You make me feel like dancing!
When the floor gets crowded, are you one of the people who feel that you are no longer dancing? I just spent a weekend Balkan dancing (seven tango dancers showed up in total!) to live music. The more crowded the dance floor became, the more the energy built. We got louder and happier. Shining, sweaty dancers grinned, shouted and sang. The less space we had, the more we danced in place, barely moving forward. It was awesome, and I promised myself that this year, it won’t take another entire year to repeat the experience.
How can we have this experience instead of the “stuck” experience some tango dancers describe to me when dancing in a crowded room? Learning a bunch of new moves a week before a festival will NOT help. You can review what you know, practice in small spaces, and work on better musicality/embrace/steering (which is what this week’s group classes are about), but this is not the time to pick up new material. Instead, below are a few suggestions for surviving festivals.
Survival tactics
Pretend you are having fun!
Your intention creates your experience. Make the lack of space a game instead of an impediment. Ooooh! I managed to sneak in a tiny circulo in the corner! Yes! I nailed the ending of that song exactly right! OMG! I avoided Mr. Crazy and his partner successfully! Oh Yeah! I aligned my body and it made my partner stand up! You get the idea.
Look for good energy
With the right partner, you can walk, pause, and turn well to the music — and that’s it. There is no need for lots of fancy moves in every dance. If the energy feels nice, you don’t care if the moves are fancy. I always try to dance with people who make me feel good, rather than with “good” dancers. It’s not about flashy moves ever, but especially not at a crowded festival. Search out the dancers with “buena onda” (good vibes) and you will leave the floor happy.
You’re not the only socially anxious person out there
For those of us who do not deal well with new people, or lots of people, or unfamiliar places: all three of those happen at a festival. Take some time to do yoga breathing before heading out to dance. Take breaks away from the dance floor. Find someone you know to sit with and chat if that calms you. Make plans to attend with a friend, or with a dance partner who you can count on to dance a few tandas if things are looking bleak.
Let it go, move on
Festivals are a bit crazy. I always tell my students to be prepared for strange behavior from folks they know. Some dancers choose to only dance with new or out-of-town folks, as you will be available next week, and they will not. This feels like rejection, but it does make sense. Some people are so anxious in large groups that they melt down and act less gracious than usual. Some of us are too blind to see across the floor: we didn’t refuse your cabeceo, we didn’t SEE your cabeceo! Try to let weird encounters go and move on.
Pace yourself
If you are attending the entire festival, GET SOME SLEEP! This past weekend, people in my cabin flipped on the light at 2 am looking for something, and then got up early and did the same thing. The added annoyance was the same people snoring loudly! Grr! I had planned to go to bed on time and sleep my full eight hours, but it didn’t happen. I could tell I was cranky all day. The next night, I was so tired that I slept heavily, and that next day went much better. Get some sleep, take naps, go to bed when you are tired. There will be more dancing. You won’t miss anything crucial by going home early or coming a bit late. Take your vitamins, drink liquids, eat well, and take a nap!
I hope to see all of you at the Portland Tango Festival dancing!