Crossroads

After one month of dancing in the mecca of tango, these are the changes in my dance.

1. Peace: The most important change is this newfound tranquility. Now when I move into the embrace with the girl, I feel nothing first, then I feel peace and relaxation within me. Then I feel her. Then I feel the music before we finally move off together. Throughout the dance, the main priority is to make the girl feel as calm and then maintain this calmness that both of us feel. Hence, now there is another aspect to manage, other than music, choreography, navigation and technique: emotions.

2. Smaller steps: The tight dancing spaces of BA has made me dance very small and lead very fine steps now. Its not always easy. But these small steps has also made leading fast, rapid and jabbing steps more economical.

3. Lesser figures: No space to lead fancy figures. I've cut out continuous giros (turns), secadas, back traspies almost completely. Nowadays in milongas, its more about doing the steps I am most confident with and then playing with the rhythm and magnitude of their marking (lead) also varying the directions that I lead them.

4. Patience: I used to dance with very good ladies in Singapore, with a lot of space so I can do many fanciful figures. But BA has thought me the importance of enjoying the music and the moment. So even dancing with lesser ladies now, I keep my dance simple and pleasant. The priority is for the lady to enjoy and not for her to have a physical or mental workout on the dancefloor.

5. Traspie: I use to do the traspie in milongas with a lot of upperbody movement, and the traspies are smooth. Nowadays after learning from Muma (El Flaco Dany's ex partner), I have very little upperbody movement, relatively straight legs and the trapsies are pretty sharp and jerky.

Well that's about all the major things that has changed. I believe more is to come, will be working hard.

Singaporeans grew up with their lives planned. Every step of the way. Primary school, secondary, junior college or polytechnique, university, work, start a family, die.

Before I came to BA I had a gathering with my friends. Somehow during the conversation I remarked, 'Wouldn't it be great if every step of the way is not planned and unknown to us?' Well, my friend on another blog wrote that he thought I was crazy to think like that. He needs concrete plans and security.

Well I prefer to see things like that: the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So I have an aim: To be the best tango dancer I can be and also to find the limits of my intellectual capacity. In the army, going through SOF selection I have already see where my physical and mental limits lie. Now its time to move on.

With this aim in mind. Then by channeling and aligning all my efforts towards this aim, I will reach it eventually.

In anycase it is true I don't have concrete plans before I came to BA. The two aims were 1. To learn Tango from the best. 2. To study sufficient spanish to let me get to a local university. Its been exactly a month since I arrived, and these are the developments.

1. To learn tango from the best: I came knowing next to nothing. Now after trying more than 20 teachers, I've settled down into 4 (pairs) of very good teachers; Cacho Dante and Rosana Devesa, Ana Maria Schapira, Muma, Jorge Firpo. I take classes mainly from them but I'm still hunting for teachers, albeit at a slower rate. The next teachers I'm trying out with are Tete, Osvaldo Natucci, Osvaldo y Coca, Carlos Perez, El Pibe Sarandi and El Flaco Dany.

On the milonga (social dancing) scene, I've also settled down into some sort of pattern. Usually friday nights I stay at Salon Canning after Schapira's class. Saturdays I go to Maipu 444, and sundays I stay at Porteño y Bailarin after Muma's class. During the weekdays I don't go for night milongas but I go to afternoon milongas at El Arrangue sometimes.

I've attended so many classes and milongas that I see many familiar faces all the time in milongas. Dancing with these friends can fill up 50% of my time already. And then by having nice dances with these people, other strangers who have been observing are quite receptive to my invitation.

I remember at Maipu 444, reputated the highest level of social dancing in BA on saturday afternoons, my second visit there (yesterday), I noticed a lady that danced pretty well and having lots of good dances. I tried to look her way (cabeceo) to invite her. I know she's aware but she just ignored me. After observing me (i'm aware she is looking) for a few dances, about half an hour later, she finally acknowledge my cabeceo and we had a pretty nice dance.

2. To study sufficient spanish so that I can get into a local university:

That is also to prolong my stay in Buenos Aires. I have been learning spanish at a tourist school who charges quite expensively. Well just last week I went to University of Buenos Aires, and they have a relatively cheap spanish course starting mid october and finishing early december. So the education part is settled at least for the time being.

With tango and spanish settled. Then now the main issue is living in Buenos Aires. 1. Housing and 2. visa.

1. Housing. I am paying 300SGD per month at a cheap hostel. I have my own room and the place is decent with good amenities. The location is superb. I stay 10 mins walk away from 5 major milongas. I'm very contented at this place. I meet people from all around the world and thats pretty exciting.

The receptionist (guy) from the hostel recently asked me if I want to share an apartment with him. The rent is 600 pesos (300SGD) split both ways. If the deal goes through I will be able to half my current month rent. Which is great. We'll see about that.

2. Visa. About that, its the most tricky thing. Most people advocate going to Uruguay, which is a short 2 hour ferry ride away. Go through the customs and re-enter Argentina to get a 90 days new pass. But the thing is I need a visa to enter Uruguay. I will have to find out more for the visa application to Uruguay. If not here are several options.

a. Go to Chile. Its 48hrs bus ride away, but I don't need visa for that.

b. Go to immigration office for extension. Apparently you need to pay quite a large sum of money.

c. Stay as an illegal immigrant.

d. Marry an Argentine girl. Still working on it.... (just kidding!)

But in anycase I met someone from tango who is willing to 'sponsor' me a working position in his company. That will mean I am now able to apply for permanent residence papers. But the entire process may take up to 6 months. So that is a long term plan, not the short term solution which I need.

Well, these are the plans for now. So there is no one rigid and concrete plan. Because every breathe and step I take is towards that goal; its like the river doesnt follow only one rigid and concrete path, but all the different pathways and tributaries that leads it to the sea.