Tango Bax

The lovely Caro is in Buenos Aires. She is one of my tango teachers in London. I should be showing her around, as I have been here longer, yet she’s the one opening my eyes to who is performing where and suggesting places we could go.

Last night, we went to Canning to see a homage to el Troesma, Zotto. From the social dancing point of view, it was not the greatest of nights, but as for entertainment, we were spoiled rotten. We were treated to singing and dancing by some of the city’s great performers and it was not till the end, when they all gathered together on the dance floor, that we realised what a glut of performers there had been. They included El Chino Perico, Andrés Cejas and Genoveva Fernandez, Leandro Oliver and Laila Rezk, Milena Plebs, José Halfon and Virginia Cutillo and Roxana Fontan. The show had gone on for hours. It was after 04:00, when we left.

Earlier in the day, we went to a class at the Mariposita and this led to a conversation about the correct way for the follower to hold her back in the close embrace. I have had this explained to me in many different ways and I’m still not one hundred per cent sure I’ve got it right. I guess it’s the thing I’d ask for, if I got to see the Wizard of Oz.

Some people say there shouldn’t be a dip in the spine, some that there can be. Some advocate the ‘happy bottom,’ (tilted upwards) others say the pelvis should be perpendicular to the floor. Some say the back should expand into the leader’s hand, others that the torso should incline forwards to maintain contact with one side of the leader’s chest , others still say you need to do both at the same time. At DNI, they say the position of the back is as if you are about to sit down and no further inclined than that. I should be interested to hear any other views on the matter of Tango Bax.