Dancing in the "AND"

Finally I understand the beauty of the "and". The "and" is the center of the dance and the 1, 2, 3, 4 just get us to the "and". The "and" is the place where Mike can pause and I might put in a tiny adorno. If there's no adorno, I might only stand there (slightly moving somewhere) with the concentrated anticipation I watch on the face of Marcela Duran during her Gavito days. The last adorno I learned from Jesus is a gentle circle of the foot only- no movement of the leg or ankle. This one is hard to accomplish- especially trying to keep the movement soft and continuous. More pause. Feel the music. I here this over and over in my head. When Mike and I had our last chance to practice at the Escuela on Florida on Tuesday before we left, "Malena" came on a D'Arienzo cd that we had never heard. ?Los Cantores de D'Arienzo? Mike was so taken by the emotion of the music and tango he said, "I'll never dance like that again." Yes, you will I think. Yes, you will, because now you understand the "and".
And one more thing.
Mike found this Gavito quote that he remembered from our year of Gavito infatuation. "The secret of tango is in this impossible moment of improvisation that happens between step and step. It is to make the impossible thing possible, to dance silence...A good dancer is one who listens to the music...We dance the music not the steps." Carlos Gavito

Thinking About "Malena"

After our last trip and numerous lessons- walk, walk and more walk, I was told to start reading tango lyrics. Could this activity improve my dance? Yes. I think it does. How I'd love a better grasp of Spanish- the translation loses something.
Anyway so here's some of "Malena"
Malena canta el tango como ninguna Malena sings the tango like no one else
y en cada verso pone su corazon. and in every single verse she pours her heart.
A yuyo del suburbio su voz perfuma, Like a slum weed her voice excudes
Malena tiene pena de bandoneon Malena has the sadness of a bandoneon
Tal vez, alla en la infancia, su voz de alondra Perhaps, back in her childhood, her lark's voice
tomo ese tono oscuro del callejon, acquired that dark intonation of a back alley
o acaso aquel romance que solo nombra or maybe it is the romance she only names
cuando se pone triste con el alcohol when she gets sad with the alcohol
Malena canta el tango con voz de sombra Malena sings a tango with a somber voice
Malena tiene pena de bandoneon Malena has the sadness of a bandoneon

So if you want to hear this one. My favorite is Roxana Fontan singing it as if she were Malena.