I see Cacho Dante a lot nowadays wherever I go. Mondays and thursdays in his classes. fridays, saturdays and sundays nights in milongas.
I had the honour of observing how Cacho dances almost everynight in milonga and eliciting feedback from women who danced with him.
Cacho said on an interview, 'When they (milongueros of the past) didn't really know how to dance, they did 20 steps; when they knew a bit more, they did 10; and when they really knew what they were doing they danced 5... but with real quality.'
And it is with this philosphy he dances. He uses very very few steps. But he dances for himself and the women. A lot of other milongueros even the very good ones are taken over by their own choreography to the music and sometimes leads the woman into doing figures that can be technically challenging for the lady.
But the women who dances with Cacho are never asked to do something beyond them. I have never seen the ladies 'wake up' (open their eyes) from the dance with Cacho; from the beginning of the dance till the end, they are fully immersed in the embrace and dancing with a slight hint of a smile.
Cacho is very patient and a master of space. Even with couples side by side in front and behind him he never cause the ladies to get bumped, and yet still enjoy the music together. From what I can see, the one step he uses most is the ocho cortado and its variations. But then again the beauty of Cacho's dance lies in the unseen rather than the seen.
Royce, who dances a lot with him says his lead is clear, strong, yet light. And his rhythmic interpretation is superb. Hsueh Tze says the same thing; 'Cacho is very musical!'
If you think about it, to be able to interpret the music with such minimal amount of figures, especially rhythmic. How much interpretation is passed on then through just the embrace and the connection itself?? Its amazing! Thats a totally new level.
Through my very limited tango knowledge, it might have something to do with how he stretches the space between each beat and each step and then how he adds in subtleties inside them. So even just walking forwards he can interpret them to different music.
You dance your personality. Cacho is a humble, patient and a person of real true sentiments. He speaks about tango with a sparkle in his eyes. He is not concern about the perception of others. His tango is for all that are willing to listen.
And for him the dance is in its truest form. No flashiness, comfortable, a place where you take a break from the realities and hardwork of the world; Just two hearts listening and talking to one another.
In the words of Cacho, 'Guys, to dance tango, you must listen to the heart of the woman.'
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For more of Cacho Dante's take on tango, visit http://allseattletango.com/read/ for some excellent interviews from him.
