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Copyright © Maria Pouchnikova, 2010Pennsylvania, USA

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be repro-duced, stored in or introduced into a rtrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (elec-trinic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

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Soul to SoleBy: Maria Pouchnikova

I took a breath and looked up. The open balcony doors outlined with foliage revealed cream-colored walls and moving shadows. It took me a few seconds to comprehend that the moving shadows were actu-ally silhouettes of dancers. Entwined, partners glided smoothly to the catchy rhythm of tango music.

I resumed my mission, opened the doors to the mas-sive, castle-like structure and began to climb the short staircases leading to my final destination. The music stopped and the air filled with voices; strong, invit-ing voices. Mystic pictures of landscapes adorned the walls. To my surprise, when I reached the top of the stairs I faced a kitchen. Next to the doors leading to the kitchen there was a large wooden and a corkboard displaying an enticing collage of flyers for upcoming events. At the far end, opposite the side of where I stood were two other bulky, white doors.

The music faintly came on again. It was different than before; it was mellower with a slight hint of grief. Not knowing how to go about introducing myself, I finally braced myself and opened those doors at the far end. As I did so, it seemed that I unleashed the faint song that now sounded like a full-blown ensemble of pas-sion.

Just like that I became a part of the beautiful world of Argentinean Tango. In front of me fifteen perfect couples of all shapes, sizes, and ages gracefully tan-goed counterclockwise around the spacious studio with solid wooden floors. I initially disturbed their focus, but soon they began to ignore my presence and continued to move their bodies to what their souls felt. The instructor, Lori Coyle-Magen, one of three Argentinean tango dance teachers at this studio, smiled at me.

From the moment Lori introduced herself I felt her vibrancy. Later, as I got to know the regular danc-ers, everyone agreed with my initial observation of Lori. Lori teaches with her husband Eran Magen and long-time friend Sam Wilson. Eran and Sam reflect an equally charismatic presence and evident ardor for tango.

Within the next couple of months, I sat in, photo-graphed, and socialized at Lori’s tango classes. I understood the magic that tango possessed and met wonderful people who danced with their eyes closed. Schoolteachers, photographers, businessmen, stay- at home mothers, single, in love, with children, alone; anyone and everyone belonged at this creative com-munity.

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The diversity of the tango dancers became even more apparent during the monthly socials, which they call Tango Hop. During these socials, a band or a known dancer perform at Sangha Space and people dance the night away until 3 in the morning. During these events the spacious studio looks like a sea of dozens of faces, elongated arms and necks, heels, and flow-ing hair. It was a beauty only known to me in movie scenes where royalties dance at elegant galas; except in this “gala” everyone who attended transformed into Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Aside from interesting conversations and friendships, I gained something special in this studio during the time of my observation. Although many brought this particular thing to my attention, I only grasped its importance after my poor attempt at dancing myself.

What I realized, in my awkward steps, was that as a follower, I felt completely vulnerable to my partner. In tango, there are those who lead by slight movements that create a path for their partner’s next move, and those who follow with the appropriate reaction to the leader’s motion. Regardless of the appropriate dance steps and rules, it is essential to have a connection with your partner. Both people have to understand each other’s signals.

This, to me, is astounding. Some people who danced together just met minutes before, yet they danced with their cheeks touching in an intimate, polite em-brace. In fact, I began to realize that in all my time there, I rarely looked at the dancers’ feet. I was com-pletely entranced by their revealing faces, and aside from this deep connection, the dancers remained focused and structured. This is real talent.

The following pages illustrated the energy and mo-ments that most stood out to me during my visits to Sangha Space. I’ve included four transcribed inter-views to introduce different perspetives from the tango participants.

I’d like to thank the Sangha Space staff and every single person whom I’ve met there for being so co-operative, kind, and insightful. I’d also like to thank Goudwin, the Sangha Space house-photographer, who helped me tremendously and motivated me to challenge my perspectives.

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9Goudwin, the Sangha Space photographer

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Dave, second from the right

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Dave Rambereck

“This was sort of like a vampire bite because of the total freedom after the discipline.One person could be moving quickly; another can be standing absolutely still. It canbe very dramatic. In fact that’s part of it. It covers the allegory of life and the malefemale part of things. Most of the leaders are male, and they get to do whatever they want to do. As one woman said you are the artists and I’m the brush…however if anything goes wrong, anything at all, it’s your fault. [laughs] While most women I felt might have been a little resentful every time I brought it up, women are saying well Geeif only it were like that in real life. [laughs] I’ve been tangoing seriously for two years. Before that I played at it but you really can’t play at tango. This is going to be a lifelong experience.”

