Take a minute and read this brilliant blog entry with the provocative title "Mi Buenos Aires, querido ..." by La Nuit Blanche. It is all about tango in its full meaning.
What a blessing that all these cultures collided and colluded in that one place resulting in great things among which tango is its beacon light. It offers a direct line to a very fundamental humanity in you if you let yourself really touch all of its secrets. This life is indeed not a rehearsal. Feel, feel, feel, .... feel its pulsating rivers within yourself, let them take you to a journey with no end. Smile and love with no limits and no reservations!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mimi
It's almost finished, Mimi's two week visit in our neighborhood. Somehow when she teaches me to dance a better tango, I do not want her to ever stop teaching. I don't know she does it, but it must be her enormous love for tango and mountains of knowledge and experience.
Mimi definitely has strong, very strong opinions about how it's done. And it may take you a while to "see" what she is doing and why. But then, things just start clicking and then it's up to you, well me, to take all that wealth and drill the techniques. Once you really feel what is going when using (at least some of) Mimi's techniques, you will want more of the same. Well, I do anyway.
Thank you, Mimi Santapa, "La Maestra de Los Maestros" for so generously spreading your riches. I feel lucky.
And, I must say that it is all Gordon's fault - thank you Gordon. My friend Gordon encountered Mimi's teaching in France some years ago. She was then his guest in Tallytown last year - things did not quite click for me then - and than again now. She is promising to return next year.
Mimi definitely has strong, very strong opinions about how it's done. And it may take you a while to "see" what she is doing and why. But then, things just start clicking and then it's up to you, well me, to take all that wealth and drill the techniques. Once you really feel what is going when using (at least some of) Mimi's techniques, you will want more of the same. Well, I do anyway.
Thank you, Mimi Santapa, "La Maestra de Los Maestros" for so generously spreading your riches. I feel lucky.
And, I must say that it is all Gordon's fault - thank you Gordon. My friend Gordon encountered Mimi's teaching in France some years ago. She was then his guest in Tallytown last year - things did not quite click for me then - and than again now. She is promising to return next year.
Monday, June 15, 2009
... and he smelled good!
The other day a friend and I were returning from a short trip to a milonga somewhere in North Florida and, of course, we talked about our dance experience among other things. So, my friend started talking about this one dancer whom we both thought of as a good dancer and a good looking man. But then, my friend added "and he smelled good" with a smile on her face.
So, all you dancers out there, do not think that your personal hygiene is not a factor, for it is indeed a factor that makes an enjoyable dance possible. I see many men dancing with their shirts thoroughly soaked with perspiration. At least make sure you bring one or more shirt changes.
So, all you dancers out there, do not think that your personal hygiene is not a factor, for it is indeed a factor that makes an enjoyable dance possible. I see many men dancing with their shirts thoroughly soaked with perspiration. At least make sure you bring one or more shirt changes.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Atlantis
Last night I went to Atlantis, a Tallahassee bar and grill sort of restaurant with fine food and atmosphere. One half of the dig is the restaurant, the other a dance lounge sort of place with nice cabaret-style booths along one side, a raised DJ stand on the other with a large mirror in front of it, and a fairly good floor. There is dancing on most evenings.
Wednesday is advertised as the "Argentine Tango" night. I do remember several years ago coming to Atlantis on Tuesdays to dance (they switched to Wednesdays some time ago)-- I DJ-ed some of those events. Those were the days when we actually danced tandas of argentine tangos, milongas, and valses. The floor was crowded most of the time. Then things changed.
The music was really nice last night, but it was not tango at all, most of the pieces did not even resemble tango. Again, very nice, but not tango. I watched as one or two couple danced and was amused. While at least one couple danced very creatively, they did not seem to need the music to dance at all. So, clearly the fact that they moved about with some form of tango-like steps and figures to non-tango music did not matter to them.
I enjoyed the music and left after about an hour with no dancing to speak of. I miss Buenos Aires.
Clearly, for the people in Rio de la Plata region, tango is part of the culture, for the rest of the world it is only a dance.
Wednesday is advertised as the "Argentine Tango" night. I do remember several years ago coming to Atlantis on Tuesdays to dance (they switched to Wednesdays some time ago)-- I DJ-ed some of those events. Those were the days when we actually danced tandas of argentine tangos, milongas, and valses. The floor was crowded most of the time. Then things changed.
The music was really nice last night, but it was not tango at all, most of the pieces did not even resemble tango. Again, very nice, but not tango. I watched as one or two couple danced and was amused. While at least one couple danced very creatively, they did not seem to need the music to dance at all. So, clearly the fact that they moved about with some form of tango-like steps and figures to non-tango music did not matter to them.
I enjoyed the music and left after about an hour with no dancing to speak of. I miss Buenos Aires.
