Oh Javier… how we love thee.
If you haven’t been fortunate enough to have learned from Javier Rodriguez, let us share some of his wisdom with you. But first, let us give you a mini-summary of Javier in his role as a teacher.
Javier is blunt, has no shame, and shares all that he has learned and knows about Tango without apology. We’ve heard that (North) American Tango dancers/communities have found him to be too abrasive and too frank (ex., he has no problem telling women to stop squeezing their “chichi“) and he doesn’t work as a teacher so that he can lie to you and tell you how good your tango already is.
In North America (and we’re starting to think in all English-speaking countries) everything needs to be sugar-coated and oh-so-positive. That’s why anything goes in North American Tango. We don’t want to be told what Tango is or how to do it. We’ll tell people to follow Gavito’s advice when he tells a class to only speak positively about Tango and to only say what we like about a person’s dance (although we don’t know the circumstances behind that comment and in fact, he has told dancers to also notice what they don’t like), yet we won’t listen to Gavito when he says the embrace and the walk are what make Tango what it is. We think we can do it better and we think we should change it to make it our own (while calling it by the same name).
Meanwhile, in Asia, many of the cultures may be more direct (How old are you? Are you married? Do you have children? Why not?). However, they sure as hell aren’t used to hearing about “chichis”. Yet it’s these same Asian communities that embrace the traditions of Argentine Tango and will happily do as they are asked. They respect and look up to their teachers.
With that said, let us divulge some wonderful insights Javier and Andrea shared with the class in Seoul:
Don’t Castrate Your Partner Women, pull your hips back and make room for the men. When you keep your hips flat, you castrate the man you are dancing with by stripping him of his freedom to walk forward without restraint.
Javier demonstrated this with multiple men and we don’t think there was a person left in that class that doubted this assertion.
Hierarchy Among Dancers Javier & Andrea were asked about a problem that exists in various communities. What happens when the best dancers only want to dance with the best dancers, the mediocre followers only want to dance with the best leaders, and the mediocre leaders are left wanting? Javier responded (in a way that most of us North Americans don’t like to hear) that this is the way it is everywhere around the world… and this is the way it should be. If the mediocre dancers want to dance with the best dancers, they need to become better dancers. If the best dancers are already dancing with them, the mediocre dancers have no reason to improve.*
* There are too many dancers who no longer take lessons OR who only take lessons that teach new sequences rather than those that improve (BASIC) technique (which is where the problems lie).
Hierarchy on the Dancefloor Many dancers understand the dancefloor setup now. There’s an outer lane and one or more inner lanes. Javier & Andrea told all of us what many people learn after going to Buenos Aires: The outer lane is for the best dancers. It’s for those who understand floorcraft and who can dance well. Those who cannot follow the rules of floorcraft and, more importantly, are not very good dancers, should dance in the inner lanes.*
*Swallow your ego and place yourself accordingly on the dancefloor. In the same token, deal with the crappy floorcraft and try to dance in the outer lane if you’re one of the better dancers in the community.
Our Thoughts on What Others May Consider IDOLIZATION
We’re not sure where the loathing of “idolization” has come from. We understand that some people take their idolization too far… and obviously a teacher is not a god. But it seems that people are loathing the fact that some dancers look up to their teachers as mentors – with respect and adoration. Those dancers who respect and learn from/follow one or two professional teachers tend to be the best dancers in a room. It’s those dancers who learn from anybody and everybody who CLEARLY show no progress in their dance.
July 19th, 2011 at 9:55 PM
Javier Rodriguez is one of my tango heroes. Thank you for this great post!
July 19th, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Thank YOU, judiebe :)
July 20th, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Move your hips back — Javier is a slim guy. He may need Andrea to give him room. The result is her butt sticks out, which isn’t natural in tango. I dance with heaftier milongueros with bellies that provide space. Even so, my toes are no more than a few inches away from my partner’s. I checked yesterday while dancing with Alito in El Arranque. Our toe tips were almost touching. I have contact from the head to below the waist, and we never have problems. Again, it may be Javier’s slim body partnering Andrea. He is making a generalization that may not apply to everyone.
