Kandi Grey, Grade 12
UWCSA (Waterford)
We all know what it is like to trip over our own feet, to feel clumsy and uncoordinated. For me, this is an everyday occurrence - I'm just gracefully clumsy. So, when my best friend wanted to join the Argentine Tango class on campus, I was wary. This was when we were still in the Forms, the lower school of UWC Waterford Kamhlaba, and only just 14 years old. My thoughts revolved around the numerous times I had fallen over air, tripped on flat ground, and got caught up with my own feet when I wasn't even wearing any shoes, let alone dance heels. Dancing with a partner was not something that I had even considered thinking about, though I had several years of rhythmic gymnastics under my belt.
And I was right.
About the tripping part, at least.
The first class is always one to remember, because despite not actually having to wear heels or even shoes in fact, (we got to wear socks so we could slide over the hardwood floors), I still tripped. But I wasn't the only one, so did half of the rest of the people who had joined my best friend and me in acquiring this new skill. Thus, my first ever Tango class was spent learning how to walk. Yes, we just walked. The second and third classes are much more blurry experiences, but the classes follow along the same lines, learning how to walk in a straight line around a circle, counterclockwise. This is called the line of dance.
The way that I learnt, and am still learning, was by being a follower first. There was no separation between male and female. You were either a follower or a leader. I was a follower first, later learning how to lead more effectively because I knew what it was meant to feel like when led correctly. There are several 'holds', but the main point that is stressed is the comfort of your partner, and that changes the way you embrace them. There is the close hold, which takes time and trust to build up, and a more open hold, where there is more space between you and your partner. Dancing may be fun, but it has elements that I think are important in life as well.
And I didn't touch my first pair of dance heels till the third year of my dancing career. Though I did have to learn how to dance in skirts. Dancing skirts have to be relatively short, either just below the knees or above, else, even professionals can trip on their longer skirts. It was torture for me. I maintain my theory that skirts were designed to hinder, and though they do look stunning, if I have the chance, I will not dance in them.
The Tango is a feeling dance. You feel the movements with your whole body. There is a connection between yourself, your partner, and the music. It's an energy that moves through your mind to your feet, and when you lead, it flows through you to your follower. When you follow, you put your absolute trust in your partner, that they will lead you, won't drop you, and when it's done well, you feel it.
Now, several years later, I have been doing the Argentine Tango ever since. I still fall over thin air, and trip over flat ground. But I am a much more confident person for it. My Tango teachers taught me the control of my body on the dance floor, and even though I still get tangled up every now and then, it's much less obvious when I do. This will be my fifth year doing the Tango, and it is something I will continue to do.
And I was right.
About the tripping part, at least.
The first class is always one to remember, because despite not actually having to wear heels or even shoes in fact, (we got to wear socks so we could slide over the hardwood floors), I still tripped. But I wasn't the only one, so did half of the rest of the people who had joined my best friend and me in acquiring this new skill. Thus, my first ever Tango class was spent learning how to walk. Yes, we just walked. The second and third classes are much more blurry experiences, but the classes follow along the same lines, learning how to walk in a straight line around a circle, counterclockwise. This is called the line of dance.
The way that I learnt, and am still learning, was by being a follower first. There was no separation between male and female. You were either a follower or a leader. I was a follower first, later learning how to lead more effectively because I knew what it was meant to feel like when led correctly. There are several 'holds', but the main point that is stressed is the comfort of your partner, and that changes the way you embrace them. There is the close hold, which takes time and trust to build up, and a more open hold, where there is more space between you and your partner. Dancing may be fun, but it has elements that I think are important in life as well.
And I didn't touch my first pair of dance heels till the third year of my dancing career. Though I did have to learn how to dance in skirts. Dancing skirts have to be relatively short, either just below the knees or above, else, even professionals can trip on their longer skirts. It was torture for me. I maintain my theory that skirts were designed to hinder, and though they do look stunning, if I have the chance, I will not dance in them.
The Tango is a feeling dance. You feel the movements with your whole body. There is a connection between yourself, your partner, and the music. It's an energy that moves through your mind to your feet, and when you lead, it flows through you to your follower. When you follow, you put your absolute trust in your partner, that they will lead you, won't drop you, and when it's done well, you feel it.
Now, several years later, I have been doing the Argentine Tango ever since. I still fall over thin air, and trip over flat ground. But I am a much more confident person for it. My Tango teachers taught me the control of my body on the dance floor, and even though I still get tangled up every now and then, it's much less obvious when I do. This will be my fifth year doing the Tango, and it is something I will continue to do.
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