Cecil Go’s Passion for Tango

His hair was as shiny as the models in shampoo commercials. He was wearing a beige suit. From afar, his silhouette resembled that of Jackie Chan. While walking, his long and shiny hair swayed from left to right. The sound of the soles of his dancing shoes hitting the tiled floor of Savannah Moon became louder as he walked closer. He flashed a smile that would make a toothpaste company regret why they chose Sam Milby instead of him.

“Hi. You’re Patrick?” he asked.

This month’s certified achiever is Mr. Cecil Go a dancer and dance instructor who specializes in Argentine Tango. He is one of the finest dancers of Argentine Tango in the Philippines today. Choosing what he loves to do over a successful career in the corporate world was a sacrifice that he chose and does not regret up to this day.

His interest in dancing started when he was in grade four - an interest that continued until he was in high school.

“My mother loved to dance. She was the one who influenced me,” he said.

When he reached college, he became interested in swimming and playing chess. He joined swimming competitions and played chess during his pastime. Dancing had to take a backseat to the two sports he fell in love with.

After taking a BS degree in Commerce, Major in Accounting from Zamboanga Arturo Eustaqio Colleges, he entered the corporate world. He worked as a medical representative for different pharmaceutical companies. At that time, he regained an interest in dancing. After his work, he went to numerous ballrooms to dance. He started to come home late and had a hard time waking up early for the next day’s work.

“I was 28 then. My friends were encouraging me to make a living of what I enjoyed doing. Then I decided to resign from the corporate world and dance for a living,” he said. Now, 41, dancing has been his bread and butter for the past 13 years.

“It was not actually a career move, I just enjoyed it very much. Then I realized I was enjoying and earning at the same time earning,” he said.

Why Tango?

“There are various dances that I like. When I started 13 years ago, I liked Reggae. My first dance was with Margie Moran - Floreindo. But when I saw the movie ‘Scent of a Woman,’ I fell in love with the tango, particularly when the Argentinean women danced the tango. Their execution was fantastic!”

Cecil noted that he likes the beat and the body movements required in dancing the tango. “The more I made a research, the more I loved it. This is the dance where you could really see the passion and emotion, ” he added.

Learning the dance

Tango is earthy and dramatic. Although walking movements dominate, tango walks, having a stalking or sneaking character, are unlike the walks of other ballroom dances. Movements are sometimes slow and slithery, and other times sharp and staccato, such as a quick foot flick or a sharp head snap to promenade position. Tango has the same counter clockwise flow of movement around the dance floor, but with a lesser sense of urgency compared to the smoother and more continuous ballroom dances.

The complexity of the movements did not make it difficult for Cecil to learn the dance. For him, nothing is difficult if a person loves what he or she is doing.

Honing the craft

Compared to other ballroom dances, the Argentine Tango is not commonly danced in the Philippines. To improve it, he and his partner had to travel to Japan to learn from Jorge Torre, one of the masters of the Argentine Tango.

“I like Gabito, but he passed away. I also took lessons from Gladys Hernandez, Pablo Inza and Miguel Sotto,” he said with a number of his pearly whites showing.

He further added that he wanted to learn from the future workshops of Jorge Torres, Pablo Veron and Fabian Salas.

Imparting the knowledge

Cecil never forgets to share his well of experience and God-given skill to his students.

“The beauty of teaching the dance is facing the challenge on how you see them improve, whether kaliwa ang paa; young or old.

He has danced with women of substance like Ilocos Norte Congresswoman Imee Marcos and Davao’s first lady, Mrs. Elizabeth Duterte.

He is also the coach of the dance contingent of the Philippines that bagged the silver medal in the recently concluded SEA Games.

“As a teacher, you don’t mold them, you just polish them so that they will shine. First, I have to see how they move, and then I teach them the techniques on how they can improve.

“I have learned a lot from my mentor, Gladys Hernandez (his Argentine Tango teacher). She taught me how to be generous about the craft. Before, I used to keep some secrets. But now I teach everything to my students. I am thankful that God gave me this talent and I would like to share it to everybody who likes to learn. All out ako, ibibigay ko lahat,” he said.

He makes it a point to win the trust of each of his student. He makes each student feel relaxed and comfortable for the dance to look natural. He also emphasized the importance of balance in every dance a dancer chooses to perform, “A dancer and his partner must find their center. Dancing partners can’t go wrong if they know their centers.”

For him, there are two types of dancers: the natural and acquired dancer. Natural dancers have the knack for the beat of the music; they can sway their bodies gracefully. Acquired dancers are those that learned the craft from the masters and practiced hard.

The difference lies on the execution. Acquired dancers may have an equal knowledge with the natural dancers, but their execution is not as graceful.

Last July 2006, Cecil partnered with one of the most sought after ballroom dancers in the Philippines, Ms. Edna Asano-Ledesma, in a dance concert entitled “Ballroom Superstars” held at the Meralco Theater. The dance concert featured the latter’s dancing prowess as she performed numerous dance steps in a fantastic evening of music and dance. (See Video)

Family and free time

His profession has no fixed time. His students come any time they wish. For Cecil, “it is a matter of supply and demand. If there’s a demand, I teach; if there’s no demand, I take a rest.”

He quickly added that although there are mood swings, a teacher like him has no choice but teach when there’s a scheduled session. “The key to mood problems is to find ways on how to set it.”

When he is not on the dance floor, he devotes his time to his family and another passion: painting.

“I look up to the welfare of my family, once you are married, all your luhos disappear. Sometimes I want nice shoes, a nice watch, pero bago ko bilhin yun, iniisip ko na para nga pala sa mga bata ito. Imbis na ibili ko ng para sa akin, ibinibigay ko na lang sa anak ko,” he said.

As a father, he is different from the Cecil his students know on the dance floor. “My students tell me I am strict, but in the house, I treat my students like they are just my siblings. My eldest is now 16 and my youngest is 4-years-old.

“I always try to have a balance in everything I do. Aside from dancing, I paint. It is another outlet for my creativity. Selling some of my masterpieces provide additional income,” he ended.

Cecil Go, a great dancer, good painter and outstanding father, a true blue certified achiever.

Cecil Go puts his passion into action. He dances the Argentine Tango with July 2005 Global Pinoy, Edna Ledesma-Asano.

SEE VIDEO

see also the video of EDNA LEDESMA and JOHN CO