Sunday 27 April 2008

Adrian and Amanda Costa - Milonga

I'm trying to get myself back in the mood by watching some videos that make me want to dance. This one is nice for itself, very happy and very musical and full of interesting little details, but it also reminds me of something it took me longer to learn than it should have.



I did a workshop with this couple once, in Spring 2007. It was really good, and I did OK, but I was still a very recent beginner. Watching this clip I remembered that when he wanted to show me something, I wasn't sure what to do with my left hand in relation to his hairstyle. There's just so much of it, thick and glossy. I was standing there thinking "how can I possibly go under, and if I go over, how can I hold on?" Now I would know that it doesn't matter because you don't really use that hand to hold on. It just seems like it. When you're in close embrace you actually get the connection from your left underarm and the top of your torso being in contact with his right shoulder and chest. The hand isn't doing anything, you just drape it somewhere so it's comfortable and doesn't restrict him or put you off balance. I've even known it to be used for gently fending off overexcited competitors for the same piece of floor.

I also really like their tango at the same event, especially the way it starts, with a musical walk almost right round the floor. It's just a great way to start a tango.

11 comments:

Debbi said...

That was beautiful, playful and wonderful to watch. Made me fall in love with milonga all over again!! :-) That is the sort of performance that I really enjoy watching.
Thanks for sharing.

NYC Tango Pilgrim said...

Ms Hedgehog,

I was at Canning one night after the Color Tango performance. This couple caught my eyes. I was dead tired at 4:00AM in the morning, but stayed to watch them dancing on the half empty floor. I was jaded. They are the few young people that I really like to watch in BA. And thanks to your post, now I know their names.

I think they are students of Jorge Dispari. Saw them sharing a table at Sunderland and the style is very similar to Andres Laza Moreno.

msHedgehog said...

I think they are students of Jorge Dispari too - I think this was mentioned to me at the time of the workshop and I took it as a good advertisement because I'd seen him in videos and I find it a very appealing style.

La Tanguerita said...

I liked their tango even more. I felt in love with milonga after having watched Javier and Geraldine dancing it to “Flor de Montserrat”, so I might be a little bit biased in this particular case:-)
By the way, I always thought “Flor de Montserrat” was a condombe. Am I wrong?

msHedgehog said...

I'm not at all sure how to define candombe, but now you mention it, perhaps it is. I really like candombe, and I really like this, and I know it usually works if you dance milonga to it, and - perhaps it is.

That reminds me, I love love love Canyengue and I only know about three people who know how to dance it, and only one couple in London who are qualified to teach it, and why the hell they're teaching it to people like me instead of charging five times as much and teaching it to proper dancers is one of those deep mysteries of dis-marketing. It's delish.

AlexTangoFuego said...

Biagi's "Flor de Monserrat" is my absolute favorite milonga. They dance it beautifully, on par with Javier & Geraldine's performance in Italy several years ago. Very nice interpretation and musicality.

Nice find. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic. Full of the sharp crisp energy that milonga should have.

The associated tango clip reminds me of the following quote.
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction" - Albert Einstein.

Anonymous said...

THanks for the post. I love it. Haven't come across them before - now I will trawl YouTube to see if I can find more!

msHedgehog said...

Last year at least they were based in La Rochelle, France, and mainly teaching there.

Anonymous said...

This is to confirm that Adrian and Amanda are indeed students of Jorge Dispari and La Turca and dance pure Villa Urquiza. Now who is the couple in London who teaches canyengue? Never saw it advertised!

msHedgehog said...

@Nini - Paul and Michiko teach Canyengue. They did a six-week course about this time last year. They don't really advertise at all, except on their website - give them a bell at the number on this page to find out if they're doing one this year. Or you can talk to them at the El Once Saturday milonga. Go on - I've done all the digging on that website for you!