Shanghai, China (上海,中国)
上个月我去上海,很有意思!我可以练习我的汉语,参观名胜古迹和当然跳舞探戈! 。。。。。。 Don’t worry, I’m not going to write this whole blog in Chinese. I’ll leave that for my university assignment! So, where was I? Oh yes, I went to Shanghai to dance tango. There are two schools in the city TangoBang and TangoGo. I spent most of my time at TangoBang, it was the first one I went to, the locations was closer to where I was staying, and the students were my age. The two teachers there were both Argentine. One was only nineteen years old! He was so cute! And three were Chinese. The class was taught in English and then translated as we went along into Chinese. I could practise Tango and Chinese – the perfect set-up! They probably had about 30 students whom regularly turned up. I went to all the classes I could including the beginners’, I always like to have the basic steps fine-tuned. And I learnt a lot. Perhaps not in terms of moves, I could already follow and lead the new moves they were teaching. But I learnt about how to teach tango to beginners, how to keep the students interested, stretches and what you can do outside the lessons to improve your dance. And one big thing I have taken away from my visit is my embrace. I’ve fixed that! Which in my mind has made the whole trip worth it – if I can’t hold my partner in a comfortable, non-restricting, fluid embrace, then it isn’t going to create a nice dance and I can’t expect to be asked again. Also, from a vain perspective; I look much better! One lesson which really educated me was the Music & Movement class. In this, we studied a piece of music, and had it translated from the Spanish to English to Chinese. We learnt about the significance and cultural references of the lyrics, and after we danced until we were sick of hearing it. Sounds quite brutal, right? But it does wonders to your dancing; think about your favourite song. Why is it your favourite? Obviously because the lyrics mean something. And that’s the same with tango; once you understand what the artist is singing about, the connection becomes so much more than just with your partner, you become connected to the music as well. A trio on the dancefloor. This probably sounds blatant to some – but it’s something I’ve only just really come to understand. How I found the other school - Tangogo was more serendipitous than anything else. It was my first Saturday in Shanghai, I’d just finished the lessons in TangoBang, and so I asked the teacher where the milongas are in this city. He said there was one tonight 8.30pm at 瑞金南路。It was 6pm now; travel, have dinner, and I’ll be there on time. Turns out eating dinner in China is a very fast process and I still had over an hour to kill. So I wandered the streets of Shanghai, browsing the shops and people-watched. Anyone who has been to China will know Westerners are a rare sight. Even in Shanghai, outside the tourist areas, you just don’t see foreigners. So, whenever I see anyone, I always give some sort of acknowledgment, be it a nod or a smile. As I was wandering, I saw this guy on the side of the street, he looked friendly, I wanted to sit down, and I felt like having a conversation in English, so I approached him and said hi. Turns out he is the Argentine Tango teacher for Tangogo, and knows our dear Ricardo Peixoto from Warwick. (He sends his regards if you are reading this). I was (and still am) utterly shocked by how mind-bogglingly small the Tango society is. It’s crazy! I travel half way across the world, and this guy was naming numerous teachers I know from the UK. Imagine how quickly Tango gossip would spread if there was any? HA! The milonga was lovely. They have a really nice venue, a bar, great DJ, lots of good leaders, dancing until 2am. What more do you need? Also, £10 gets you entry AND two free drinks! London definitely need to adopt that policy! The teachers there were from a mix of places, Argentina, Ukraine, Russia and China. And they were all such charming, delightful people too. I don’t think I could choose between the two schools. I wish they were friends though, and frequented each other’s milongas, rather than act like enemies and only communicate when they have to. I do wonder how they coordinated Shanghai Tango Festival this year, but I didn’t go so I shan’t comment. Aside from that; I had such an amazing, unforgettable time. I certainly plan to return. With hopefully more milongas to attend and more people to dance with! 中国,我想念你。 With love, Charlay 刘小雪
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