The Tango Question

               What am I doing here in Wisconsin? Why am I here? Sometimes it seems like no coincidence that I ended up here. It is funny that I seem compelled to ask these questions.

               Once, at the Saturday morning Dance Manhattan practica in NYC, the hostess, Mariela Franganillo, told us that there is a question in tango music and that we must dance to it. I didn’t have a clue as to what she was talking about but her statement stuck in my brain.

               In life, we are always asking questions. This seems to be the dominant function of our brain. 

               I often feel an inquisition from my dance partner. If I dance well, I am rewarded with a genuine smile at the end of the dance. Somehow, I must have provided the answer to her question.

               This is what I am looking for when I dance tango. I am not looking to dance with the best dancer or to be greatest leader in the room. I am looking for that person who is looking for me and together we complete the equation. The result is a little bit of satisfaction, a good feeling that is often expressed with a smile.

               If we don’t ask questions, we are not happy. When we are not happy, we don’t move. Inquiry inspires movement. There is no way we can find answers if we are sitting still. When we find an answer, happiness is the result. This is the secret of living, the reason for our existence.

               I am fascinated by how scientists receive answers to their theories. Their search is often maddening, compelling them to seek a greater understanding of fundamental processes in order to make a discovery.

               One day, if they are lucky, the answer is given to them. It is not something they could have come up with on their own; it is provided by the Universe, by God or whatever we want to call the force that generates the response. It comes to them while they are making a cake, driving to work or in their sleep. It is planted in their brain like a gift and it makes them extremely happy.

               This should be a common occurrence in everyday life. If it is not, then there are problems and these problems don’t necessarily have to be solved. They can sit there and fester, making life unbearable for those who choose not to move, who choose not to ponder their situation.

               Laughter is the best medicine. This is widely known but for some this is a recent revelation and they are broadcasting it in the news a lot lately.

               This concept is the crux of the book I’ve been reading, The Molecules of Emotion, by Candace B. Pert, a scientist who discovered the opiate receptor. She concluded that, after years of scientific analysis at the National Institutes of Health, the emotion known as happiness compels our cells to create the conditions by which our body heals itself.

               We dance for pleasure. The ballerina spreads joy through her performance. She is driven to excel in her movements because the Universe compels her. She does not ask why, only how.  She finds contentment when she comes closer to perfection.

               This is what I am looking for when I am at a milonga, the place where tango is danced. I am searching for that person for whom I can be the answer to their question. I will be delighted if I can generate a smile.

               In tango music there is a question. Two people in a crowd find each other and become the answer. Happiness is the result. Repeat as often as is necessary.

Note: I initially started blogging to promote my book, River Tango, and now, a second, Fear of Intimacy and the Tango Cure. Since that time, I have found writing an extremely therapeutic endeavor and just as rewarding as the discoveries I made that inspired me to write my books. 

              I encourage you to read them. 

             The first is not just an action adventure novel, it is a vehicle by which I hope to show the reader a man totally in tune with the river and how he discovers dancing is an equally rewarding relationship with nature.

             The second is about the epiphany I experienced through dancing tango. I was sick and this dance cured me. I didn't know I was ill until after I had found the remedy. Hopefully, others will be led to the same conclusion, inspired by my writing.

             

peace, love, tango

perri

For more of the Kayak Hombre, read my book Fear of Intimacy and the Tango Cure or River Tango. Available on Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle.