Partnered Dancing as Private Art in Public - 0lga Gervits

October 1, 2008 · Posted in Public Topics/Private Moments 

Having seen the New York City Ballet, I’ve decided to write about dance as art. In this case, though, I wanted to focus more on partnered dances. In partnered dances, both of the dancers focus primarily on their partners. Even if they are performing for a competition, the main focus will always be on their counterpart. I find this to be especially true in a dance like the Tango. I see Tango as one of the most sensual dances in the world, and every dance tells a story uniquely chosen and told by the dancers.

However, even as they tell a story to an audience, the dancers’ focus remains on their partners, and the entire performance seems to be a long series of private moments between a couple that has accidentally been intruded on by the outside viewers.

Of course, the dancers in question are probably not romantically involved, and the entire dance is always thought up and practiced well in advance of the performance. However, that only enhances the experience. It takes a good artist to create something out of nothing, and good dancers are no less artists. They completely immerse themselves into the dance and their roles in it, and for the duration of the performance, nothing and no-one exist except for their partners.

It is for this reason that I see partnered dancing such as the Tango as private art on public display. The entire dance is composed of a private story between two people which is performed by artists in order to give life to these private stories in the public world.

In the photo below, the pair in the middle seem to be lost in a private moment despite the fact that they are actually in the middle of the very public Buenos Aires Tango Festival.

http://arxxiduc.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/tango.jpg

Picture from: http://arxxiduc.wordpress.com/2007/08/

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