Thursday, July 4 - Tell us Yes or no?
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We had planned to have a milonga on Thursday, July 4. However, so many people will be celebrating with their families that we thought it might be better to cancel.
Please send me an e mail at firehousetango@gmail.com and let me know whether or not you want a milonga on the fourth. I'll let you know the final decision next week.
Line of dance and Tango Etiquette
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Line of Dance and Tango Etiquette
Because of its immense importance, the information below has appeared in this newsletter many times and is available in print at our front desk. No matter what your level or what you see other folks doing, please take the time to learn the "rules of the road" and put them into action.
A Word from Fran Chesleigh
I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about one of my favorite subjects - line of dance. This is a very important concept, especially since we have such a large number of people coming to our milonga each week. Line of dance - sometimes called line of direction -- is an invisible oval or circle that defines the lane of travel counterclockwise around the dance space.
When we dance, as good dancers we try as much as possible to move along this line, passing either inside or outside, when appropriate, and moving toward the center of the floor, when we need to stop or pause during our trip. Good floor craft - or dance etiquette - means dancing not only with our current partner, but with everyone in the room, making sure not to disturb their individual space as we negotiate the floor. On a crowded floor, this can sometimes be pretty difficult, but it's a crucial component of our social interaction with others on the dance floor.
Everyone who takes our lessons before our milonga has been reminded again and again that moving along the line of dance is part of what makes it possible for a large group such as we entertain each week to have fun without worrying about people suddenly coming out of nowhere and bumping into them. Let's all of us try really hard to maintain the line of dance during every trip around the floor. If you find that there are people who consistently flout this important convention, please let me or Sue know about it, and we'll do our best to make sure it doesn't continue. We all love to dance; that's one of the reasons we come to the Firehouse every Thursday. Let's make sure it's fun for everyone.
Continuing about the line of dance
Please guys, follow the line of dance. It makes it so much more pleasant for everyone. Here is an interesting web site that you can go to for more information about the line of dance and dance floor etiquette (used with permission of owner).
http://www.inscenes.com/etiquette.htm
Also Please:
o If you drink wine, please bring a bottle every so often. We do not provide wine; you enjoy it thanks to the generosity of your fellow milongueros.
o Try not to walk across the dance floor when folks are dancing; walk along the outside to get to the tables and chairs.
o Confine food or drink to the bar room and the tables in the ballroom. Do not bring them into the dance area.
o Do not touch the air conditioning and heating controls. Instead, bring problems to the attention of one of the organizers.
o Put your handbags and shoe bags under the chairs or tables, not on top of them.
o Refrain from wearing cologne and perfume, as many people are allergic to these.
o Throw your dishes and cups in the garbage can when you are finished with them.
Last Thursday June 13 - Birthday of Marie Gregoire
Francis and Marie Gregoire have been coming to Firehouse for many years and have been to Buenos Aires with us twice, and we are honored to be able to have so many celebrations with them. Francis started the birthday tango with Marie and then the lucky guys began cutting in. Marie is a terrific dancer, and it is sure was delightful. Oh, and the mountain of huge and luscious shrimp and mouth-watering chocolate cake that Francis and Marie brought was delicious, as always. You didn't see the huge chocolate bar that they brought. Sorry, I just couldn't resist it.
Marie always looks wonderful, but that purple dress that she wore tonight was awesome.
If heaven is anything like celebrating one's birthday at Firehouse Tango, it has a lot to recommend it. Frankly, I'd rather be at Firehouse. Thank you lovely tangueras, for a birthday memory I shall cherish. Con mucho amore,
Steve Turi
I keep saying I do not want to celebrate any more birthdays, but how many men will line up to dance with me, if not for the traditional tributes on birthdays.....oh well, you know that is not really true because our tanqueros dance with all of the ladies...
Terri Lopez
June 21 - 23 2013 Stardust Dance Weekend in the Catskills - Special tango guests - Diego Blanco and Anna Padron - Sunday after lunch milonga added
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NEW!!!!
SUNDAY AFTERNOON ~ JUNE 23rd, 2013 After-Lunch-Milonga - a note from DJ Ilene Marder -
2:30pm-4:30pm
DJ Ilene Marder, 'La Rubia Del Norte'
ARGENTINE TANGO SALON @
THE STARDUST DANCE WEEKEND
Honors Haven Resort, Ellenville, New York
Hi Stardust & Firehouse Tangueros!
Here's a short note to remind you not to leave after lunch at the end of the upcoming June Stardust Dance Weekend!