Hierarchy on the floor — I’ve been told by milongueros that those who dance in the outer lane want to be seen and because it’s the safest lane in which to dance. It’s not uncommon for milongueros to dance in the second lane simply because of traffic. It doesn’t really matter to them. They don’t have to show off to anyone. The second lane is more of a challenge than the outer lane. That’s where floorcraft skills are put to the test. The floor density is constantly changing, and milongueros are aware of it. They know how to navigate and avoid dancers who cause collisions by changing lanes. Yes, they do, contrary to what teachers tell you in class.
I don’t believe many are going to rank themselves and dance in the center of the floor. Keeping up with dancers in the outer lane may be the best way to improve, especially in BsAs. No one in BsAs enters the floor by going to the center. All start from the outer lane and see where it takes them.
Idolization — I agree. Teachers are just like everyone else. Their fame comes from name recognition and internet videos. Hollywood celebrities are famous and household names, but certainly the same is not true about tango dancers. We need to keep that in perspective. The fact that teachers dance better than students is because they practice all day long and have done so for years to make a career from tango. Javier is 30 something and shares the knowledge he learned from his teachers. He is still learning, and it will be more than a few years before he imparts wisdom.
July 20th, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Hi Janis. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
We keep up with your blog and are aware of your thoughts on “hips back”. We obviously won’t be able to change your mind, but we’ll just add a few points based on what you said.
Our toes are never very far apart either – perhaps an inch – and we’re both slim. So yes, we need to create the space. However, we’re willing to bet that the majority of men (AND milongueros) will enjoy a female partner who pulls her hips back more than one who doesn’t (separate of what it may look like). Dancing with a woman who keeps her hips flat is like trying to dance with a wall in front of you. Perhaps the better flat-hipped woman feels like a wall of bristol board, but the worse flat-hipped woman feels like a wall of bricks.
Our 8-month experience in Buenos Aires (and not just what our teachers told us) clearly showed the hierarchy of dancers on the floor. Just because one or two dancers per milonga (Tete was an obvious example while we were there) moved in and out of the lanes, doesn’t mean this was/is the norm. Tete obviously liked to move around more freely and with larger/longer movements, therefore he didn’t let the idea of “lanes” stop him. The inside lanes were clearly being used by the not-so-good dancers – and so yes, obviously this will put one’s floorcraft skills to the test. You’re right that most dancers won’t rank themselves to the middle of the floor, but then better leaders can always find a way to “squeeze” them to the middle – and we saw that happen in Bs.As. too.
Javier is still learning, we are still learning, and you know what? The milongueros are still learning. That’s what life and Tango are: a continuous learning process. So to say that it will be “more than a few years before he (Javier) imparts wisdom” is quite arrogant. If Javier tells us something that Portalea shared with him, it means he is sharing wisdom with us. However, wisdom need not only come from the milongueros!? He is also sharing wisdom when he simply reminds dancers to be free when they dance Tango.
July 20th, 2011 at 3:32 PM
In my experience, feeling the woman like a wall comes from the non-verticality of the standing leg, it must be vertical in the posture in order to avoid disturbing presure and feel her light. So “hips back” can help in this regard, creating the space in question and in the same time avoiding tilt of the standing leg. And my observation is that the better dancers use some space, about 15-20 cm. (6-8 inches) between the toes.
July 20th, 2011 at 3:49 PM
If the leader takes, or wants to take, steps that are longer than about a foot with a flat-hipped woman, it feels like a wall. It doesn’t matter how vertical the standing leg is. The “wall” feeling is coming from the woman’s hips and is translated through her chest. However, it’s strange that you mention 6-8 inches between the toes because this means the woman is leaning on the man – and therefore can’t have a vertical standing leg – OR the man is bending over. Or perhaps you’re talking about an open hold and not an embrace? In both instances, that’s not the kind of Tango we’re talking about.
July 21st, 2011 at 12:24 AM
I thought we both are talking about this kind of tango:
http://youtu.be/Om-cm8U7Fgg
I see A LOT of space between their toes. And no, she isn’t leaning, at least not what is usually meant by leaning.
July 21st, 2011 at 11:08 AM
True true. Perhaps it’s fair to say that it depends when/where in the dance we’re talking about the distance between toes. Also, a demo will have far larger steps – and likely more room between the feet – than if one was dancing in a milonga.
July 21st, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Yes, in a well dancing couple the leader can regulate it to his liking or better said, depending on the circumstances, or what he intents to do next.