Re: [TANGO-L] Tai Chi & Tango

[Ki Aikido Kidojo <kiaikido @KIDOJO.IT>]

Dear Tom and listeros,

if somebody is doing T'ai Chi Chuan also for a long time, even this one has to learn the basic tecnics of Tango. At least this happened to me (my name is patricia muller, i am living in florence-italy, practising T'ai chi since the 70ies and teaching it since the end of the 80ies). 
My personal opinion is that manhood -in the end- discovers always the same principles (because of gravity, of the human body, of the longing to be one -excuse me the strong word- with the universe and with a partner, and so on).

Maybe T'ai Chi Chuan has the advantage that You have to be strong and centered, to be conscious of the surrounding and you own body, but also to be gentle to permit you own energy and the universal energy to exchange, to flow and expand, to return, to live. Practised alone or in a group (and not with a partner) there is no nessecity to fight somebody. After several years of learning and teaching also Tango (milonguero) I came to realise this point as the most important of the combination T'ai Chi Chuan and Tango: you come to feel your partner as a part of yourself (or of your own energy) - like all the older argentine dancers do - and you don't fight this part of yours (I mean the partner). Beeing one with your partner, you will experience a spiritual connexion (an already discussed theme here in the e-list - novembre 2002). 

So in the end -at least for me - T'ai Chi Chuan helps my Tango to be not aggressive and not to be used to show up, but just to feel energy, warmth and a social way to meditate (together). 

patricia muller

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