About
TangoBreath.
Mon Sep 26 2022
TangoBreath is no longer. It died with our marriage and the birth of a boulangerie sometime in 2016. It has taken me too many years to come to this place.
This site is kept as an archive of what it was in it´s day. I have removed all class schedules and descriptions, leaving only the blog posts.
I have decided this, as TangoBreath was created by two people. Eric and Susannah. It cannot continue to exist without Susannah. I (Eric) continued to teach in Asheville, without Susannah for about a year. That was 2017.
I have since taught randomly in Asheville and around europe. What was TangoBreath is still a part of my teaching, but my teaching has continued to grow and evolve, and is really something of my own at this point.
TangoBreath was a wonderful experience during a sometimes difficult, but very beautiful time of life for us. It existed because of the two of us together. It was created from love, mindfulness and compassion, with two very open hearts. I find it ironic, that our very first post The Space Between Us reflects how we were and also describes what happened to us in the end. Our space became polluted, and that was the end of us. It is my only explanation, as I do not know Susannah, and I do wonder if I ever did. I do believe we shared a great deal of love for each other no matter how it has turned out.
TangoBreath was a stepping stone for me and continues to be at the foundation of what I teach as I continue on my journey, guiding people to learn how to be and move in their bodies, and to dance tango with centered and loving awareness. For more information (coming soon) about Eric’s teachings and other things, go to EricGebhart.com.
I leave this site here, with it’s content. I hope that it continues to be helpful to tango dancers around the world.
The origins of TangoBreath.
TangoBreath began to take form, originally in the tango practice and concepts that Eric was using to give tango to others. Most notably his future wife Susannah. Susannah and Eric together created a formidable team, where these ideas bloomed into what would become TangoBreath. Eric has a background in kinesiology, meditation and martial arts, Susannah, has ballet and other dance, and I don`t honestly remember what else as I have forgotten very much of her.
Eric and Susannah worked many months doing research, practicing, and eliminating much of the horrible tango teachings that were such a big part of tango instruction in those days, and which do continue on even today.
It was clear that the community, like so many others, lacked fundamental skills which could raise the level of dance. The practice of tango was often done without intention or proper technique. The idea of giving a guided practice, like a class of yoga, Tai Chi or Ba Gua seemed like a good idea. It was also, perhaps, a good way to avoid the local tango politics of time.
Eric and Susannah had a regular yoga practice which came to influence their thinking in developing the TangoBreath vinyasa. Their studies led them in many other directions as well. The origins of modern dance, Martha Graham, Irene Dowd, and the visualizations of Eric Franklin are just a few of the paths they took. As they taught, other disciplines and practices came to light, as their students pointed out that many of Eric´s and Susannah´s teachings were very similar to the ideas presented in Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais. This led to various classes in colaboration with teachers of Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, and yoga.
Eric and Susannah believed that how we think and what we visualize has a profound effect on how we move. For them, the best way to learn tango is through body awareness, proper bio-mechanics, and movement discovery, rather than learning steps. Discovering the movement in your body, in your own way, is better than mimicking someone in hopes that it will somehow work it´s self out over time.
