Seeing the potential in others
At every moment, we can choose whether to encourage the people around us or bring them down. Without the encouragement of my tango community in London, I might never have taken the leap to Buenos Aires.
It is one of those nights with magic in the air. On a cool autumn evening in London, Tango Terra is glowing with life. The wooden floor vibrates, the wine flows, and bandoneon and violin fill the room with nostalgia and passion. I dance one tanda after another without a break: from Patrick to Sean, from Sean to Stuart, from Stuart to Martin. I blossom a little more in every embrace. My tango family gives me a sense of safety and trust. With that foundation, it is easy to unfold. I show my true self without fear and feel seen and appreciated within that protected space. Martin laughs at my wild dance ideas and encourages me to do more. His eyes shine with admiration, and, as so often, he showers me with compliments.
My dance partners became a mirror in which I could recognise my own potential.
Unique talents lie dormant in many people. Sometimes they remain undiscovered because nobody awakens them. Sometimes we need someone to believe in us so that we can believe in ourselves. This is true in life, and especially in tango.
My dance partners became a mirror in which I could recognise my own potential. Together with my intuition, that gave me the courage to move to Buenos Aires and devote myself fully to tango. Without a job, without a plan, without Spanish.
Argentina brings out the best in me
From the first moment, I felt I had arrived home. The warmth of people here suits me: they approach one another openly and with sincere interest. I received help from all sides from the beginning. In Argentina, I experience an extraordinary sense of community.
There is a saying in the tango world:
“The man makes the woman shine.”
I also know the opposite extreme: dances in which I am constantly criticised. My partner’s dismissive attitude makes me so nervous that I really do dance badly. At every moment, we can choose whether to bring out the best or the worst in another person, at a milonga or in everyday life. Whether we see their flaws first or their potential. We are often quick to complain but keep our admiration to ourselves. Why? Does our ego fear becoming less valuable? Do we lose anything by giving someone a compliment?
I became interested in tango as a mirror of life.
I began exploring how dance can support personal growth, and took that approach into classes in Argentina, the United States, England, the Netherlands, and my home country, Austria.
And then the pandemic arrived…
The pandemic caught me off guard. I had just moved into my beautiful home studio in Almagro to teach and rent out rooms. I was planning my European tour and had received my first bookings for tailor-made Buenos Aires tango holidays. Giving travellers authentic experiences and creating work opportunities for my friends here makes me very happy; I see myself as a bridge between cultures. I knew the lockdown would be long and chose to stay here. I am serious about Buenos Aires. Crises test relationships. In a crisis, we show who we are: we take a stand, run away, or persevere. We give up in despair, or roll up our sleeves and say, “Now more than ever!”
Just as those wonderful tandas at Tango Terra in London once did, the pandemic gave me another chance to shine more brightly. The restrictions motivated me to be creative. Daily dancing nourished my soul. As a blogger, I shared my ideas with others, expanded my audience, experienced my first crowdfunding success, published a website, refined my approach, and catalogued music. I came to understand dance as a survival strategy, a form of coaching, and an important contribution to mental wellbeing. Without the pandemic, I would not have experienced many of these things—or at least not as intensely, or until much later.
The tango embrace is a symbol of accepting what is: saying a wholehearted YES to each moment, each tanda, each partner, and even a pandemic. And consciously making the best of it.