We had ourselves a  Firehouse Food Fest!!!

Our annual two-week Cat's Away Milonga celebration got off to a rip-roaring start with Cat's Away I , which included not only some truly fabulous home-cooked food, but we also got to celebrate the birthday of one of our most loyal Firehouse regulars, Carl Remmes. Carl actually brought his own birthday cake - a delicious concoction of cream and sweetness, which didn't last very long once the dessert trolley was unloaded.

We cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity of spirit, their amazing gourmet delights, and the overall camaraderie that infuses our group and activates those endorphins (the little mites in our brains that create a sense of well-being!)  It's possible that we may have set a record for Cat's Away attendance, with 71 people showing up for the feast!

The evening was a non-stop whirl of people taking class, people arriving with their amazing preparations; those of us on kitchen duty heating, stirring, washing dishes, and arranging the trolley prior to wheeling it out -- to the great distraction of those in class, of course! When the evening finally wound down, there was nary a morsel left...appetizers, entrees and desserts disappeared amongst comments and murmurings of admiration and delight.

My personal thanks go to the stalwart kitchen crew-Terri (aka Superwoman) - couldn't have done it without her! And Marlene, who provided invaluable assistance in keeping everything on track and helping to wash the dishes! Other folks from the beginning to the end of the evening provided additional helping hands, including Debbie Glaser, who offered able assistance to Fran during the classes.

And now on to the Acknowledgement Roll Call (in alpha order) - all these people deserve our sincere gratitude:

Anne and Dave - sliced Roast Pork

Barbara--Sicilian Pizza

Bob (Brillo) Large Mixed Salad

Camille-Cheese and Crackers platter

Carl - Birthday Cake!

Cris (Grapa)-Two additional delicious cakes for Carl's birthday

Dorothy (Whitton) - Party Tray

Eduardo -Flan de Coco

Elena (Syrett) - Homemade Apple Pie

Elena (Titova) - Eclairs and Cream Puffs

George (Ngo) - Tons of mixed salad and Vege Party Tray

Glen (Klu) - Flourless Chocolate Cake

Inna and Alex - Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Judy (Koski) - Fruit Platter

Lynn (Gross) - Banana Bread

Marion (Levine) - Spiced Nuts

Maro - Homemade Lentil Soup

Mary (Pagano) - chocolate kisses and chips

Mike (Porro) - Grandpa Po's Nuts

Pat (Flaherty) - Chicken Fettucini

Slava and Naum - Russian style salad

Sydney (St. James) - Cookies

Sylvester - "Manly" Spiced Baked Beans

Walter (Petuch) - almost a whole Jewish Deli!!! Pastrami, Brisket, Corned Beef, Rye bread, Cabbage Soup, Breaded Chicken, Kasha Varnish, Stuffed Cabbage, dressings and gravy

 And these folks brought wine

Walter Petuch

Mike Yingling

Angela Flannigan

George Ngo

Ed Simpson

Camille

Edna

Dan and Georgina

Horatio

Bob Brillo

Francis and Marie

June Stahl

And the best music anyone could ask for!

Our DJ for the evening was none other than the renowned Richard Ariza! As most of us know by this time, Richard's music is among the very best in any Tango venue we've ever been to.  Richard hosts the delightful Friday afternoon and Sunday evening milongas at Triangulo -- WWW.TANGONYC.COM. He has handled DJ duties at many New York and New Jersey milongas, and has often been guest DJ at Firehouse. If you haven't been to Triangulo, you don't know what you're missing. You'll find information below in this newsletter about Rich's Sunday Domingo Club. Richard is always adding to his excellent tango collection, and as always, we are very excited about hearing his outstanding music at the Firehouse.

The Turi clean-up report

Firehouse is always wonderful but this evening was extraordinary! I'll let others tell you about the wonderful music, food and energy we enjoyed. I will tell you all that gaiety made quite bit of work to restore the hall to a semblance of its former self. Terri had sparks coming out her ears! She led the clean up all evening and right up to the minute we locked the doors. She did all this with grace and aplomb..........and she got in a few dances too! Pat Altman stayed on top of the housekeeping as well as her executive 'Cat's Away' duties. Bob Brillo earned his place in the table- and chair-disappearing hall of fame. Jesse, Debbie and Mary E. were dervishes whose whirling left the front room sparkling. Tsipoyra and Elena Skier were instrumental in getting all the dishes, utensils and supplies in order. Elena Syret aided the caravan of dishes and such from the kitchen to the front closet. Mike P effortlessly did a lot of heavy lifting of tables, speakers and such. Maro also added some great energy to the effort. Marlena's easy smile lent an extra glow from start to finish.

