. I remember we were talking about tango but now afterwards I can hardly understand when I did hear it. There was radio but as child I did not have control over the buttons and the family was not interested in dance music. My uncles did build instruments and had a village orchestra but I can not remember any tangos -The Hungarian dance nr 5 of Brahms was my favorite. But still I have the feeling of being surrounded by tango all my life and I know all the old singers, composers to be known.

My tango life was activated first when I at age of 17 started to attend the Saturday dance nights. Then I could hear four or six tango songs per night - the rest of evening we had other kind of music. This is a rule even for the Finnish Tango festival - Tangomarkkinat - orchestra plays songs in sets of two; two waltz, jive, chachacha, samba, foxtrot, tango, polka, humppa, and so on ...... and then once again! During a dance evening the tango is just one sort of dance among 12-14 other ones!

I have collected some aspects of Finnish tango to an exhibition on my YouTube site. The feature video is a modern tango and the couple is dancing as it is appreciated nowadays.

One of the playlist is about Darya och Månskensorkester (Darya and Moonlight orchestra). It is a retro group using cloths from 50’s and singing the music from same period. The interesting thing is that this is taking place in Stockholm Sweden (not in Finland) and people queue up to get in to their club evening! Background images are from a club evening last spring. Many of the members in orchestra has partly Finnish background so they can sing the songs in right language!

You will find the old singers in the other playlist and the last song on that list is la Cumparsita. There you get the finnish flavour strong and clear!  Here you  one more - In the clip text you get a translation and some information in English. In comments people appreciate the pictures giving the right feeling.   (If you can not stand the music turn it off and look the pictures!)

Sometimes I am really longing for dancing these old tango songs but the idea of ladies leading in tango is not so popular. Other danses are quite ok for ladies to lead!

Me and my tools : VLC player

Today I use VLC player to watch my videos. It is kind to show all the file formats I use and has the basic functions supporting my learning. I use mostly the arrows on the left/right to watch slow motion or the rapid version.

If I need to repeat many times a section I mark the start and end points and let the player repeat the interesting section as long time as needed.  When the repetition is going on I can change the speed with arrows on left/right or in playback speed box. There I can also change the speed with small adjustments.


But be careful to watch the videos only in slow motion - my brain adapted very soon to the new  speed and I lost the effect of clear observation. 
Today I use a lot of rapid motion too! It keeps me busy and alert. My brain learns to keep track of the fast movements and get used to the new *normal speed*.  When watching a normal one again the feeling is unstressed and comfortable!

It is also easier to understand and follow the dynamics within a whole dance when the speed is 1,5 or 2 times faster to normal.

You find here a short video of obtions mentioned.

DoubleArrows: Make it slower 67%, 50% or make it faster
Red dot: two clicks - a small film is created
Camera: one click - a picture is taken (using a lot of this option)
Repetition: hit the left to start, wait and hit the right one. When both are red repeating goes on and on and on.

Checking the steps, my own and others

For several years ago I noticed how sensitive my ears became for everyday sounds because of tango training. I started to correct my steps when not hitting the ground at same time with my walking companion. Small differences became unbearable.

The last months music training has focused my attention to steps even more and one morning when walking through a park to my office I suddenly lost the voices and heard only all the steps behind me and on the other side of the hedge, the air was filled by steps of different weight, length, intensity. It was to me a surprisingly different auditive moment!

These moments in everyday life let me monitor how I am gaining capabilities to catch new details or pick a layer of details in the world of sounds. How my musicality is growing! as well as an indication for a new connection to my surroundings.

When riding a buss and listening music I have noticed I follow the people around - curiously checking if they can go with my music!
        ... and it seems I am not alone!