No Nuevo For Meo

Dec 24 2008

Today I´ve been Mrs PMT. Twitchy, enraged for no very good reason, nothing I did all day felt quite right, not really known what to do with myself, unable to make decisions, definitely got a cold (bloody sniffly friend coming out to dinner 2 nights ago saying how ill he was but still sitting there eating and coughing with us), just Out-Of-Sorts.

Was supposed to have a lesson in the evening, but Mariana had some problems up so it ended up cancelled, and rather then going to her class at Tango Queer, decided I really did want to see some Tango Nuevo before I leave BA as its very different to Salon & Milongera; lots of kicks, separating from your partner, coming off your axis, etc. And today I had a very gentle group class today that put in a couple of Nuevo style moves, which I enjoyed doing. So I went to a Tango Nuevo class at Practica X - where all the best dancers go for the milonga after the class. I joined the class late, but still with an hour to go of it. And I´d say only one or two couples there should really have been doing it, because the rest (I include myself here) weren´t holding themselves properly (with the core, so that when you do come off your axis, you´re still balanced...very hard to do as a principiante/beginner). So basically a class where most people were flailing around.

Due to feeling out of sorts, I turned up and immediately wished I´d gone to TQ. Especially as I had no partner to dance with and people weren´t changing partners, so I had to keep nudging the teacher to get them to find me someone. But I stuck with it because I was stuck on the wrong side of town and if I´d left, by the time I´d gotten to TQ it would have finished anyway. Then we had the milonga at which I was unable to dance or concentrate...so just made myself more annoyed. And although I would normally have been happy to sit back and enjoy watching other people dance, I just didn´t feel comfortable there. During milongas there is usually a break for a show given by a professional couple, and there was indeed a great show by some amazing people. But again what would normally inspire me, only served to frustrate me... I couldn´t see how I could ever do any of that stuff when I was struggling so hard with the basics. I feel like I´ve gone backwards over the last couple of evenings, rather then forwards. The night ended early at 12.30am and everyone was invited to a different milonga - La Viruta. So I grabbed the people I was with and suggested that instead of La Viruta we went to TQ. Which we did, and it was lovely. We were just there for an hour or so, but I like it so much. Its relaxed, and very real. Not about showing off, just about dancing and enjoying dancing. Thats not to say that the people at Practica X where I´d just come from weren´t enjoying it, or "real" but I love the openness at TQ. Watching same sex and mixed couples all dancing and swapping roles. And there not being any snootiness about people dancing and getting it wrong. I´m just gutted that it isn´t on every night because I´d live there if it was. And it really has made me want to learn to lead. I danced with a lovely girl, who has only been learning since February this year and is really good. So I´m going to bed trying to hold on to the good fun bit from the end of the night and not the rest. I think a St Johns Wort will help.