Who are they?

Do what you like

In my previous post, a very good friend of mine commented that “some dancers can do stuff and some cannot” so… those who can do stuff (therefore good dancers) are allowed to do them no matter the place and time, given also they know how to do them safely for the others. I argued that this is not really the case and in this post, I am going to elaborate a bit more with an example of why I think so.

Shouting in a church

Different approaches

I had recently the opportunity to experience two very unique maestros (Godoy and Carlitos) dancing in a show and I was even more privileged to see them dancing socially in a normal milonga of the events they were attending. I have already written that seeing them perform live on stage is quite an impressive experience on its own. But seeing them dancing socially in a milonga was even more impressive and I would dare to say didactic. Why? Because it makes you realize the difference between dancing as a performance and dancing socially. In the milongas, both of them were dancing like almost everyone else in the room. No fancy moves… no ganchos, no legs constantly flying in space from voleos… nothing. Simple “quiet” everyday steps always paying attention and expressing the music. If you didn’t know who they are you wouldn’t even notice them dancing.

Now, as I have already written, I also experienced the opposite. In a recent event… some young professional couples (also with experience of performing on stage) have joined and whenever they were dancing you could notice them in the Rhonda from miles away. Complex figures… big moves… heels flying in space… whatever you see on stage… it WAS there! Yes! They were a pleasure to watch (sometimes…) but it made me wonder.

The question

If the top ones in the world are dancing in milongas and you don’t even notice them… then why do the new professional couples need to act like they are performing on stage when they dance socially? What is the point in dancing like you are performing on stage… when you dance at a social event? If you are such a great dancer… you have the perfect technique… the most advanced vocabulary… and you can show all this on stage when you perform… why do you need to also shout it out loudly in a social event? Is this really the time and place to do a show?

Tonight’s Goodnight Tango

Therefore for tonight’s Goodnight Tango, I selected to post a video showing Carlitos and Nοelia dancing socially. If you didn’t know who they were, would you be able to tell them apart from the other dancers? Would you understand that they are also professional performers?

How about you? Have you ever seen a famous couple dancing socially? What is the same as in a show? Would you be able to pick them out of the crowd if you didn’t know them? Let me know with a comment below, an email, or a PM on Facebook… oh… and if you liked it… don’t forget to share it with your friends.

PS. If you are thinking about it… and you want to write it in the comments… I’ll admit it here… I am quite jealous that I cannot do stuff and that is why I am writing all these.