Flashing lightning, roaring thunder, pouring rain, flooded highways and darkness were not enough to keep our  friends away from Thursday night tango at Firehouse. 

No electricity - hah!  Out came the flashlights.

Fran taught the lesson.  People brought food and we put it out under the battery operated lights, and they ate. We sang Happy Birthday to Tsipoyra and Sydney and enjoyed the delicious cake baked by Tsipoyra's sister.  Carl brought his boom box in and we danced in the dark. When the battery ran out, someone played tango on an iPhone!  And we danced! 

I don't think there is another milonga in the world to which so many people would come on such a dark and stormy night. Thank you all for a night that I will never forget.  We are, indeed, a very special place.

We will try to find a time for Tsipoyra and Sydney to enjoy a belated birthday dance and for Herb to get his cake.

Thursday, September 18

Anniversary of Walter Monteblanco and Gay Fallows Monteblanco

Can it be four years since we rejoiced at the marriage of our very good friends Walter and Gay?  We will celebrate their anniversary with great joy - the tangueros dancing with Gay and the tangueras (and maybe some tangueros, too) with Walter.  They will start out dancing together.  Then, hopefully, I will be the first to cut in.  Then there will be a free-for-all.  Walter will bring his very famous and delicious cake.

I can't wait. 

Walter has been a close friend and supporter since the very beginning at Paramus Firehouse # 4, and Gay came soon after.  When they aren't traveling, they come to Firehouse often.  Walter also teaches private lessons by appointment. 

 
Thursday, September 26

Birthday of Terri Lopez
Terri, who has become so indispensable that I call her Firehouse friend # 1, will celebrate her birthday on Thursday, September 26.  
 
 We invite the Firehouse Tangueros to show our most loyal Firehouse friend EVER just how much we all appreciate her.  Terri Lopez has been a part of the Firehouse family  since our first days at Paramus Firehouse # 4, and we look forward to many more birthday celebrations with her.   Each lucky tanguero will get to cut in and enjoy a short tango until the next person cuts in.  
 

Jewish New Year feast  - Yummy
 

Last Thursday, September 12, we planned to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at Firehouse Tango.  As is our tradition, some of our tangueros judeos (and others who just wanted to contribute something) volunteered to make a traditional meal for our Firehouse friends.  Some folks tried very hard but just couldn't get there, but many did.  Here was the proposed menu, most of which we ate. 
 
Thanks to those who provided this still incredible ethnic feast.  The Firehouse Tangueros who came were more than up to the task of eating it
 

This was the menu:
 

Sue Dallon       brisket, carrots, potatoes, string beans, chips and hummus

Joe Dallon        Apples and honey from Joe's bees

Judy Assisi and Herb Goodfried    Sephardic Dried Fruit Compote Dessert and birthday cake** Later

Faye and Lou Levine    Fresh pineapple

Tsipoyra Sartan        Birthday cake

Judy Saul                  Holiday rice** Later

Jack Block                Tsimmes** Frozen and ready for next week

Bonny Yankauer        Chopped liver, crackers, and pickled herring

Georgina Blitzer            Kasha varnichkes** I told her to take it home - what a mistake!

Judy Saul                  Holiday rice ** Maybe later
 
Norma Arias              Roasted carrots and fennel ** She made it but couldn't get here
 
Eva Roth                    Cheesecake ** Couldn't get here

Lillian Sonnenshein    Sweet potato casserole

Naum and Slava        Deviled eggs *** Couldn't get there

Jan Folmsbee            Cucumber salad

Joseph and Nonna    3 challah breads

At appropriate times during the year, we take a look back at some Firehouse Tango highlights.  We sincerely thank all of you who have been with us from the start, the newcomers and everyone in between.  Every one of you contributes to making us who we are.
 

3/20/2003     Argentine Tango instructors Carlos and Rosa announce they are leaving for Paris and ask if we would like to continue Pasional, their weekly milonga at Paramus firehouse.
 

3/27/2003        Sal and Laura Zullo host first session of Tango Co-op while Sue, Joe and Eva are in Buenos Aires.

4/1/2003         Sue Dallon publishes first weekly newsletter.

5/29/2003      Fran Chesleigh teaches first lesson as guest instructor.

6/12/2003      Tango Co-op members vote to change name to Firehouse Tango.

7/20/2003      Fran has accident - recommends Jak Karako as replacement.

7-29-2003      CJ Puotinen publishes interview of Fran Chesleigh, first of a series of Firehouse Tango instructor interviews

9/4/2003      Jak Karako teaches first lesson as guest instructor

.

2/3/2004         Goodbye party for Jak

2/10/2004      Fran welcomed back as permanent instructor.

3/16/2004      First Firehouse Tango trip to Buenos Aires.  Fran Chesleigh and Pat Altman run milonga and buffet and write newsletter.  They call it the Cat's Away             Milonga, and it becomes an annual tradition.

4/20/2004      Firehousetango.com web site is launched.

