Video by Blue Shed Film Productions, from Cork, of the 2nd Invasion Tango: All Ireland Tango festival
In Buenos Aires, tango is more than steps or fancy movements. Porteños, referring to the residents in Buenos Aires, describe tango as life danced on the floor. Chan Park, author of a book titled Tango Zen: Walking Dance Meditation, has spent three years in Buenos Aires to discover that tango is about emotion, which is inspired by music and shared between partners connected through embrace while walking together in unison. This documentary film tells his discovery of tango as culture, music, dance, friendship, love, and daily living in Buenos Aires, all of which have helped discover his inner passion for life.
My body sings.
The feet are vocal cords.
My chest and arms; tongue and lips.
I hadn’t realised the depth of my dependence on cookery books until I noticed that my copy of Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking had fingernail marks running below the recipes. Here was stark evidence of my timidity, an insistence on clinging to a set of instructions, like a handrail in the dark, when after 20 years of cooking I should surely have been been well enough versed in the basics to let go and trust my instincts. Had I ever really learnt to cook? Or was I really adept at following instructions?
Niki Segnit
It’s been years since I’ve read up on Game Theory but the classic example used to explain it is ‘how to get the girls’.
There are four guys in a bar. In walks a stunning blond with four friends. If the guys follow Adam Smiths advice and individually seek the greatest possible outcome by chatting up the blond they will all get in each others way an no one will get the blond. Furthermore her friends will not like being second choice. However if the guys consider the collective outcome, ignore the stunning blond, and chat up her friends it is more likely that they will be successful in their aims. The second outcome is a simplistic version of Nash’s Equilibrium whereby everyone considering everyone else’s decision derives maximum gain.
Now lets look at the dance floor. My stated aims are for my partner to have an enjoyable experience and to impress her so that she or her friends will want to dance with me. I can go for broke and do fancy steps to my utmost ability. But I’m not alone on the dance floor. Out there are other leaders with the same stated aims. If we all go for broke the floor is likely to descend into chaos, my partner is likely to get bumped and not enjoy herself at all. However if all the leaders consider each other and cut out the high linear boleos, retrograde movements and other such bad habits then an equilibrium can be reached and we can all concentrate on making our partners experience that much more enjoyable.
The programme for the 4th Cork Tango Festival, April 1st-3rd 2011, has been launched.
This years festival will feature:
Marion and Enrique
Ruben y Sabrina Veliz
Jenny Frances and Ricardo Oria
The festival programme and booking information can be found on CorkTangoFestival.com
