As a kid, I wanted to be a ballet dancer and even get picked up during the audition, but my Mom just laughed at me and said, - hey, look at yourself, look at your ears. They are sticking out. You can never be a ballerina with the ears like that.
But all I really, really loved was dancing. Despite the ears. I got really hooked on partner dancing. Competitions. Team performances. There was only one problem - you needed a partner. There was also a second problem - you needed a good partner, the best you can get as you can only be as good as your partner.
A ballroom dancer in the evening and an art conservator during the day. Not precisely Mr. Hyde and Dr Jekyll, but close. At 7 am I would come to work in high heels and fancy dress, change into the uniform, hardhat, and work boots to climb the scaffolds and work on the monumental murals at Rockefeller Center, Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, or Cyclorama in Gettysburg, PA.
At 4 pm, I would change back in my fancy outfit and run to where the 'real' life began - dancing. Every day from 5 pm to 10, sometimes 11 pm I would dance. Classes, dance parties, practice time. The dance studio was my safe place. The ballroom was my real life.
Then something amazing happened...
One day I got invited to the Argentine Tango class. Surprisingly they run out of Followers (usual ladies), and they had more leaders (usually guys) who had nobody to practice with. I know nothing about Tango, I said. That's ok - you just follow.
The 'just follow' experience was quite unique. Let me tell you why.
I was used to the classes and instructors giving ladies steps, then gentleman steps, repeating it many times and eventually trying to do it together on the teacher's count. If someone missed the class - well - they had no idea what's going on. They were out. That's why looking for a partner was such a daunting task. You could not possibly dance with the person who missed the class.
But Tango was different. It was based on improvisation and communication. I had never taken a single Tango lesson before - yet I was dancing. And this was an advanced class. Somehow this guy in front of me was telling me without words where are we going and what we are doing. Nobody was counting! Yet, we both floated to the music. And the music - didn't have the strong obnoxious beat - but rather a more melodic, almost classic music-like feel.
At first, I thought - oh wow, this guy is really good. I did not want to change partners, but eventually, I had to. And to my surprise, the next leader was just as good as the previous one. I could still feel and hear his lead. I could still experience the togetherness.
The embrace was also different. Instead of a stiff ballroom frame - we were hugging. Embracing each other and moving in unison like we know each other and dance with each other for years. I was in love!
Now I'm doing something I never imagined when I proudly graduated from my alma mater with a master's degree in art restoration. I teach people to dance Argentine Tango.
But that's not it. Tango is not just a dance. It's the way to experience the world, find connection with people, communicate your ideas clearly and be able to listen and hear. Now I teach Tango not as just a dance but as a philosophy of life.