4/29/2004      Firehouse Tango outgrows firehouse.  Moves to Maywood Knights of Columbus Hall.

5/6/2004      Firehouse Tango celebrates first anniversary in new home with live music by Hector Del Curto trio.  The anniversary celebration will become an annual event.

6/17/2004      Fran's half-hour basic tango class is expanded to full hour.

07/2004        Fran adds one hour intermediate lesson and teaches from 7 to 9 pm every week

8/30/2004      First Firehouse Tango on the Hudson picnic milonga.  These will continue as an annual tradition.

06/15/2006   Fran Chesleigh's Tango Tip first published in Firehouse Tango Newsletter

09/2006        Firehouse Tango's first Milonga Month.  Fran Chesleigh teaches a two hour milonga lesson for entire month.  This becomes yearly tradition. 

5/31/2008      Monica Paz from Buenos Aires visits Firehouse Tango and gives first Saturday workshop.  She will continue to visit Firehouse on her trips to the U.S.

2/31/2009   New Year's Eve is Thursday night, and Firehouse Tango has New Year's Eve Milonga

3/2011        Rich Ariza, Hector Scotti and Felix Pacheco join Joe Dallon as regular Firehouse DJ's

12/23/2011    Norma, Terri and Marion suggest a Christmas/Hanuka party with everyone who wants to bring a dish.  It's a resounding success and we decide to continue the tradition every year.

1/5/2012    Firehouse Tango starts its tenth year with Fran Chesleigh's Argentine Vals lessons

5/23/2013    Firehouse Tango celebrates its tenth anniversary with lots of original friends starting the anniversary dance and new friends joining in.

9/12/2013        A night to Remember.  Lightning, thunder, floods, and no electricity could not keep the Firehouse folks from dancing the night away by flashlight

Machiko Ozawa, violin; Pedro Giraudo, double bass;`Octavio Brunetti, piano
Contact Marta N. Bautis mbautis@ramapo.edu or Neel Scott rscott@ramapo.edu

We will be invited to dance on the stage.  Don't miss it.

Ramapo College of New Jersey
505 Ramapo Valley Rd. Mahwah, New Jersey 07430

Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. In my Tango Tip last week I discussed how important it is for the leader to base his dance on what his follower actually does in response to his leads for individual steps within any given sequence. This week, I want to follow that up by describing a common sequence of steps, how most leaders handle it, and what they should be doing instead.

Let's take a typical beginning of a dance in the classic Tango de salon style. We start with a salida to cruzada, then a forward ocho. After that, we start something else. Before launching themselves and their partners into this sequence, most leaders would probably form a quick picture of it in their minds in the following way: "I step to the left side, I take two steps forward, I close, I lead ocho, ocho, and out. If the music is slow, I go slow; if the music is fast, I go fast."

If I were leading this sequence, I would probably think this way, too. It answers the question "What do I do in this sequence?" But I would also take my thinking a giant step further, and create a detailed picture of what my follow does with the sequence. And this is the side of the equation that most leaders simply don't consider: What does the follower do, and what impact does it have on how I lead what I lead?

With that in mind, here's another way for the leader to think about the above sequence:

1.     Taking a side step to the left, I invite my follower to take a side step in the same direction. Since I will almost certainly finish this step before she does, I wait for her to come into balance before continuing. In fact, since I will now be traveling outside partner to my left (her right) - and because this will tend to take us both slightly out of front-to-front balance, I consider pausing here, taking a breath, and making absolutely certain that we're both ready for the next series of movements.

2.     Now I lead three continuous, balanced steps to the cross. I make these steps continuous, because it feels quite uncomfortable to pause, when we're not in the front-to-front position.

3.      Here, I pause again in order to give my follower the opportunity to settle herself comfortably into this somewhat difficult crossover position.

4.     I gently unwind her from the cross by inviting her to turn counterclockwise.

5.     As she brings her feet together I lead the forward walk to my right side.

6.     As she completes her walk by turning to align herself to me, I continue turning her clockwise in order to set up the final walking movement.

7.     I lead her final walk, which completes her ocho.

8.     I wait for her to complete her counterclockwise turn at the end of her walk (which aligns her front-to-front with me). I check to make certain that she's completely balanced.

9.     Then, and only then, do I consider leading the next step.

This is a far cry from "side, forward, forward, close, ocho, ocho, and out." But what I describe above is exactly what good leaders do, when leading any sequence. They carefully, meticulously consider what their follower is being invited to do, and they wait for her to finish and balance herself before leading the next movement.

Do you think this way as a leader? Are you paying careful attention to your follower every step of this way? If not, now's a very good time to start.

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.

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!

The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango.

• Terri Lopez - 
• Tony Mele
  
• steve turi 
• Steve Maisch
• Jesse Barton
• Tsipoyra Sartan
• Carl and Jan for the music
  
• And lots of other folks for so much help.  I was ready to pack up and send everybody home
  

• Barbara Lombardi
•