Clearly, for the people in Rio de la Plata region, tango is part of the culture, for the rest of the world it is only a dance.
Friday, March 20, 2009
After Milongueando 2009
It's been a month since Milongueando 2009 ended. It was a great gathering of tango lovers from around the world with those who personally witnessed its progress in the last .. oh, 40, 50, or 60 years. And it took me a year (since Milongueando 2008) to finally figure out the essential value of the gathering. I speculated about it, given the schedule of events, but only after having spoken with the two convenors, Maria Plazaola and Susana Miller, it became clear and confirmed. (My friend Shoko and I conducted video interviews with the two and will soon publish ot for all to see.)
This year, among other maestros we had Tete (and Silvia), Abel Peralta, Juan Manuel Suarez, Roberto Segarra, and Pedro Sanchez - all long time tango dancers and milongueros. Most of them with their own specific "style." And, while they were not necessarily teachers, they danced, their style evolved by dancing for decades and were in classes accompanied with teachers who could and did decompose some important aspect of the milonguero dancing in order to share it, make it accessible to us.
This was a genius concept. I hope Susana and Maria continue with it.
This year, among other maestros we had Tete (and Silvia), Abel Peralta, Juan Manuel Suarez, Roberto Segarra, and Pedro Sanchez - all long time tango dancers and milongueros. Most of them with their own specific "style." And, while they were not necessarily teachers, they danced, their style evolved by dancing for decades and were in classes accompanied with teachers who could and did decompose some important aspect of the milonguero dancing in order to share it, make it accessible to us.
This was a genius concept. I hope Susana and Maria continue with it.
Friday, February 27, 2009
An evening view
The other day, late, late in the twilight hours, this great view presented itself to me from the 10th floor balcony.
Looking West:
Looking down Ayacucho towards Corrientes:
Looking West:
Looking down Ayacucho towards Corrientes:
The day before I leave
So it has come to the last full day here in Buenos Aires for me (this time around :-). Dancing every day, studying and practicing for the last three weeks, and feeling the beat of the creative chaos of this great city under my feet everywhere (making sure that that beat is not softened too much by you-know-what, which you can occasionally find spread generously in front of you on the sidewalk as you innocently walk about).
So, after all of the fancy stuff, I must say that I still enjoyed the most dancing to the oldies like Donato. For example, last evening at El Beso (Lujos) I lucked out dancing the whole tanda of Donato (started with El Acomodo and finished with El Adios) with a very nice Polish lady, good dancer. Mmmmm... we were both in heaven and I just did not want it to stop.
There is something magical for me in that softly, slowly moving Donato's beat, it is both romantic and joyful even when the content is sad. So, when you both let go, when you surrender to the feeling of it, and move smoothly back and forth and around and up and down with the waves of that mesmerizing music, mmmmm... It's heaven when you truly feel one with your partner, both in body and in spirit.
At the end we both said "mmmm ... perhaps I'll see you again."
You know, this tango world is really quite small, albeit spread around. I often see familiar faces when I go from one milonga to another here. I see faces from other parts of the world which I might have seen years ago here or somewhere else. We all somehow perform this pilgrimage to the mecca of tango to recharge our batteries and return to our own corner of wilderness reinvigorated. Tango has that magic which hooks you and sweetly does not let go. Once you taste that candy you just want to keep it melting in you forever.
So, my dear Polish dancer, I hope to see you again somewhere, but in the meantime do spread your sweetness around generously, will you?
So, after all of the fancy stuff, I must say that I still enjoyed the most dancing to the oldies like Donato. For example, last evening at El Beso (Lujos) I lucked out dancing the whole tanda of Donato (started with El Acomodo and finished with El Adios) with a very nice Polish lady, good dancer. Mmmmm... we were both in heaven and I just did not want it to stop.
There is something magical for me in that softly, slowly moving Donato's beat, it is both romantic and joyful even when the content is sad. So, when you both let go, when you surrender to the feeling of it, and move smoothly back and forth and around and up and down with the waves of that mesmerizing music, mmmmm... It's heaven when you truly feel one with your partner, both in body and in spirit.
At the end we both said "mmmm ... perhaps I'll see you again."
You know, this tango world is really quite small, albeit spread around. I often see familiar faces when I go from one milonga to another here. I see faces from other parts of the world which I might have seen years ago here or somewhere else. We all somehow perform this pilgrimage to the mecca of tango to recharge our batteries and return to our own corner of wilderness reinvigorated. Tango has that magic which hooks you and sweetly does not let go. Once you taste that candy you just want to keep it melting in you forever.
So, my dear Polish dancer, I hope to see you again somewhere, but in the meantime do spread your sweetness around generously, will you?
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