by Michael Ditkoff,
In a recent article written for the "American Dancer" magazine that USA Dance members receive, Mike wrote a comparison between
basketball and Tango. The following are quotes from Jim Larranaga, the coach of the George Mason University Patriots college
basketball team that made it to the finals this past year. The quotes in bold are Jim's philosophies of commitment on how
it applies to basketball, along with Mike's comparisons to the Argentine Tango;
1. "The first level
is physical. You have to put in the time. You have to be here on time and work your tail off."
Practice is essential. lessons by themselves are worthless unless you practice what you have been
taught. Practice includes balance exercises, not just the attempted figure. Sometimes the desired figure can't be executed
because of frame or balance problems. Being able to execute a demonstrated figure in class is one thing. being able to execute
the same figure at a milonga with a person who didn't take the class---Ahh! Now that's an accomplishment! Fortunately
for me, as long as I take lessons, all figures learned are poorly executed at milongas are still "under warranty" until executed
correctly.
2. "You have
to be mentally prepared. You have to know what we're doing and how we're doing it, and you've got to have a total focus on
what the team is doing."
Pay attention to your partner! Dancing is constant communication. Tango is danced one step at a time. There are so many
possibilities that it's futile for women to anticipate the next step. Besides, the man is supposed to signal one step in advance
so the woman doesn't have to guess. It's not like ballroom where a pattern consists of five or six steps., and the woman can
figure out the pattern after one or two steps, assuming the man can lead.
3. "The third
is emotional. You have to control your frustrations, your anger, because there are going to be times when you're very frustrated,
whether it be with your playing time or your performance, whether it be your relationship with your teammates or the coaching
staff."
Just because something goes wrong, don't stop dancing to figure it out on the dance floor. Keep going! Don't take your
frustration out on your partner. It might actually be your fault. I have a choice. Do I concentrate on the 97 percent that
went perfectly or the 3 percent that went wrong? I'll take the 97 percent every time!
4. "The fourth
level, and the level we're trying to get to, is the spiritual level. And the spiritual level is this: very simply, it's all
about team spirit. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. When one of us fails, we all fail. We're in this together, as
a family."
To reach the spiritual level, both partners must dance as one couple, not as two individuals. The man makes the woman look
good; and the woman makes the man look good. There is no closer form of connection. Partners who concentrate only on themselves
won't reach this level.
5. " This stuff sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo until you realize
that the sincerity of effort put forth in trying to find these four levels of commitment is more important than the actual
achievement or realization. It's the search and the journey that the coach has convinced the current players to make, that
has led them to become a pretty darn good basketball team." (quote from John Riggins;
Redskins running back about the coach's philosophies)
We have to accept others as they are and not what we want them to be. Some students are serious about studying the tango,
while others are only interested in learning steps. We have to be careful in choosing dance partners. A beginner who
is relaxed and wants to learn can be superior to an "intermediate" dancer who is self-centered and knows a lot of figures.
Michael Ditkoff has been dancing the Argentine Tango for
eight years now and resides in the Washington, DC area. He occasionally writes an article relating to the Tango for the USA
Dance members quarterly magazine. I liked this one enough to post it on this website. Thanks Mike!
