Crossroads

Javier told a story where he saw Chicho Frumboli performed in Europe. On that occasion Chicho wasn't performing with his regular partner; he was performing with Sebastian Arce's partner, Maria Montes. They were performing to the music of Gotan, 'Paris, Texas'.

Chicho returned to the table after his dance and he said, "That was one of the worst performance in my life, I made so many mistakes." But everyone else who were present, including Javier, were so moved by the performance, there were tears in their eyes.

Javier remarked that Chicho always connected to the music, he is super creative on the music. But on that occasion, he went further than connecting to the music, he connected to his partner. I thought about it later and I thought it could be because he was not dancing with his regular partner, that was why he had to connect to the partner more than usual.

Javier ended by saying this. "Its never about connecting to the music. You must first connect with your partner. Then together as one, connect to the music."

And so it was, over the numerous group and private classes, mate (argentine tea) and meals, I came to understand more and more the brilliance of Javier. It's not only his elegance, speed, technique and musicality. He is really a man of the milongas. He has within him the essence of tango, like Cacho; which is to dance for the women.

I remember my very first private class with him he told me this. Your lead is ok, but the lady needs to concentrate during the dance to feel your lead; you must write down on a big cardboard sign to tell the lady what to move instead of just whispering into her ear. The reason is this, you want the lady to sleep and dream with the music in your arms; not tear her hair out trying to guess and follow your next move. Only then the lady will return to her seat quivering with happiness from the dance.

One of the most valuable things I learnt from him is dancing as a follower. I have my private lessons with him alone. During these times we would take turns to lead each other. I begin to feel the things a lady should and should not feel during the dance. And most importantly I felt how he danced and interpreted the music. The things he put into the music is so clear, creative yet simple, I can't help but giggle sometimes when he puts in a sudden boleo, a little play on syncopation of the bandoneon rhythm or a double time run on the music.

Javier is emotional and full of flair. I asked Mariana, a good mutual friend of ours, who have taken classes and danced with both Javier and Flaco Dany, what are the differences in their dances. Mariana, ever the perspective lady, remarked Dany and Javier are both elegant, calm and fast; but Dany being the 70 year old he is, has seen it all. He is controlled and his emotions are withdrawn. But dancing with Javier, she feels his sentiments, emotions and they are raging beneath the calmness.

His flair is fully displayed in his personality, the way he dances, the way he speaks and teaches. He is like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean; only more emotional and elegant. One of his classes he was explaining the way a woman should hold her posture in close embrace, 'ladies, imagine you are walking topless down a beach showing off your new breast implants'.

Another time he was teaching me boleos. He said I was too soft on the boleos, there are times in the tango where the women needs to feel the full control of a guy. "Women came to tango and they want to fall in love with a lover during the dance. If you are too soft you will remind them of their husbands." He lead me a boleo and snap! My leg flew and I liked it.

We talked about our dance and he told me my dance was sweet. He went on to explain; tango is not just about sweetness, 'dulce de leche (sweet, caramel like jam speciality of Argentina)'. Sweetness and smoothness in orchestras like Fresedo, Di Sarli are naturally and easily expressed by the oriental dancers; like me. But tango is also about spicyness 'pimenta (pepper)', like D'Arienzo, Biaggi. And I need that.

With Geraldine they were the most beautiful dancers in the world. I can't help to think this. Geraldine is a great dancer no doubt, but she looked so beautiful because Javier used all his talents and abilities to make her the queen of his dance.

"Its never about connecting to the music. You must first connect with your partner. Then together as one, connect to the music." Javier told me it was at La Viruta dancing to a D'Agostino that he first felt this feeling. Now everytime he dances, he searches for it.

How many years of dancing did it take, for a man of immense talent like him before first feeling this?

4 years.

I was walking to La Calesita, for Tete's birthday party milonga. La Calesita is a lovely outdoor milonga with a big parrila grill (barbeque). Loads of people old, young and famous turned out for that occasion.