I expect when they see the hall, the Knights will decide to allow us to return next week.

Thanks to you all,

--steve turi

Second 2013 Cat's Away milonga next week!

Hi everyone, Pat here. Fran and I are really looking forward to our final 2013 Cat's Away Milonga on March 21st. As with last week, there will be lots of great home cooked food, fabulous music, and an all-around good time. As we look at our sign-up poster once again, we feel so very grateful for the generosity that exists in our group. Thanks so much to who have signed up!

To make sure our evening goes smoothly:

·         If you've signed up to bring something, please make sure that it will feed approx. 20 people

·         If you're bringing food, check in with Tibor at the desk, and then go straight to the kitchen. Please do not leave your food on the table.

·         Those bringing Appetizers - please arrive at 7:30 p.m., latest 7:45 p.m. Appetizers will be served at 8:00 p.m.

·         Those bringing Entrees - please arrive at 8:30 p.m., latest 8:45 p.m. If your food needs heating up, please arrive before 8:30 p.m. Entrees will be served at 9 p.m.

Thank you so much everyone! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

                                                                                                                                                                        Tango tip of the week

Hello everyone, Pat here. Today, I'm going to talk about the placement of the follower's feet when walking backwards. As Fran said last week when discussing the placement of the leader's feet, this is an extremely important part of not only dancing Tango, but looking like a Tango dancer.

Those of you followers who are new to the dance will have so much other fundamental information to process that the notion of how to place your feet will not exactly be front and center in your mind. You will be doing your best simply trying to follow the basic steps and all that goes with that. The subject of this Tango Tip may just seem to be one too many pieces of information to digest. And that's totally understandable.

However, for those of you who have been dancing for a while and are at a pre-intermediate or intermediate stage, the placement of your feet should be something that you can assimilate and focus on.

In Tango, style is of paramount importance. Followers, when walking backwards, you should never just plunk each foot down without thinking. If you are in the habit of dancing this way, it is pretty certain that not only will you get stepped on with some regularity, but it would be fair to say that you are not dancing Tango with this type of movement. Since the follower's back step is something she will be doing an awful lot of in her Tango career, she should seriously consider making it look like something!

The proper styling for the follower's back step begins with moving the whole leg back from the hip (not the knee.) When initiating this movement, as the leg moves back (and the follower keeps her body and weight poised forward), the front of the foot should slide lightly backwards, maintaining contact with the floor throughout the movement. The heel should be off the floor. The movement goes in a straight line, until the foot is at its maximum extension, and the toe of the foot is pointed. The leg should be straight but not stiff. The position of the foot should be slightly turned out so that the ball of the foot is poised to receive the initial weight change as the follower rolls onto the whole foot, including the heel. When all her weight has been transferred and she is upright and in balance, the new weight-bearing foot should still be slightly turned out.

As this movement is being executed, let's say with the right leg, the left foot begins to move back as soon as the follower starts transferring her weight, so that the feet end up - as they should - ankle to ankle, with the left foot also slightly turned out and angled slightly behind the right. The left foot should be moved back being held very close to the floor, but not actually touching, i.e. it does not slide back.

When the follower's back step is broken down for technique and styling, it sounds as if it would take quite a few moments to execute, but in the dance it all happens within one beat of the music. However, followers, you should practice your back steps very slowly so that you can understand the beginning, the middle and the end of the movement, and you can achieve good balance at the end.

The movements described above are the way Fran and I teach the follower's back step. It's possible you may have learned or heard about other stylings in the past few years. For instance, some teachers suggest that the follower should flex her foot when stepping back, with the heel down, and the foot held in the flexed position throughout the backward movement.  Another school of thought says that the whole foot moves back in contact with the floor.  In Tango, you should learn as much as you can about all the possibilities, try each one and decide for yourself which one you prefer and find the most comfortable.

Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dance Manhattan

Fran teaches at Dance Manhattan from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. every Saturday. 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 material you're working on. If you want to take Fran's classes, call Dance Manhattan at 212-807-0802 to register. If you'd like a private lesson, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692 or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com . 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!