Last week, I forgot to mention that our dear friend Estelle made it through the storm.  Not only that, but she came again this week. Estelle is very special, and we love it every time she walks in the door.  We're so lucky that she comes, and we thank Carol and Sharon for driving her. 

We received lots of  e mails from folks who couldn't make it and others who did.  You can read some of them in the Reader's Corner in this newsletter.

 
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.  
 

Thursday, September 18

Birthdays of Tsipoyra Sartan and Herb Goodfried

  Last Thursday's blackout prevented us from having Tsipoyra's birthday dance and Herb's Happy Birthday song and cake.  We were able to take care of all of them when Walter and Gay had to cancel their anniversary celebration at the last minute.  

Herb and Judy came up, we sang Happy Birthday, and he blew out the candles on that wonderful rum-raisin ice cream cake from Louis G's.

Then Mike started Tsipoyra's birthday tango, and she danced elegantly with each of the many guys who cut it.

It was a lovely night.

The Cortinas

For the planned blackout playlist, which of course wasn't used, I found some great cortinas appropriate for the Jewish new year.  We listened to them this Thursday

The menu
 

Sue Dallon       Corned beef brisket with Jewish rye bread, potato salad, and green salad

Joe Dallon        Apples and honey from his bees

Judy Assisi        Sephardic Dried Fruit Compote Dessert


Judy Saul                  Holiday rice

Jack Block                Tsimmes

Bonny Yankauer        Crackers and pickled herring

Norma Arias              Roasted carrots and fennel
 

Eva Roth                    Noodle kugel

Naum and Slava        Deviled eggs 

Joseph and Nonna    Challah bread

Herb Goodfried     Rum raisin ice cream birthday cake from Louie G's

There are a few spots at this week's Stardust Dance Weekend at good rates.  www.stardustdance.com

If you are interested, please contact Linda Gilberg and tell her that you found out about it from Firehouse Tango.
 

SIT IT OUT OR DANCE

You only have one week to decide...quickstep over to www.stardustdance.com and book your reservation for our fabulous weekend of Ballroom Dancing. September 20-22, 2013

Ballroom DJ Michelle & Bob Friedman

Argentine Tango DJ Ilene Marder

Hustle West Coast DJ Louis Del Prete 

Latin DJ Franklin Ayala

Your package includes:

• 7 Multi-course meals
• Lodging
• Champagne & Wine Reception
• Open Bar Cocktail Party & Smogasbord
• 60 Dance Workshops
• Day & Night Dancing to 4 Great DJ's
• Nightly Shows in Nightclub

Entertainers/Instructors:

Instructors:

From Pat Altman

Hi Sue, Pat here.
My goodness, that certainly was a night to remember - quite amazing!! I know that everyone there truly appreciated the stoic efforts of you, Joe, Terri, Steve T. and everyone else who pitched in to try to keep everything afloat (sorry, I couldn't help that...)

In your Firehouse history below, I just wanted to clarify the date that that Fran actually started teaching for Firehouse. According to an email in our archives from you - likely to have been one of the very first Firehouse Tango Newsletters dated May 4, 2003 (yes, we actually go back that far!!!), Fran had been teaching already for 3 weeks at Firehouse ( i.e. Thursdays 4/17, 4/24, 5/1) and was again teaching for the next milonga on 5/8; On Thursday 5/15/03, Walter taught the lesson. Then on Thursday 5/22, Fran came back ..... and the rest (as they say) is history!

Many thanks,
Pat

Note from Sue - Thanks to Pat for that clarification of dates.  I will change the dates in the official Firehouse history.

From Judy and Jon (Tango teachers and Firehouse friends)


congratulations Susanne. You and Joe not only know how to put on a super event but you know how to give out the kudos in massive doses. You are amazing!! We miss you a lot.
And your holiday dishes sound so yummy. Wish we were closer.
all the best for the new year
love
 
Judy & Jon
http://www.tangowithjudy.com

More from Debbie Glaser

Wow! That's incredible ,dancing without electricity. Wish I was there....

From Consuelo Evans

That is simply spectacular! You guys are amazing and an inspiration.
 
Consuelo

From Gretchen Janssen

Sue,

This reminds me of a similar night in BA.  I was the only one of us to go out to Porteno that night after having been part of the demonstration about The Disappeared.  The storm grew stronger and the lights went out.  The studio was in total darkness.  Jose and Tango Protesta were re-enacting the experience of the metaphorical 'lights going out' in Argentina when those arrests and killings had taken place.  The fact that the lights actually did go out just emphasized that fact.  They had a generator and a spotlight worked to illuminate the continued enactment of the arrests and then one person; in this case, Jose, going to each fallen dancer and drawing them forth and lifting them up from the floor, indicative of a community being able to restore each other.  It was powerful!

See you in November!

Gretchen

When a follower decides that she wants to learn to lead, she very quickly finds out how many things a leader has to do at the same time. Her first thought may be that this is difficult! So many differences, so many choices.  Our new leader must form the embrace in the opposite way, she must think about how comfortable it is for her follower, make sure both she and her partner are in balance, decide which foot will start the dance, make sure her follower is weighted appropriately, and finally move into her follower's space - hoping the lead will be appropriately received, and that the partnership will be balanced at the end of each step.

This is a lot to think about!

If a follower decides to continue learning to lead, and single step movement gradually turns into a more fluid dance, leading doesn't get easier, it actually gets harder. The constant awareness of your space on the dance floor as a couple, how this affects what you can lead at any given moment, choosing what to lead throughout the dance, reacting to other couples nearby who may not be aware and may suddenly take an unexpected sidestep into your space.  Not to mention the need to be thinking of what your follower is doing, and how comfortable she is.

Despite all of the above challenges, there are many positive aspects for the follower in learning how to lead. She can experience, through a wide range of partners, what actually happens to the leader when a follower has some of the bad habits that we have discussed in former tango tips. For instance, what it actually feels like when a follower drapes herself over the leader, leans, anticipates the next move, takes tiny steps, gets her toes bumped into and stepped on, is out of balance and falling to both feet all the time. It can be next to impossible for such followers to be properly led -- and it's not the leader's fault!

A follower who leads has almost certainly experienced these situations, and it can be of great help in examining her own dance as a follower, making sure that she is working on her balance and her movement, and is listening to her leader. Conversely, when our new leader dances with a good follower, the difference is dramatic and leading seems effortless. I have experienced all of the above as a leader, and find that the mental agility required to lead definitely takes some getting used to! It is a completely different mindset from that of the follower, who must not be thinking at all, but must be ready and waiting for the next lead.

When followers lead, does it make a better follower? I would say yes, for the reasons I have described above. For myself I have always been more comfortable as a follower, but one of the most wonderful things about Tango is that you can choose!! Be a follower, be a leader, or do both.

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
• Debbie Glaser
• Mary Epiphan
  
• And lots of other folks for so much help.  I was ready to pack up and send everybody home
  

• Barbara Lombardi
• George Ngo
• Jean Shedlock
• Enrique Zuniga
• Dan & Georgina
  
• Fred Meyer
• Hilda Genni
• Bob Brillo
  
• Horatio Piccioni
• Edna Negron
• Jesse Barton