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Lori with husband and fellow instructor, Eran

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Debbie

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Debbie Goldberg“I have always wanted to learn tango. I think it’s a beautiful, sensual dance. I wentthrough a divorce. It was time to take care of myself so this is what I’m doing. Sometimes I feel awkward and sometimes I feel light. I feel beautiful when I dance. Sometimes it’s still awkward getting close to partners who are strangers. Life is like tango. You are constantly dancing with someone else and you are being who you are and you are doing your thing even though you are dancing together. I want to be a very good dancer. Everybody fits in; everybody belongs because of a common passion. I teach special education; emotionally disturbed middle schoolars. I studied fine arts. But, I took a job teaching and loved it. I like the job because they don’t fit in and I don’t fit in. When I retire I want to open a pastry shop or go catering with a friend. I love gardening and I want to make books again, art books. This place, Sangha Space, is a place where people can be together; it’s areally wonderful, special place. It kind of makes me feel whole and complete. I’mre-finding myself after a lot of years of being married. This is a place where I can stop fluttering my wings and stand still.”

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Susan and MarackSusan: “We come here from once a week to around 3 times a week.”Marack: “Sometimes one, sometimes three.“Susan: “We’ve done it for 6 months. We are going to continue.”Marack: “We love it.”Susan: “We love it. Why do we love it? It is a dance that allows you to express so much emotion but at the same time there are rules. So you cannot just do what you want. Within the rules, which are not easy to follow, you can improvise. It makes the leader and follower be really connected. To know what the other is doing and get the signals and the response to the signals. It is very sophisticated that way. It’s like a human relationship-type dance. If we can survive this, our marriage will be forever.” [laughs]Marack: “I like it because it’s magic. Tango is magic.”

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Susan and Marack

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The Wells Family (Ted, Shibra, and Baby Presad)

Ted: We met up the road at tango 411, before Sangha Space came to life.Shibra: Nuh-uh. (laughing) Ted: …anyway we met and I asked her out in the middle of a dance (laughing)Shibra: The first time I met him he had a mustache and he was not dancing with me because I was really bad. Then later that week he saw me and asked me to dance at Jerry’s studio, which was on South Street. And then he found out I come here [Media] on Thursdays. Next day he came here to tango 411 and asked me to dance with him. Yea, it seems like its very romantic from an outside perspective, but if you look at Ted when he’s dancing, he’s concentrating and very determined. While there’s a connection part of the dance its not about the romance. Ted: I think there’s a moment where the dancing is going really well and syncing up and the energy is joyful. There are moments in the pauses where there is some connection… and heat. Shibra: I’ve missed it (laughing). Well…there was one moment where it was our first date where in the middle of the dance he kissed me right here (points to side of forehead) I was like, wait, was that a kiss? I think that was a kiss (laughs)Ted: I have no recollection of that (laughs) There have been so many dances. We’ve been blessed with good teachers but this [Sangha Space] was the first full-sized dance space with good floor and energy.Shibra: My experience that comes here is from Lauri. She’s very welcoming and loving and its not just the facility. She creates a beautiful atmosphere. This is my favorite place to come. It may not have top dancers or that many people, but whenever I come here I’m spending time with friends and dancing too. It doesn’t feel like I’m just going to dance. That’s what draws me.Ted: I would second that. But I’m also more interested with practicing and dancing with followers who are more experienced. Shibra: I want to keep improving but for me there is also a sense of connection with people. It is a different place for followers than it is for leaders…I want to learn how to lead. Just all these relationships develop with both men and women. It’s pretty incredible, you may never even talk with them, but there are these great moments of union with someone. It’s a heart to heart connection. I feel this powerful deep down friendship. We don’t talk or need to exchange numbers but when we see each other we want to dance.Ted: There are dance relationships. It’s a nice connection. We enjoy dancing with that persona and it’s nice to have those kinds of relationships. I like the fact that in the American scene that’s accepted… you can dance with many people… not to say there isn’t jealousy but it’s not in the custom of things.

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Ted and Shibra

Baby Presad

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