Stuart Brown – a renowned psychiatrist, says play is more than fun. Play has a biological place in our lives as important as nutrition or sleep and dreams. He says that play is hugely important in learning and crafting the brain. Improvisational play is a very important part of how we to learn improvise and solve problems.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary says Improvise means: to make or fabricate out of what is immediately on hand.

On the other hand, the definition of Choreography is: the art of symbolically representing dance.

Whereas Dance is: to move up and down or about in a quick and lively or frolicking manner.

So to choreograph a dance is to make a symbolic representation of moving about in a lively or frolicking way – as opposed to improvising your dance, which would mean that you would make a lively or frolicking motion out of whatever is at hand.

Do these two meanings seem different to you?

Do you only practice with a serious demeanor, or do you play in your practice? If you take all of your practice time too seriously you may be missing a fundamental method of learning that is a prerequisite not just to enjoying tango, but also in actually engaging yourself and your partner fully into the dance.

Not only can you take the joy out of your dancing by being too serious, you will be blocking an important part of your learning process.

Want to play some tango?

Love Light and Frolic,
Rusty