Everyone probably thinks they know you from just your online presence, when in reality, they know nothing about you.

As much as I fear the criticism, I also welcome it. I’ll tell you though, trying to make sour grapes into wine all the time really takes it out of you!

Ευχαριστω, Miles!

A long while ago I used to have a tango blog (now offline), it was one of the most read tango blogs around for a while. With 6000 readers per day, the Wall St. Journal called it a ‘must read’. At the time when I was writing it, I was doing something a little more cathartic than what you’re doing now.

Me, I was just getting out of my head what was pouring into my head 15 hrs a day, every day, for 2 years straight. Not kidding. I was harsh to some, praising of others, and still indifferent at the same time, which was exactly the response I got from a lot of people. For a lot of people, they really didn’t care. Some did and showed their massive displeasure that I even existed.

I pissed off more people than I could shake a stick at. I got more shit than you can possibly imagine, your post is indicative of what I used to get on a daily basis. For every one of the nice comments I got about some lengthy diatribe, I got about 10 more that were vociferous at best, and down right evil at worst.

Since you don’t travel, you’re safe from being house bombed. At the time I was traveling for tango nearly every weekend. I was at some festival, workshop, or somewhere else other than San Francisco for the weekends. And because of that, and because everyone knew what I looked like from my blog, from the videos I posted on youtube of my horrible dancing, and learning process, I would be accosted at Festivals from all points.

I literally could not walk into a milonga anywhere in the country and NOT be recognized. Pray that that never happens to you.

I commend you for handling this situation positively. And don’t worry about the nay sayers. Keep doing what you’re doing. There will be people that don’t like you, there will be people that do. Here’s a small piece of cheap advice: Make certain that your friends outnumber your enemies, two to one.

I’ll tell you a tiny story. I started teaching about a year or so in. WITH THE BLESSING of ALL SEVEN of MY TEACHERS (including Daniel Trenner, Homer Ladas, Sean Dockery, Charity Lebron…(7 privates a week for nearly two years builds a cadre of teachers). I learned early on that best learned is self taught, and my personal favorite (which isn’t mine) that we teach that which most need to learn. So if you’re teaching I support that. I also temper that with there is no better way to learn your lessons unless you have to explain it to someone else!

So don’t let nobody tell you different.
Follow your path.

That’s pretty fantastic!

Keep in mind, though, that the followers you dance with have the same insecurity and concern in the back of their heads as you do. We all do.

The key (there are so many!) is to dance for you while holding them in your embrace. Hopefully, with that on your mind, there will be no room for self-defeating thoughts

Welcome to the blog and thank you for commenting!

Viva la tango!

We don’t know, nor do we care, what causes these people to act out in these negative bursts. Just keep living your life in a positive manner and you will spread the joy, or in your case, joyous tango.

I’m glad you have found something that makes your life that much brighter, and I strive to find the same thing for myself every day.

Butta Scotch!

Welcome back, and congratulations on leaving the phone behind on your vacation. You did the right thing