I vividly remember the morning of the 25th, November 2006 because that was the first time someone intentionally asked me what is like to dance tango.
And even though it was less than a year since I had started to go to tango classes regularly, I had crossed the very first threshold in my journey and dancing tango had become an intense joy.
Charles and I were sat on two chairs that faced each other, with an angle, when I readily announced tango as one of those activities I like to do:
- “So what do you like doing?”
- “Oh, I recently started doing some gymnastics and I also like to dance tango.”
It felt like a casual conversation where we were getting to know each other. To this day, I am not sure why Charles chose to talk about tango but he continued:
- “Tango?”
- “Yes, Argentinean tango” I said, as I raised my arms in front of my chest to form the embrace. He smiled and asked
- “What’s that like?”
- “I’ve only been dancing for a few months but I really enjoy it already!”
After demonstrating the embrace, my body was about to shift a second time, outside of my awareness…
- “So you enjoy it?”. As I nodded, he continued: “and what’s it like when you’re having the perfect tango dance… when it’s just flowing and you can’t put a foot wrong?”
- “Oh it’s just amazing!”
There was an unfamiliar sense of awareness and intention in Charles’ precise questions. I suddenly became aware that he was leading me with positive intention and it was thus very comfortable for me to follow him into exploring the structure of the experience I have when I dance tango like this…
He seemed to be very intensely present, in the moment, with me, and his full attention was outwards in the world and “at” me. His state was in fact so contagious I was becoming more and more aware of my body and the way I described having the perfect tango dance.
I remember noticing that I sat up straight, with my chest open, held my arms out again to form an embrace, with an incredible lightness and my shoulders moved a little bit.
- “He’s dancing… can you see?”, Charles said to those who were observing. “There is a somatic configuration… a specific way in which he organizes his body and mind when he is like this; observe”.
He then brought his focus back to me and said:
- “So it’s amazing?! Tell me more…”
- “Yes, it’s like I’m really light and we flow to the music … almost like we’re floating together around the room… ”
- “So you’re flowing… and your attention is where?”
- “Oh, most of the time it feels like there is no one else in the room but us… sometimes I notice them because I have to navigate but they don’t seem to matter! All I care about is the music in the moment and my partner.”
- “And when you are together like this, what do you notice about the way you dance?”
- “Well, I know it sounds cliché but it’s like you said early… it’s like I can’t put a foot wrong… I mean, I will make the odd “mistake” but I’m not thinking of steps… in fact I’m not thinking at all… I’m just listening to the music and… dancing… and I feel so ecstatic when I’m like this because tango is an improvised dance and it’s very important to be able to be free like this…”
With this novel self-awareness came the realization that my eyes kept shifting back to a specific position every time Charles asked me a question that I had to think about to answer…
He brought my awareness fully to my own body this time:
- “And when you’re like this, how do you know?”
For one more time, my body shifted forwards as if I was leading my partner forwards, my left shoulder turned slightly inwards and my eyes shifted up and right.
- “Because I feel it in my chest.”
- “You feel it in your chest? Where does this feeling begin exactly on your chest? Show me. ”
- “It’s over here” I said, as I gestured in front of the left side of my chest.
- “And what is the feeling like? What are some of its qualities?”
- “It goes from warm to really hot when it’s really perfect and has a liquid quality to it… ”
- “Excellent, and does it move in some way?”
- “Yes, it seems to penetrate through my chest and go through to my back.”
By this time, whatever my body was automatically doing to access this state, I was doing it several times before I answered each question!
- “And what do you notice about the way you organize yourself when you’re like this?”
- “Well, my chest seems to be more open… and I am more upright than I normally am… (a few seconds of pause)… and my eyes seem to go back to that position every time you ask me to describe something about it…”
- “Yes…”
As I made this motion once more to find more things that I was doing to get into it, Charles asked:
- “And have you noticed how you move your left shoulder forwards and what you do with your feet?”
I answered non-verbally by moving my left shoulder, he nodded and showed me how my ankles were raising each time.
Charles had uncovered all the pieces to the puzzle and taught me how to be this way… any time I want!
Before I left my seat for the break, I wondered to myself… what would it be like to dance like this from start to finish?
Even better, what would it be like to dance like this through… life?
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Stay tuned and find out how to explore and apply this way of being.