TANGO-The journey to find my balance

My favorite traveling buddy and dear dear friend, Lucy and I decided to go to Buenos Aires for a week over the New year break and study the subtle art of Tango from professional teachers in the tango capital of the world.

Little did I realise that our tango journey was going to be profoundly introspective, more internal than physical; a journey about recognizing our inner core, our balance and our center of gravity. Basics of any dance form. 

What makes tango stand apart from other 'couple' dances is the magical "embrace"; soft and sliding (and not firm and rigid like the waltz) to accommodate the improvisational aspect of Tango.

There is a cliché that Tango was born in the brothels of Buenos Aires. However, a more likely explanation is that the brothels were where people of the upper and middle classes first encountered the dance. Members of Argentina's literary classes - the people who are most likely to leave written evidence - did not mix socially with members of the lower, immigrant classes except in brothels.

The traditional way to learn the dance was that the men would go to "practicas" and dance with other men to learn the woman's part; ie; how to be led. After about nine months they would be ready to learn how to lead. The men would practice in the Practica and go to meet the women at the Milonga. 

The coup in 1955 that ousted Peron had a deep impact on Tango. It was banned by the new Military government and the dance went underground. It was during this phase that someone realised one could make money from creating a show of the Tango dance and thats when Tango became really popular in the international arena. (Apart from the 1913 period when Tango was exported to Paris).

In 1983, the fall of the Military Junta brought a renaissance in Tango in Argentina.

My mum, walter and I in New York City - Summer of 2008

I was first introduced to Tango by my friend, Walter Perez in New York City in 2005. Ironic to say the least, I was not into the dance then. I would go to Walter's classes more as an excuse to catch up with Walter as we would invariably make dinner plans after class.  I re-connected with the dance form in Kabul 6 months ago, when my friend Alan started taking a class for a few expats. I've never missed a single class of Tango. 

Spending eight days in Buenos Aires, reading the history of Tango, hearing anecdotal stories from my teachers (Maria Blanco and Walter Perez) created a deeper appreciation and respect for this art and a better understanding of myself.

The class has become a haven for me in Kabul. That one day in the week when I am transported into another world; into an ambiance that creates positivity, in a dance where I am leaning to be more comfortable with the sound of silence in the "break" between steps that strings each pause together. It makes me forget for 2 hours of the duration of the class, if not more, that the country I live in is full of elements that can do so much (if you only allowed it) to de-stabilize your equilibrium... literally and metaphorically.

I believe, much of the value of the goal is in the journey; so much so, that, I had to come all the way to Kabul to discover the value of tango, be motivated enough to fly to Buenos Aires and find myself learning from Walter who was the person who introduced me to the dance five years ago. I had come full circle.

Sir George Bernard Shaw once said " I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." 

All of us in Kabul chose to come to Afghanistan. Instead of complaining constantly about the situation surrounding us, we have all, in our unique little ways created the circumstances we want to keep our sanity and find our balance. I found tango!