A dancer friend of mine had an extra ticket available to the 7th Annual Boston Tango Festival‘s “Celebrate Tango” show tonight, and I’m very glad I went! All together, there were five of us, four dancers, and one hopefully soon-to-be-convert! 🙂
The annual festival celebrates Argentine Tango, which, for the uninitiated, is very different from International Standard Ballroom Tango (the form of tango that I compete in and perform). Argentine Tango is a very beautiful and magnificent form, with deep cultural underpinnings, and a strong connection to musicality and improvisation. I have had lots of fun dancing little bits of it at social dances in the past, and while I haven’t yet invested the time to learn it, it is something I foresee myself enjoying more and more in the future!
The show was really quite something to watch! Guillermo & Fernanda‘s first performance nearly brought me to tears – it was like watching a terribly sad movie, only they didn’t need to speak any words – their dancing, their emotions, their facial expressions, their body language – sent tingles down my spine and through my fingertips.
It is always marvelous to be moved in such a way when sitting in an audience watching beautiful, emotional dancing. And tonight, it felt particularly special, because just last night, I myself was on a dance floor, in front of an audience, dancing and hoping to make a few people feel something special inside.
There’s something magical about the cycle of performing and watching other people perform… it’s so inspirational! I can’t wait to perform again!