Thanks to the wonderful success of the first ever Stardust Sunday Afternoon Tango Salon in April, another Sunday 'milonguita' (little milonga) has been announced for its upcoming weekend, June 21st through 23rd !
Starting after lunch at 2:30p until 4:30pm, we'll be dancing in the Zephyr Lounge to the classic tunes of Di Sarli, D'Arienzo, Pugliese, Canaro and all the great Golden Age Orchestras, as well as some lovely modern tango tunes as well.
So please do not pack up your dance shoes! Come down to the Tango Salon at the Zephyr Lounge for the 'topping' of what we know will be a great dance weekend!
There is no extra charge for this Sunday addition! In fact, if you'd like to invite tango friends who are not participating in the overall weekend, please do--- there is no charge for 'outside tangueros" to attend this event! AND, Lunch packages are also be available at $35 per person, which would include, of course, having fun dancing all styles during lunch, in addition to the milonguita.
Better yet, why not recruit some new Firehouse Tangueros for the full weekend!? Stardust has been growing its tango program (thanks to director Linda Gilberg and of course Fran Chesleigh!), so there are now more terrific opportunities to dance and learn Argentine Tango social dancing at this venerable dance weekend.
For more info on the overall weekend: http://www.stardustdance.com/latest_weekend.html
For more info on the Sunday Tango Salon, please contact me: imhmedia@gmail.com.
We hope to see you!
All best
Ilene
your friendly Tango DJ who misses dancing at Firehouse Tango!!
More about the Stardust Dance Weekend
Get your dancing shoes on and celebrate the 1st day of Summer at Stardust Dance Productions 94th weekend of Ballroom Dancing June 21-23, 2013 at Honor's Haven Resort & Spa, Ellenville, New York.
o Live 17 Piece Ballroom Dance Orchestra
o Cocktail Party with 1 hour Open Bar with Dancing
o 62 Hours of Dance Workshops
o 7 Meals, Night & Day Dancing to 4 Great DJ's
o Top Night Club Entertainment Each Evening
o Separate Dance Facilities for Latin, Ballroom, Argentine Tango, Hustle/West Coast Swing
o & Much More......Rates starting at $385 per person for the 3days/2 nights
SPECIAL GUEST Diego Blanco & Ana Pardon-award winning Argentine Tango dancers are one of the top performing couples in the New York Tango scene and the world today will be performing Friday evening and teaching Intermediate and Advanced Argentine Tango Workshops Saturday Morning. For reservations or more information www.stardustdance.com or call 800-537-2797.
Tango on the Hudson - Sunday, August 25, 2013 Don't miss our annual Firehouse Tango on the Hudson Outdoor Picnic Milonga Sunday, August 25 from 4 to 8 pm. The event will be held at the Alpine Pavilion; one of the loveliest spots in this area, right on the Hudson River.
Monica Paz in Washington DC
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I
- June 13 to 18 Washington DC:
Milongas
Date Time Venue Event
JUNE 14 11:30PM Colvin Run Milonga Performance
JUNE 16 8:00PM - 9:15PM Milonga Zandunga Pre-milonga class.
Opening private classes registration. Email: tangopaz@yahoo.com.ar or tom.white@colvinrun.org
Workshops
Date Time Venue Event
JUNE 15 12:00PM - 6:00PM Colvin Run Dance Hall Tango milonguero for everybody
JUNE 16 12:00PM - 6:00PM Colvin Run Dance Hall Tango milonguero for everybody
Colvin Run Dance Hall
10201 Colvin Run Road
Great Falls, VA 22066
Pre-registration required, first come, first served.
For detailed program info and pre-registration, please contact Tom White, email:
tom.white@colvinrun.org , website: http://www.colvinrun.org
FB: http://www.facebook.com/ColvinRunTango
Judy is home and feeling much better. Her phone number is 201-314-7957. You can send cards to her at 267 Buttonwood Paramus NJ 07652.
We welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.comWe welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.com
From Debbie Glaser
Once again, the violin music was enchanting the other night. So many people told me it reminded them of a parent or family member who used to play it.
What a treat!
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. During the past two weeks, I've been discussing what I called a leader's "tool kit" for Tango. The idea behind this is to provide you with a strong focus for how to conduct yourself as a leader when preparing to dance and when forming the actual embrace. Today, we're going to talk about the last in our series of leader's tool kits - "first steps." (If you haven't read the previous two Tango Tips, I'd suggest that in preparation for this one you take a look at them in our Firehouse archives.)
