Friday, June 6, 2008

Do you like to be alike?

Do you have a Facebook account? And if that’s the case, have you come across the Likeness application? Come on, admit it, I know for sure that you have:-)
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about: this silly applet lets you take a quiz to find out how much you are like/unlike your friends and one's asked to answer ten questions to some random subject. Afterwards the answers are evaluated - et voilà! - you find out that you are "Twins" or "Peas in the pod" with someone.
How do you feel about it? Do you like being alike?
I know it's a bit daft to give it a first thought, let along the second one.
But it made me think nonetheless.
As a teenager I bore some resemblance to a child star well-known in the country I was born and brought up in. She came across as a sweet, lively girl. It also went without saying that for your average school boy she was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
So the first time my friends pointed it out to me, I was absolutely psyched. My greedy little mind seemed to discern undreamt-of possibilities in it. So I did everything possible to look more likeher…up to the point of even studying her mannerisms. And for some time it made me more popular.
But bit by bit I became weary of it. I didn't want to hear "Wow, do you know you look exactly like…?" anymore.
I longed to be me again.
At the end of the day most of us are bound to find out that being ourselves is easier than pretending being someone else. It also applies to tango. How often do we notice people on the dance floor who are ready to go to some mighty lengths to look like their teacher, their friend or – last but not the least - their foe.
Some time ago I watched the show of a considerably well-known couple. Twenty seconds into their performance I already thought I was hallucinating, because what they danced was an exact copy of this choreography (I'm aware of the fact that I just outed myself as a freakish freak with too much time on my hands, but yes, I watched this video once or twice:-) Whatever.
It was almost offensive as they seemed to me talented and sassy enough to come up with something of their own.
My fellow bloggers have already mused repeatedly about things like woman's style in tango and the world has surely had its share of Chico wannabes.
For many of us it's just a part of the learning process. But some get stuck forever in an endless circle of copy-pasting someone else's moves and lives.
I think sometimes it's easier to grow up and out of whatever one's been holding dear and start thinking, living and dancing for ourselves.
I'm ready to embrace my "alikeness", as long as it's all mine, coming straight from my soul. Because that's one thing that makes every one of us unique, isn't it?
Silly quizzes notwithstanding.

6 comments:

Maria said...

Hi Tanguerita,

Actually, the FB feature kind of amuses me at times, though I really don't believe it much (that said, it's given me an accurate picture of my similarities and dissimilarities with people I know well).

More generally, I guess I'm just not bothered much when I hear that some aspects of who I am may resemble my interlocutor of other people. I really don't take this as potentially undermining my uniqueness, perhaps because deep inside I think my full being is much more than the sum of my parts (that can be similar to others). I think, incidentally, that this is true for every human being, not only moi :P

msHedgehog said...

I do have a facebook account because people keep sending me things I can't see without one - but I'm trying not to get addicted!

AlexTangoFuego said...

If you keep Facebook "real" - as a means to find friends and stay in contact with them - the networking aspect - I think it can be a good thing. I don't really get, or participate in, all of the games and add-in apps. I find them more of a nuisance than anything.

By the way, you may already know this, but there is quite a growing tango community on Facebook.

La Tanguerita said...

La Tanguera,
I do agree with you. In fact that’s what I was trying to say. I’m not so keen to be/appear unique for the sake of being unique. I just don’t like copycats and opportunists, those who are ready to give up whatever they are&have in order to please, to fit in:-)
MsHedgehog,
Why don’t you find me on facebook? So we could try “not to get addicted” together
:-)
Hello Alex,
Yes, I know - and I’m a part of it
:-)

Holly said...

I am quite happy I did not consider surfing the internet when learning tango, and I certainly think Youtube for sure did not exsist. Sometimes it is nice and better not to compare your dance to others. It is great to use as a learning tool, but one shouldn´t imitate.

La Tanguerita said...

Oh,I've been watching lots and lots of videos on youtube:-)But I think that's what saved me from imitating someone in particular after all.Or at least I hope so.