Review of Tango Retreat at Temenos by Chris von Ulmenstein

1.        Evita, you came to the workshops imagining that learning the tango could have been a bit like climbing Mount Everest. What is your reflection on the experience?

 I love watching others dance the Tango, in shows, in Tango shows in Buenos Aires (I saw a different one each evening that I was in that city), and free dancing on a street corner with just a CD player, and it looked like the most difficult dance one could possibly learn. I have rediscovered dancing the Rock & Roll in the past six months, and am loving every minute of it at Constantia Nek, where DJ René plays every Sunday afternoon. When I saw the ad for the Tango Workshop at Temenos, I decided to challenge myself in learning the Tango in what I described as the Mount Everest of dancing, or so it felt.  Rachael and Lizelle were gentle and kind, and helped put my Tango dancing fears aside, by taking us into it step by step, move by move. Learning to feel our weight changes from one leg to another, and that of our dance partner, was a start, very important in signaling dance moves, and something I have never been conscious of in any other dance type. We added a new move in session after session, starting to walk, and then doing slightly more complicated moves with side steps, and a swivel to face our dance partner again. It was comforting to know that I was not the only Tango newbie. I was very grateful to Paola, Julie, and Katherine, who have done Tango lessons before, who were switchables for the singles amongst our group, and who taught me so much while we were practicising new moves, and for taking over the Leader role, so that I could be a Follower. I want to close my eyes now when I do the Rock 'n Roll, it making following in the dance even better. I learnt total trust in my dance leader from the Workshop. 

1.        Are there any spiritual or personal growth lessons in the tango that were revealed through the dance?

 I loved the connectedness we had in dancing with a dance partner we had not met before the Workshop, connected via 'blue tooth', and realized that letting go as a Follower, and trusting my Leader, is something I need to practice more of. I have been a controlling leader in a business and as a mother, and am learning to let go. The Tango Workshop taught me trust and how good it feels to be guided and led by another. I had no basis of knowledge or experience to take the lead or to control the dance with another. I feel a tremendous sense of achievement in having taken the Workshop, and in having learnt the first basic Tango steps, so much so that I want to continue with classes at Libertango. 
 
3.       What recommendation would you make to someone who wants to try the tango?

I would advise letting go of one's fear of the difficulty of dancing the Tango, and to join a Tango dance school like Libertango, to learn from the bottom level. Rachael is warm and supportive, a delight to have as a Tango teacher. 

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