We're planning some terrific stuff for our tenth anniversary, and we want all of our friends to help us celebrate.  Make sure not to make any other plans for this big day. 

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.

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. As beginning students, when we take forward, backward and side movements, most of us can't wait to get to the end of our steps. Our balance is usually a bit shaky, and we really don't feel at all comfortable, moving through space. However, after dancing Tango for a while we start to feel somewhat more confident with traveling through space. At this point it's time to add a sense of openness and continuity to each of these movements. And that's what this Tango Tip is about.

Whether we're moving forward, backward or to the side, there are three fundamental elements contained in each step we take:

·      First, there's the initiation of the movement. That's where you go from a standing, balanced position to the onset of motion. Your body begins to move in the direction of the step, and your leg starts to extend itself in the appropriate direction.

·      Second, you actually travel through space, taking a step, which more or less matches that of your partner. As you do this, you maintain slight contact with the floor (rather than picking your foot up off the ground, and then replacing it back on the floor at the end of the movement).

·      Third, you reach the end of the movement, place full weight on the traveling leg, and bring yourself into balance.

With a skilled dancer, these elements occur as an unfolding sequence of events. If you watch carefully, you can actually see as the step begins, then appears to move effortlessly through space, and culminates in the final balance - where everything comes gently to a stop, or where a new step begins. On the other hand, unskilled students will often lurch through the movement in an effort to get to the end as quickly as possible. They tend to go from the beginning to the end of the step without allowing the center of the movement - the traveling part - to take place. Certainly, these students are moving through space, but they're doing so in a kind of panic mode, hurrying to get to the end so that they can get their feet - sometimes both feet - safely on the ground.

This problem is compounded in the lead/follow collaboration. If I'm leading a woman who is rushing to the end of her movements, it will pull me off balance with every step we take together. If a skilled follower is dancing with a leader who is rushing to reach the end of his steps, she, too, will find her balance severely compromised.

So, what can we do about this very common problem?

As a leader, I can begin to recognize that once I initiate a movement, this is only the beginning of the step . I then have to travel some distance through space, allowing this part of the step to unfold, and finally bring myself to the end in which I'll find balance. I have to notice each part of the total movement, and not rush to the end. Furthermore, I have to notice whether my partner is doing the same thing - or whether she's rushing her own movement and therefore pulling me off balance. If she is, there really isn't anything I can do about it (this is her dance teacher's job!), but at least I'll have the awareness that my balance is being compromised by someone other than me.

As a follower, my step begins when the leader initiates the movement. I can't get panicky at this point and immediately allow myself to race to the end of the step. I have to recognize that the movement is just beginning at this moment. I take up his invitation to move, and gently travel through space in the direction indicated, allowing my step to unfold and expand as I go. As I reach the point at which the traveling part is complete, I bring myself consciously into balance with my legs and feet together, and wait for the next invitation. As I do all this, I try to notice whether my balance is being compromised by a leader, who may be rushing his step, and therefore not giving me the opportunity to execute my own movement in the way I know it should be done. If this is indeed happening, there isn't a thing I can do about it. But I can feel confident that it isn't my fault. And the proof will be that when I dance with a skilled leader, none of this will happen.

• Terri Lopez 
• Tony Mele
  
• Tsipoyra Sartan 
• steve turi 
• Debbie Glaser - We thank her for taking over sweeping and cleaning the bar area in Jesse's absence
  
• Mike Porro
• Elena Syrett
  
• Tom Rodgers
  

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