That very night the wind was gushing. So it was a surprisingly cold summer night. I was wearing my white linen shirt and it really wasn't very warm. Silvina was walking in front of me hugging on tight to Andrea, hurrying along to the taxi. As I walked behind them looking up towards the starry sky and feeling the cold, suddenly I was brought back to the times as I was walking in the cold starry nights of Taiwan, as a soldier, on those countless night missions.

It brought a smile to my face. I close my eyes and I can almost smell the river banks of Chi Nui Ling, hear the footsteps of my fellow soldiers walking behind me; taste the combat ration butter biscuits; feel the cold cold taiwan nights blowing on my tired body. As I look up to the stars above me they looks exactly like the ones I looked up to so many years past.

Why do I miss those days? Days that remind me of the brash youthfulness, where men bare their souls to one another. Comradeship and caring for one another in the most simple and direct way.

As I get lost in this big city, I miss those days in the wild, the green, the nature. Where people are closer to their natural temperament as well. Days where everyday was a challenge to find the best in oneself, finding the true being in you.

In times like these, where most run away from the unpleasant sensations, I took a moment to savour the chill and thought about the good times...

August, Buenos Aires, through the introduction of Jean Michel, I met Hsueh Tze. She was Jean Michel's very first close embrace teacher many years ago in Boston. So that makes her my grandteacher... in a way.

I remembered my first dance with her, it was at Salon Canning. Not only she felt relaxed, balanced and calm, the thing that stood out most in her dance was that she could rapidly and accurately tell the style and emotions of my dance; she was always listening; observing, evaluating, feeling the characteristics of my dance. Sensitive and acutely aware of her partner, in turn communicate and feed her own energy through her body.

We met several times for lunch. Through our conversations I came to understand she really loved tango. Long before it was the fashionable dance, she came to Buenos Aires. When it was unknown and milongas were still the dark smokey affairs. She danced and learnt from the old milongueros of Buenos Aires, many of them already gone, like Gavito. I love to hear her stories and descriptions of the long gone legends of tango. Its like she was there to witness a passing of the old guard, abosorbing all their wisdom.

I took a private lesson from her during her last week in Buenos Aires. I have had tango explained through the traditional way, the old milongueros; I've had tango explained through the modern dance methodology; the nuevo dancers. But Hsueh Tze, with her extensive knowledge of physiology and biomechanics really helped clarified a lot of concepts. It related to me very much because I was a sportsman all my life. By pinpointing how the body muscular systems works, she could target the problem areas of my technique instantly.

To me, Hsueh Tze is unique. In her combination of sentiments and experience of the old guard, the modern and scientific teaching techniques. Topping it all off with a warm personality and genuine passion in the sharing of her knowledge.

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Here is a link of her site: http://www.bluetango.org/

Another spanish homework....

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Que es libertad? Lo es importante? No lo podes sentir, no lo podes usar, tampoco tiene precio.
Entonces, por que esta valioso? Por la humanidad, por la vida, por la capacidad a vivir y hacer lo que uno quiere.

Para mi, libertad es cuando entiendo mis limites. Porque solo dios tiene la capacidad para hacer todo. Nosotros los humanos tenemos limites. Pero dentro este limites, nosotros podemos tener libertad. Cuando sabemos nuestro limites, podemos movernos dentro de fronteras con libertad.

Por ejemplor, cuando yo era chico, fui un fanatico de Bruce Lee. Una vez, lo vi en televicion, le estaban por hacer una entrevista. El entrevistador le pregunto, 'Que es el mas alto nivel de fisico?' El dijo, 'El mas alto nivel fisico, es cuando yo pienso, mi cuerpo lo hace.' En otras palabras, es la libertad a hacer todos los movimiento fisico que he pensado.

Entonces, desde esa epoca, toda mi vida esta dedicada a buscar mi limites fisico y mental . Porque yo se que no soy dios. No puedo hacer todo. Tengo limites, pero tengo que saberlo, y entonces saber que es la libertad para mi.

Cuando estaba en ejercito, conoci un unidad que se llamaba 'Fuerzas Espacial'. Era muy chico, tenia 18 años, pero desde esa epoca, queria mucho entrar en esta unidad. Porque yo se que ellos solo quieren gente con el mejor acondiciomiento fisico, y la determinacion mental.

