It is always delightful to tell about how I was inspired to learn to tango. Both for myself as I relive that moment and for others as they see me radiate like this.
More than 5 years ago, I was visiting Barcelona with a good friend and one of the most interesting parts of the city was Las Ramblas… one of the best known landmarks in Barcelona. It is a large street with comparatively little traffic and a huge pedestrian walk that goes on for at least a mile. Naturally, it is a host for a lot of shops, cafe and restaurants.
Las Ramblas is also sparsely inhabited by a variety of artists from painters, mimes, clowns, those amazing people who can stand still for long periods of time (ask me to stand still and a minute is a long period of time) and… tango!
Yes, one of those days, we were walking down Las Ramblas and there was an appropriately-dressed couple with a small sound system and a bucket to collect the tips from the people passing by, dancing tango!
I remember being completely astounded as I watched them dance.
It was the first time I saw anyone dance tango before and the music was alien to me but what I saw transcended anything I had ever seen before that involved a man and a woman.
To this day, I have no idea who they were and if they were famous but what I can tell you without doubt is the passion that was instilled in them on every step and every note of the music. They were completely enveloped in one another and even though there was about 50 people with their eyes pinned on them, they seemed to have no care in the world… no awareness of anything but themselves and the music and…
… in those few moments I lit up and felt like I felt that morning in November of 2006. I was standing more upright than ever before and if it wasn’t for that intense heat in my chest, I would be certain I had left my own body and entered his, as he was dancing with her.
That, was ‘it’.
I knew I had to learn how to dance like this… how to connect with another human being like this… and I knew it not with my mind but with my body.
And I say that because it wasn’t something that necessarily made sense in a logical kind of way.
It was something that others, including my friend, could or would accept but never really understand this. It was an inspiration that was springing from deep inside of me that felt like freedom, purpose and passion all blended into one.
What is interesting is that after I returned home and told all my friends about this, all of them without exception, had had a similar experience to tell me about. Something totally out of the blue that came up as I was telling them about this young couple dancing tango in Barcelona. Even more interesting was that it could be something as “small” like seeing a child help an elderly person or as “big” as seeing someone who they really respected and wanted to be like talk about their life story.
And this made me think of tango again…
Have you ever seen someone dance that truly inspired you and gave you a sense of being free? Would you be able to find this moment in a snap or would you need to take a moment now and think about it?
And even if you can’t find a moment like this within your tango experience, where within your rich life experience would you find it?
Before I go on, you may find you want to take a moment and explore this and:
- Wonder : what was important to you about this experience? If it was tango, was it the way their bodies moved in isolation or was it the way they connected? Was it passionate, fun, serious, mysterious or romantic? Was it the music and its qualities or how it made you feel?
Bring yourself back to that day and see through your own eyes what you saw then now… Hear what you heard and feel how inspired you felt:
- Notice: the first location that you become aware of this feeling now… What are its qualities? Is it cool or warm? Is it static or flowing in some direction? If someone had to made an exact replica of this feeling and needed the recipe, how would you describe it?
Remember this feeling and allow yourself to become aware of it every time it’s present in your body and make a mental note…
Soon, you will find that a pattern is emerged and you will be aware of all those people and experiences that help you to be more like this… and you may feel inclined to pursue them more often.