The point at which we'll begin this week is that you've walked onto the dance floor with your partner and formed the embrace. If you've used the "tool kit" suggestions up to now, you're ready to start dancing. Let's talk about what to think about, when inviting your first steps: 1. Focus on dancing with your partner in increments of one step at a time rather than in a multi-step sequence. This will ensure that you concentrate on what is actually going on within each step in terms of her response to your lead rather than the theoretical construction of the figure. 2.
Virtually every figure you might want to lead in Tango consists of some combination of six basic elements: pause, in-place, side, forward, backward, and pivot Be sure to invite each of these elements by precisely employing specific leads, which you generate from your torso through the dance connection. (f you don't know what these leads are, ask your teacher to work with you in building a solid skill set for leading.) 3. After inviting any individual movement, pay careful attention to whether your partner has received and is executing the step you asked for - and allow her to complete this element by bringing herself into reasonable balance before you ask for another step. 4.
Be extra careful when inviting women's backward movements. It's very easy for her to lose her balance and fall into a subsequent additional back step unless you make absolutely certain that you allow her to find her balance at the end of each step. 5. Be extra careful when inviting a molinete. Remember that you are in the center of the circle in a rotating sequence and that your partner is way out on the circumference. This means that she has to take very large steps to keep up with you, if you're turning your torso too quickly. SLOW DOWN!!!
6. Be extra careful when inviting a forward or backward ocho. Remember that each of these figures consists of two distinct leads - a pivot and a walk. Don't simply shove your partner to one side and hope that she understands what you want her to do. If you're not sure how to effectively lead an ocho, talk to your teacher. 7. A good final idea might be to be extra careful when leading anything and everything.
Okay, there's your leader's "tool kit" for inviting your first steps (and all subsequent steps) within the dance. As with the material we discussed during the past two weeks this should all be quite familiar to you by now, if you've been taking regular dance instruction with a competent teacher. Next week, Pat will begin building a "tool kit" for followers.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dance Manhattan |
For Firehouse dancers who might enjoy a day in the Big Apple on Saturdays, Fran teaches from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. every week. He offers a beginner class in Milonga & Argentine Waltz at 11:00 a.m. as well as an intermediate class in Tango at noon. From 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Fran and Pat host a special beginner/intermediate practice for bringing your skills up to speed. The cost for the practice is $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Fran and Pat are always on hand to answer any questions you may have about your dancing, and to help you with figures you're working on. If you want to take Fran's classes, call Dance Manhattan at 212-807-0802 to register. For the practice, all you have to do is arrive with $10 and your dance shoes in hand.
See you every Saturday for a full day of Tango!
Firehouse Tango hot line - We rarely cancel |
We want to remind everyone that if the weather looks really bad, we will leave messages on our web site www.firehousetango.com and phone 201-825-1570. You can also reach us on our cell phone 201-826-6602 (Sue) and 201-913-8504 (Joe). Feel free to leave a message on any of these lines. We cancel only when absolutely necessary (only about six seven times in all these years), but please check whenever you're not sure. If there isn't any message, we're on.
During Hurricane Sandy, when we had only cell phone service, I was able to leave a message on my cell, so I guess that the best number to call is 201-826-6602. If you lost something, we probably have it. We have a few ladies' scarves and some shoes. There are also various items of clothing and jewelry in the closet. Ask Tibor at the front desk. The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango. - Maher Labib
- Terri Lopez
- Tony Mele
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- steve turi
- Stephen Maisch
- Jesse Barton
- Mary Epiphan
- Elena Syrett
- Mike Porro
- Nona
- Elena S.
- Debbie Glaser
A reminder that Firehouse Tango does not supply wine - Your fellow tangueros bring it. Therefore, if you drink it, please make sure to bring a bottle every so often.
The folks below brought food and wine this week -
- Last week, I left a large loaf of rye bread in a bag on the floor of my garage. I knew Herb Goodfried would save the day. Instead of expressing my gratitude, I left his contribution out of last week's newsletter. Shame on me - thanks to him.
- Chocolate cake, shrimp, and mouth-watering chocolate for Marie's birthday
- Glenn Klui - Pastries
- Jorge Sturam - Bubbly - Pugliese and Champagne - a Firehouse tradition. What could be better?
And these people brought wine - Bill Krukovsky
- Jack Messing
- Dan & Georgina
- Jean Shedlock
- Enrique Zuniga
- Horatio Piccioni
- Marta Bautis
- Fran Reich
- Francis & Marie
- Eduardo Campos
- Terri Lopez
Tango in New Jersey - Milongas |
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