Beautiful weather predicted 

As of today, the weather prediction is for sunny and pleasant  with a high of 81 and a low of 63.  Absolutely perfect for our outdoor picnic milonga on the Palisades.  Mother Nature must be a true tanguera at heart.

Get your tickets [$20.00] now for our eighth annual Tango on the Hudson picnic milonga. Don't miss dancing Tango at one of the loveliest spots in this area.

The dance is in the Alpine Pavilion, located at the boat basin in Alpine, New Jersey, about seven miles from the George Washington Bridge.  We will dance under the stars at this magnificent stone, open air structure built in the 1930's by the
 WPA, nestled in the forested Palisades directly on the Hudson River, with a huge wood floor made for dancing.  Its protective roof, picnic tables and matchless ambiance make it perfect for eating and dancing rain or shine.

FIREHOUSE TANGO ON THE HUDSON

Admission:

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door if space is available

Purchasing tickets:    

Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at Firehouse Tango this Thursday.  You can call Sue at 201-825-1570 for additional information.

Date:                   

Sunday night, August 25, 2013


Time:                 

4 - 8 PM                             

Weather:           

Rain or shine - Covered pavilion

Place:            

Alpine Boat Basin

Parking:

$5 for a car to park in lot

Food:      

We will not supply food but you can bring a picnic supper if you want. There are tables at which to sit.

Drink:           

BYOB and water

Cleanup:           

Please dispose of your own garbage in the receptacles provided

Music:           

Music by DJ Joe

Information:       

For additional information call Sue at 201-825-1570 OR 201-826-6602 or e mail firehousetango@gmail.com .

Floor:

The floor is wood and you can wear dance shoes (dress is casual)

 

For pictures and directions for this year's Firehouse Tango on the Hudson Picnic Milonga (Sunday, August 25, the Sunday before Labor Day) click on Special Events on our web site at www.firehousetango.com

http://www.firehousetango.com/FHTontheHudsonPicnicMilongaSunday2013.doc

On Thursday, September 5, Firehouse Tango will be at Victor's Maywood Inn, less than a mile from The Knights of Columbus.   The time and schedule is the same as always. Only the place will change.

Victor's Maywood Inn

122 W. Pleasant Avenue
Maywood, N.J. 07607-1235
(201) 843-8022

 http://www.maywoodinn.com/

Thursday, September 5

7 - 8 PM :                   Beginner lesson with Fran Chesleigh

8 - 9 PM                     Intermediate Lesson with Fran Chesleigh

9 - 11 PM                   Milonga

Admission is only $10 and includes lessons and milonga.  The Maywood Inn has an excellent menu and bar.  We encourage you to try both.  Please do not bring wine.

For additional information, call Sue at 201-825-1570

DIRECTIONS TO VICTOR'S MAYWOOD INN -

FROM KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL - GOING TOWARDS MAYWOOD AVE

Start going northwest on Grove Avenue towards Elm St to Maywood Avenue.  Make a left on Maywood Avenue. Take the 3rd right onto W Passaic St.  Go .3 miles and turn right onto Lincoln Avenue.  Go .08 miles and turn right onto West Pleasant Avenue. Victor's Maywood Inn is on the right at 122 W Pleasant Avenue (two-way street with a middle divider).

 ROUTE 17, NORTH

Exit at the Passaic Street, Rochelle Park - Maywood Exit. Go right on Passaic Street towards Maywood. Continue on Passaic Street about 5 blocks to Spencer Joseph Way. Make left onto Spencer Joseph Way and proceed to our parking lot on left.

ROUTE 17, SOUTH

Exit onto Route 4, East, and follow directions for Route 4, East.

GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, NORTH

Exit after the Bergen Toll Plaza at Exit 160. Make a right onto Passaic Street (towards Maywood) about 1 1/4 miles, to Spencer Joseph Way. Make left onto Spencer Joseph Way and proceed to our parking lot on left.

GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, SOUTH

Take Exit 163 onto Route 17, South, in Paramus and exit onto Route 4, East, and follow directions for Route 4 East.

ROUTE 4, EAST

Exit in Paramus at Spring Valley Road, Oradell / Maywood Exit. Continue toward Maywood on Spring Valley Road to West Pleasant Avenue. Make a left onto West Pleasant Avenue (two-way street with a middle divider). Victor's Maywood Inn is on the right about 2 1/2 blocks.

ROUTE 4, WEST

Take the Paramus exit. Exit is after the underpass and marked "Bergen Mall Entrance". At the end of the exit make a right onto Forest Avenue. Forest Avenue will turn into Maywood Avenue, continue south on Maywood Avenue to West Pleasant Avenue (at light). Make right onto West Pleasant Avenue (two-way street with a middle divider). Victor's Maywood Inn is on the left about 3 blocks.

ROUTE 80, EAST

Exit 62 to the Garden State Parkway North and follow the directions for the Garden State Parkway, North

ROUTE 80, WEST

Exit 63A to Route 17 North and follow directions for Route 17, North.

Since most of my students, not to mention my dance partners, are women, I am more familiar with tension among followers; however, I am told by my female colleagues that their male students experience exactly the same problem.

I don't think that there's any way to pinpoint exactly why tension in the upper body occurs. I would guess that there are many people who become tense at the very idea of being close to or actually touched by another person. I think it's also true that the notion of being a leader or a follower in the context of social dancing is - initially, at least - a somewhat uncomfortable prospect. But I have also noticed a great deal of tension among more seasoned followers: Is it that they're now dancing with "the teacher?" Or do they automatically set up a wall of tension for some kind of protection, no matter whom they're dancing with?

When I talk to my own students about this they usually tell me -- after thinking about it for a while -- that they somehow believe they have to harden themselves; i.e., become tense, in order to better control themselves and thus avoid making mistakes. This rings true to me, since I remember doing exactly the same thing myself, when I was learning how to dance.

The problem with this is that it simply doesn't work. If you're tense, you'll almost surely make even more mistakes than you might if your body were less tied up in knots. If you're tense, you're actually erecting a huge wall between yourself and your partner, which prevents rather than enables any kind of comfortable communication. Finally, if you're tense, you can't possibly be having any fun.

Okay, so stop being tense. Yeah, right - easy for me to say, hard for any of us to actually accomplish. The way I go about solving the problem with my students is first to identify that the problem actually exists - make it completely conscious, completely tactile -- and then to eliminate each of its components in a step-by-step way over time. It's not an easy process, but I've had a good deal of success with most of my students if they're willing to work on it as a regular part of their learning process.

Can you solve the problem of tension by yourself? To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I think that I managed to solve my problem by myself, since I never had teachers who were knowledgeable enough to help. So I guess I would say that if you apply yourself, you can do it, too. If, however, you find that you're not able to make your own upper-body tension go away, do yourself a tremendous favor and find a teacher who can help. I guarantee that it will absolutely revolutionize your dancing.

Special Note:

My two Saturday classes have been cancelled for the next four weeks to accommodate the fact that most Dance Manhattan students are away on their summer vacations. This means that my 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. slots are open for private lessons. If you'd like to take this unique opportunity to schedule a lesson or two during either of these times, see Pat or me, or contact us at the numbers below.

• Terri Lopez -
  
• Tony Mele
  
• Tsipoyra Sartan
  
• steve turi
  
• Stephen Maisch
  
• Jesse Barton
• Mary Epiphan
  

• George Ngo
• Bill Krukovsky
• Angie Galifi
• Dan & Georgina
• Al & Lilian
• Edna Negron
• Enrique Zuniga
• Horatio Piccioni
• Francis & Marie
• Terri Lopez