First, Lori Coyle facilitated a series of exercises that increased our appreciation for tango’s potential to help new dancers feel safe in their own bodies. As experienced dancers, mobility is something we often take for granted, but for those who have never had a regular movement practice, long-term tensions and insecurities held in the body can interfere with both physical and emotional health. As influential members of our communities, we are in the position to create safe spaces for others to discover increased physical and emotional comfort, releasing these long-term tensions.

Second, led by Megan Pingree, we reflected on the three concepts of “age” that we each live with: our chronological ages, the ages of our respective tango communities, and our “tango” ages, or the number of years we have been dancing. I found the interplay of these three ages a useful way to understand my relationships with others within tango communities everywhere, and to observe how and why the roles I play change over time. To get a sense of our conversation, imagine what was happening in your life when you began dancing, and what the history of your tango community was at that time. Now reflect on what is happening in your life now, and how long you have been dancing. Has your tango life influenced your chronological life? The other way around?

Finally, the deconstruction of lead and follow gender roles was discussed as a way in which tango dance might be represented more as an artistic activity and less as a metaphor for heterosexual desire. All agreed that the desire metaphor of tango is perfectly fine, but that certain problematic patterns arise when tango is exclusively accessible through this metaphor. For example, when heterosexual desire is the dominant way of relating, youth (primarily in women) and status (primarily in men) are favored, and the environment is competitive. When this desire is one of many choices, skill and openness are favored, and the environment is more collaborative. To get a sense of our conversation, imagine how you feel in a milonga when your dancing is a reflection of your profile as a potential mate. Now imagine how you feel at a milonga when your dancing is a reflection of who you are as a person. What influences your choices of what to wear, who to dance with, how to dance, and who to talk to in each situation?

If you found these brief notes of interest, please pass them on to other tango women in your community, and consider joining us next year at Breitenbush for the 2nd Annual Women’s Tango Retreat: Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2012. Special thanks to Lisa Ching for the photos!

View more of Lisa’s photos on Facebook.

When we created this piece, there were just four members of the company available: Rebecca, Valeria, Brigitta, and I. Up until then, we had made mostly duets, and we very much wanted to create another group piece. Rebecca had a great love for this particular waltz, Lagrimas and Sonrisas, recorded by the orchestra of Rodolfo Biagi. She felt that the structure of it, the way it was sectioned, was well-suited to alternating lead and follow roles. Creating equal time for all of us to perform both roles was a priority for us in general at that time.

La Ronda, 2003

At the beginning of the rehearsal process, Brigitta was in Germany, so it was just three of us imagining the piece together. We started with two people dancing, and since Brigitta was especially good at embellishing, we imagined the third person performing a solo of embellishments in the background. The fourth person would be waiting to “cut in,” so to speak, and change roles. From ballroom dancing I knew a lot of underarm turns, so that was the way we decided to do the changing of partners. At that time, this way of using the arms was not being done in tango performance, so it offered something new and unusual. So we had the leader, and follower, the person embellishing, and person waiting.

At one point, Valeria, who is from Argentina, said, “I feel odd here, I have nothing to do. What does the waiter do?” And because of that funny moment of translation, we decided that the concept of the piece would be quartet of cafe waiters, and that the person in the “waiting” role would carry a tray. This idea then determined the costuming, gestures, and atmosphere of the entire work, which became somewhat of a signature piece for several years. Our goal was for each of us to take a turn as the leader, the follower, the embellisher, and the waiter. That rotation gave us the structure of the piece, and also the title, “La Ronda,” which is the traditional Argentine term referring to the circulation of the dance floor.

The structure of La Ronda, with several mini-duets and several mini-embellishment solos, meant that we could develop the choreography separately, even when traveling or living in different countries. This flexibility in the creative process set a precedent for how we would create longer works in the future, because with some of us in New York and others in Germany, it was always a challenge to have enough time rehearsing together.

Another interesting fact about this piece is that because of how it was created in puzzle pieces of rotating duets, solos, and waiters, it was re-invented many times as a trio, a quintet, and a sextet, depending on the availability of dancers for each performance.

My choreography to Imágenes has been described as the following: “It suggests at once the polarity and unity of lead/follow energies showcasing tango’s dynamic footwork beneath the motif of a shape-shifting embrace.” This solo was originally created for Polly Ferman’s show “Glamour Tango” in May of 2009 at Logan Auditorium in Chicago, to Daniel Binelli’s milonga portion of Imágenes. After receiving the request to choreograph five pieces in only five weeks to specific music, we divided up the numbers and went to work. The Imágenes piece had been left to the last and was only to be worked on if we had time. It transpired into a solo piece as I had some extra time while the other dancers did not.

While creating this solo, I was brought back to my first tango class over 16 years ago when I realized that if I was to dance tango, I must dance both roles. For me, dancing one role only is like being in a conversation where you either do all the speaking or do all the listening. I have heard people poetically describe how the dance between the leader and follower is “a beautiful conversation”. I can agree with this, but only to a certain point. I know that my voice would not be completely heard if I could not also lead. I am both a woman and a natural leader. Those two statements do not seem to go together in tango but I feel they should be able to. I like to lead as I am intrigued by the complex possibilities tango has to offer. I am a choreographer and feel in my element when I am creating dance. Tango is a dance where the leader is constantly choreographing in the moment. How could I not be a part of this? The fact that I am a woman, hence, the “follower,” sometimes stands in my way. I explain that I am a teacher so I “have to” learn both roles. It serves as my perfect cover. It is not always acceptable to lead so I must choose my moments carefully. Being part of Tango Con*Fusión has been very liberating, allowing me to use both my leader and follower voices.

As I began work on the piece, the call and response nature in the music shifted me smoothly between the roles of leader to follower. The driving nature of Binelli’s milonga insisted I play with syncopations and quick footwork, which I always love to do. The costuming of this solo reflects both the masculine and feminine energies I feel while dancing this piece. I wear a one-piece jumpsuit to illustrate tango’s union of the leader and follower. The suit has a satin stripe running down the pant leg to echo a man’s tuxedo while the extra flair on the hemline along with the cowl neck halter gives it a softer, feminine appearance. After performing this piece at the upcoming Queer Tango Festival/San Francisco on June 29, I am poised to expand this piece into a larger work along the same theme. If anyone wishes to see the YouTube video just send me an email and I will send you then link when it is up: Debbie@TangoConFusion.com