Sweet and Bittersweet

In between some serious product testing of the various types of cold medications (they're all crap pretty much, except maybe for Mucinex) and different kinds of Kleenex (the ones with aloe are the best), I had one glorious, sparkling day of health where I felt fabulous and I went dancing. It seems so long ago, but it was only last Friday.

I went to one of Roberto's last classes and milongas here in the U.S. My teacher Roberto is moving back to Argentina. I get the impression that if it's not a permanent move, it's somewhat semipermanent and he's going to be gone for a while.

Roberto was the first teacher I had who didn't teach me steps. In fact, the first class I took with him confused the heck out of me because it seemed like he wasn't teaching "tango" at all. Where were the patterns, who steps where and does what when? Instead, Roberto had us doing exercises like pretending to hold invisible beach balls between us and our partner, and putting our hands on our partners hearts and moving (not dancing) with our eyes closed. I seriously didn't get him at all.

I almost didn't go back after that first time because I didn't think I was going to learn anything about tango with Roberto. Ha, shows what a dummy a smartypants girl can be. I'm so glad I got over myself because, if it wasn't for Roberto, I'd probably be doing some form of Tango LEGO. Plug-n-play tango.

Roberto is one of those guys that truly has a twinkle in his eye. His eyes sparkle with humor, sometimes devilish, but always with fun. He's got the most charming, crookedest grin, too. Roberto has a thick accent and lots of times I still don't really understand what he's saying. But at the end of the day, the lesson still sinks in. He makes us laugh, but at the same time, teaches us things like no one else can.

I ended up going to Buenos Aires with Roberto and some of his other students. It was a totally random last-minute decision, but it was because of him and the experience he created for me in BA that completely changed how I came to understand tango and why I love it now the way that I do. On our trip, Roberto took all of us under his wing, but made each one of us feel special. Whether it was making sure we got home safely from a milonga, interpreting an ardent admirer's invitation to "get a coffee" (remind me to tell you about that someday), dancing with us when no one else would cabaceo us, Roberto was there for us. He taught us how to appreciate the music we listened to, why a good DJ is so important, and how to admire the styles of tango from all periods of history.

At this last milonga, I just had to ask Roberto for a tanda. Because he's the DJ and also the teacher, I feel funny about asking him (or any teacher for that matter) to dance with me because, well--maybe he wouldn't want to dance with me socially, just because he's my teacher. But he ended up making a whole tanda (with five songs, no less), and even though I'm sure I screwed up royally a few times, I wanted to savor every moment I could get with him. I reminded Roberto of a dance we had together in Sunderland: it was a vals and he was doing all of these crazy little things where he was playing with my feet while we were dancing, and I couldn't stop giggling. It was so fun. I felt like I was gliding like a swan but at the same time having the best little joke. Roberto didn't remember this, but it's one of my favorite memories of BA.

Just thinking that I won't get to see Roberto after January reminded me of that classic song We'll Meet Again:

We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Ciao, Roberto. Safe travels to you and lots of love, always.