Pero entrar no es facil. Tenes que aprobar una eleccion que dura por tres semanas. Yo hice seis anos para la preparacion fisica. Hice la seleccion dos veces, suspendi una vez, y finalmente entre luego tres semana de examen.

Fue muy dificil. El examen final, hicieron una marcha de 35 kilometros con un bolso 50 kg. Pero porque asi? Porque me conozco, para entender mi limites, por la libertad. Luego en la seleccion, estaba muy tranquilo. Por que en eso momento yo tenia mucha confianza en mi capacidad fisica y mental. Yo soy libre. Sentia poder todo.

Entonces por que sufrir? La vida casi siempre es dura. Ya tenia muchos problemas. Pero te pones en las situacionnes donde podes probar tu alma y cuerpo, entonces tienes mucho mas conocimientos de la vida y de tus limtes, finalmente la libertad. Solo asi podes vivir una vida con mucha mas confianza y mas tranquilidad.

One word that I frequently use and hear in Buenos Aires is 'Quilombo'. Its a coloquial slang (lunfardo) for 'chaos'. As Lesley, who taught me this word, explained; 'Quilombo' used to mean prostitute den. It has some african roots like many of the lunfardo words here.

"Aca es un quilombo!" I would always hear and say when the dance floor gets a bit crazy. "Quilombo!" I would here the taxi drivers complain about the traffic of Buenos Aires. Y ahora mi vida es un poco quilombo; my life now is a bit chaotic.

Since I arrived in Buenos Aires in mid August, I have been quite comfortable in my hostel (Alkimista hostel). Paying 600 pesos (300SGD) per month and enjoying a quiet and peaceful room, making friends from all around the world. Then around mid december, the owners of the hostel told me they were going to double the price of the room due to high season for tourism.

I began to search for new place to live in. Ana my swedish friend recommended me to stay with her in the same rented apartment. The owner of the apartment was a seemingly nice old lady, named Lydia. We got along well during the first meeting and she agreed to let me stay there.

Ana then helped me arrange to move in on the morning of 31st of December. But when that day arrived I was so busy with my taxi dancing job and I forgot all about it. When I remembered I was suppose to meet later during the day, I didn't think too much about it because I thought it would be ok to just call her the next day.

Was I wrong! I called Lydia on the afternoon of first of january, after I have packed everything into my suitcase put them in the lobby and checked out of my hostel. She began by telling me that I can't move in today because she has already locked the doors (at 5pm!). I was quite surprised at first, then I told her I need to move in today if not I would have join the 'sleep in the streets' brigade. Then she told me she feels uneasy about me moving in with her now. It turned out that she was waiting for me the whole day yesterday. And by the time I called her she decided there was something wrong with me and she does not feel at ease with me staying with her.

I really don't blame her. She's 80 years, fragile little old lady and never rented the rooms out to men. I apologised and explained to her I was busy working the entire 31st of december and I should have called her. Also I really need somewhere to sleep because the hostel is now full of reservations and unless I check into the nearby Hilton hotel I would become 'el ciruja' (a tramp)! In the end I couldn't convince her I am not a chinese mafia and I won't violate her in the middle of the night.

So on top of dancing 8 hours a day as a taxi dancer, travelling to milongas; I suddenly had no place to sleep, living out from my suitcase and still trying to look like suave James Bond at night with my $3000 Hugo Boss suit... from my suitcase.

In the end Jennifer was kind enough to let me bunk into her apartment for a few nights. I feel really bad because this was suppose to be her holiday and I'm disturbing her peace. I continued to live out of the suitcase and at the same time desperately trying to find a new place as soon as possible.

After one week of frantic searching, not changing underwear, dancing, moving my suitcases around and sleeping on strange couches, finally I am able to write this entry in a peaceful apartment in San Telmo. Antra, a girl from Latvia whom I met in the hostel wanted to move out from the hostel too. We are now sharing a studio apartment till febuary.

One thing about leading a live of travelling is the instability. Not that I am complaining and not coping. But when it all comes to a head, it could be pretty quilombo!