OSHALLA DIANA MARCUS

It is a pleasure to ...pause, to celebrate another achievement at

The Magdalena Technique (TM) !

We are here celebrating a very dedicated person who decided to learn Argentine Tango, some few years back.She took upon that personal commitment, another one, just as significant: to help others along the way, as an Assistant to the classes. She has been outstanding on both counts. That person is: Oshalla Diana Marcus!

She has deserved more than once, to be featured as a "Student of the Month", as she went through her breakthroughs; she has been patient, accompanying others, instead, through their marked achievements. The time is here to acknowledge her accomplishments.

It is not a small thing for two people to be kina relationship, with one of them having as an instructor, for a special dance such as Argentine Tango,the other Life Partner. It can be...intense. We both plunged into that process. We discovered immensely about the mystical Journey of Life... We discovered that "difficult" does not mean..."impossible to do".

Let's hear from Oshalla herself:

"My journey started and paused several times. So, although it was five years ago that Jean Pierre asked me if I would be interested in being his Tango partner, it was two years ago that I began to understand what it meant to own my walk or to know what it meant to be the “center of the dance.” My background had been loosely partnered social dancing, solo improvised or choreographed dancing in a group. I accepted Mr. Sighe’s offer because I wanted to go into my later years with mastery of a dance that would ultimately replace the gyrations and fast footwork of Brazilian Samba. Over the years, I have mastered Congolese, Afro-Haitian, Jazz, and Modern dance styles. I felt that I owned my spontaneous mastery of dance. Little did I know how challenged I would be in surrendering to the close embrace one step at a time nature of Argentine Tango.

While it is true that former dance training will serve as a foundation to learn a new technique, it can also hold you into learned habits that must be set aside while a new method is discovered. This setting aside was challenging at times when I felt that I could not dance anymore, which was disappointing and frustrating. The situation was even more complicated because I had to train my ear to get to the heart of the Tango orchestra and the music that had removed the drums. So, I had several obstacles to overcome before I felt I could own my center while also protecting the third axis created by walking with a partner.
Fortunately, Jean Pierre became my life as well as my dance partner. Therefore, the moments of feeling that I wanted to put this journey on hold were not a comfortable option. I also began to feel an ancestral responsibility to reclaim the African Roots of Tango that had been erased mainly due to the social-political policies in Argentina post the trans-Atlantic enslavement trade that brought millions of Africans into that country. As a cultural educator, my mission was higher than my frustrations. My dance practice incorporated being fully in the moment. I began to see my Tango journey as an extension of my Yogic path.
One breath at a time."

 

BRAVOOO Oshalla!!!

Keep it up!

 

Jean-Pierre Sighé