We arrived in Zaventem, Brussels Airpoqrt after the flight from Helsinki. With a rental car, we were able to navigate our way out of the airport and onto the highway.
The town of Wissant, France is about 3 hour drive from the airport.
The road we drove to Wissant was the Flemish French version of the superhighway. We only stopped once for coffee. That road stop was similar to any road stop on a US highway complete with Macdonalds and Starbucks. The only difference was paying in Euros and not dollars.
As we got closer to Wissant, the scenery changed to gently rolling hills with an occasional farm, fields, olive trees, or a diary farm with cows grazing on the hillside. We arrived at our Hotel de La Plague, Wissant, just as the sky was starting to darken.
We walked into the small office area, and we’re greeted by the front desk woman. Who, of course, proceeded to tell is in every way possible that she only spoke French. We were trying to communicate in Spanish first, then English.
Fortunately for us, there was another person there and he helped us. She gave us the key to a room on the third floor walk up, and we returned and said that it was not possible because of all the luggage!!!
So she gave us the key to a different room. This room proved to be exactly like a French attic studio except with less space. In the room was a very small desk, a double bed tucked between two walls and the small seperate bathroom. The bathroom had a sink and an upstanding bathtub with a shower attachment. And the boiler had not been turned on for the season, it was so cold.
After getting ourselves settled, it was time to meet the group. This year’s crop of workshop dancers were mostly from Belgium and France. Mostly middle-aged couples speaking Flemish, French, a bit of English and an occasional word of Spanish.
There were a few couples that we met at last years camp, but most of the couples were new to us.
After a little meet and greet, we adjourned to dinner. It was a typical french country dinner, an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. As we are at the sea, most of the weeks, dinners are fresh fish of some sort, even serving escargot and oysters one night!
The dinning room was set up with one long community table, 5 tables for 4 and a rectangular table to 6.
In the next six days, we would have breakfast and dinner together, but we were separated into groups for classes.
In the first couple of days, the weather was wet and cold, raining buckets. I did not want to leave the hotel, as was gray and wet out. We were so happy we had asked and received a small portable heater that allowed us to keep our room at a comfortable 26 C.
There were two morning techniques classes in which were separated by sex and taught separately. Both Liz and Yannick are very talented not only as dancers but also as instructors. They can break down any step into its elements… The basic steps formated and broken down into the simplest process that will achieve the results.
I attended each of the techniques classes to continue my learning process with my body.
In this class, woman technique class our bodies were as varied as the women themselves. Some can do disassociation, and some can not. Some can balance, and some can not. As this was a woman’s technique class, Liz helped each person to achieve what is the best possible outcome for their body.
Then there was a couple of practice classes daily. The couples was divided into two groups. Daily classes fluctuated between early one day and later the next.
Then everyday there was a practica, some days guided by Liz & and Yannick, other days without guidance but music was provided.
Then, daily before dinner there were a different group classe ranging from musicality with one class on D’Arienzo and one on Canaro. And a different group class on how to dance in a small space.
Every night after dinner there was a milonga to attend if you wished. Most of us did as was a great place to practice the new sequences we learned.
That’s what I love about this workshop. Learning and correcting habits in a safe space.
Maximo and I are the only Spanish speaking foreigners to the group. For us, taking this workshop is all about returning to the basics, yet again. To practice new and old steps, concentrate on our connection and our balance and how we embrace each other. We do this to refresh ourselves and our dance; it’s our week to just practice tango!
We find out that we are by far the most traveled tango dancers as we have danced tango in many countries. There is a middle-aged couple that competes in both ballroom and tango. They are both wonderful people as they were one of the few peeps we shared conversations with as they both spoke English.
We felt a deficit of conversation because we don’t speak Flemish or French.
The people here all know each other pretty well and again we are the newcomers.
It can be isolating to not speak a language, but we are outgoing and always curious about meeting other tangeros. This is true here. We attempted to have conversations with a few other people in the workshop.
This is strictly a couples only event as most couples don’t rotate partners in class. At a milonga, these folks like dancing mostly with the folks they know. On the final night, our grand Milonga, we were treated to a performance by Luz and Yannick. Was very beautiful and pretty impromptu as most of the week Liz been dealing with injury.
At this gala milonga, there seemed to be a greater ease amongst the dancer, a willingness to open up, as a couple of women asked Maximo for a dance. The same was true for me. It was the last night of the workshop as we were all departing in the morning.
During the week of the workshop, the act of eating with a stranger is a way of learning about someone with food and conversation if both parties agree to sit with each other.
Unfortunately, the group of dancers that we were at this camp seemed to believe in staying safe and sitting with people they knew. A few wondered over to our table, while most preferred the known versus the unknown.
Yes, this is a reminder that not all people are curious or willing to try a new experience.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Wissant as not only the classes, but the location allowed us to explore the area. We visited Calais and Boulogne sur Mer.
This area was the location of heavy fighting in WWII. Many monuments to the dead and museums, too.
We drove the small coastal roads and walked along the seas. We looked directly at the cliffs of Dover. Many ferries, barges and freighter ply these seas, and an occasional fishing boat.
We continue our travels and always stay curious and take on new experiences meeting new folks and trying out new food and cities. After all, we are adventurers in our own fashion.
Now on to Portugal!!!
Lisboa for a few days and Porto Tango Marathon.
Abrazo
