May at Firehouse
Next Thursday, May 2 - Birthday of Marta Bautis
Marta Bautis is new to Firehouse but has been around tango for a long time. She is a terrific dancer, and the Firehouse tangueros will love doing the birthday dance with her. Don't miss it.
Marta is an Argentinean filmmaker who began her career as a photojournalist and has worked throughout Latin America. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been screened at numerous national and international film festivals. She is also a faculty member at the School of Contemporary Arts, Ramapo College of New Jersey and founder of Tiempo Azul Productions.
May 16 - Belated Birthday of Walter Monteblanco
Our dear friend Walter celebrates a belated birthday with us after his extended world travels. If we want to see Walter and Gay, we have to catch them in between globe trotting adventures.
Walter has been teaching Argentine Tango since way before Joe and I (Sue) even knew it existed, and his loyal students wait for every opportunity to take private and occasional group lessons with him at Rogers Dance Studio in Hackensack (see listing under Tango in New Jersey Milongas at bottom.) He comes to our Firehouse Milonga every chance he gets, and he's my absolute favorite Argentine Vals partner in the whole world. He also dances and teaches about a million other dances. His lessons are great, and everyone loves Walter's large and happy personality.
Our belated birthday celebration will be worth the wait. Gay will start the celebratory dance, I will try very hard to be next. Each of the Firehouse tangueras will have her turn, and I'm sure that some of the tangueros will as well, since Walter follows as flawlessly as he leads.
May 23 - Firehouse Tango's Tenth Anniversary
In 2003, our friends Carlos and Rosa announced their move to Paris and asked if we wanted to take over their milonga. Though terrified, we agreed. Just one year later, Paramus Firehouse # 4 had become too small, and we found our current home at the Maywood Knights of Columbus.
Now it's ten years, and we are celebrating with something special.
We'll have lots of surprises. Monica Paz, our dear maestra from Buenos Aires will be here for this terrific celebration. We'll have extra time, door prizes, special guests and much more. I'll have details in this newsletter next week.
May 30 - Belated Birthday of Gay Fallows Monteblanco
Gay returns to Firehouse in between extensive world travels with her husband and our dear friend, Walter. We are thrilled to have her whenever we can. Gay has been a Firehouse friend for years, and we are always happy to celebrate with her. Walter will start the birthday dance, and then all of the Firehouse milongueros can join in.
Last Thursday, April 25 - Francis Gregoire
Francis and Marie Gregoire have been coming to Firehouse for many years and have been to Buenos Aires with us twice, and we are honored to be able to celebrate Francis' birthday on April 25th. Francis started the birthday tango with Marie and then we lucky ladies began cutting in. It was delightful. Oh, and the mountain of huge and luscious shrimp and delicious chocolate cake that Francis and Marie brought was fabulous, as always.
Note from Rose Whitehill
Dear "Twinkletoes" Francis,
I can't make it tonight, but wanted to wish you a very happy and danceful
birthday!
Love from
Rose
Estelle, Champagne, Pugliese, and Sue's ongoing birthday
Estelle's visit
Our delightful friend, Estelle, honored us with a visit. As always, she brightened the hall and the evening. We just love having her.
Jorge's Champagne
As has become his custom, Jorge S. brought a bottle of champagne, which he said we could open after I danced a tanda of Pugliese with him. We did, and he did. It was perfect.
Meetup Group
Welcome to our new meetup group, invited by our friend Veronica. They had a wonderful time and all said they'd be back. We'll be thrilled to have them.
Sue's ongoing birthday
Joseph and Nona couldn't be there for my birthday celebration a few weeks ago, but that didn't stop the gifts and recognition. I love Joseph's fabulous picture of our Buenos Aires group and I can't wait to wear the sexy tights selected by Nona. What a fabulous couple they are!.
If heaven is anything like celebrating one's birthday at Firehouse Tango, it has a lot to recommend it. Frankly, I'd rather be at Firehouse. Thank you lovely tangueras, for a birthday memory I shall cherish. Con mucho amore,
Steve Turi
I keep saying I do not want to celebrate any more birthdays, but how many men will line up to dance with me, if not for the traditional tributes on birthdays.....oh well, you know that is not really true because our tanqueros dance with all of the ladies...
Terri Lopez
My readers tell me that they sometimes don't receive an issue of the Firehouse Tango newsletter. You can always view this week's and last week's newsletters on our web site, www.firehousetango.com
Firehouse Tango tenth anniversary - Thursday, May 23, 2013We'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.
Tango on the Hudson - Sunday, August 25, 2013
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.
Monica Paz to visit New Jersey - May, 2013 - Private Lessons Available
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Great News! Great news! Monica Paz, our dear friend and teacher from Buenos Aires will be in New Jersey from Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27. Luckily, (admittedly with a bit of manipulation on our part) she will be able to join us for Firehouse Tango's tenth anniversary celebration that Thursday. About Monica
Monica Paz was born and raised in Buenos Aires, and tango has been her full time profession for almost 20 years. She specializes in Tango Milonguero style (with its strong chest-to-chest connection) which she loves to dance with the best old milongueros in the best milongas of Buenos Aires.
Last year, Monica realized her dream of opening her own studio in Buenos Aires (at 30 Riobamba near the Congresso.) Two of the best of the wonderful milongueros, Nestor La Vitola and Osvaldo Natucci, teach group lessons on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Monica translating when necessary. Monica, La Vitola and Natucci also teach private lessons. If you are in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend checking out these lessons. Monica has taught extensively all over the United States and Europe, as well as in Australia and much of South America. Monica's web site and Interviews of old Milongueros
Monica is passionate about preserving the traditions, codes, and history of tango. To this end, she continues pursuing her project of interviewing the precious few remaining old milongueros of Buenos Aires. Their stories and the videos accompanying them, as well as other wonderful videos of Monica can be found on her web site at www.mptango.com Scroll down for English or Spanish selection. My favorite video of Monica and Nestor dancing to Poema
This is the video that made us fall in love with Monica. it's my favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWRBZ-Uku68&list=UU5UKKJeGowH6cGdYatKcKkw&index=10
And now for the best news! Lessons with Monica available in New JerseyMonica will be available for private lessons in Maywood or Ramsey from Thursday, May 23rd through Monday, May 27. You can e mail me at firehousetango@gmail.com or call me at 201-826-6602 for information. I recommend that you take advantage of this terrific opportunity.
40 CD Package from Buenos Aires
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Osvaldo Natucci, one of the finest and most well known DJ's in Buenos Aires, has compiled a magnificent 40 CD package of tango selections. The set contains 1000 of the best tangos of the Golden Age: the ones played in the milongas of Buenos Aires. I brought two sets home with me.
If you are interested in purchasing these CD's, send an e mail to firehousetango@gmail.com or call me at 201-826-6602.
Lucille Krasne's Esmeralda's East Village Milonga and Supper Club - Wednesdays at 6:00 and Sunday brunch 12 noon to 4 pm.
We went to this terrific milonga last Wednesday night and had a wonderful time. I recommend it to everyone.
"DANCE & DINE-- IT'S DIVINE" (my brilliant poem) ---6 to 11:30
At the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant--140 2nd Ave. between St Marks Pl & 9th.
Eating and drinking help make the restaurant love us a lot---Join all the others dining around the dance floor (definitely optional though).
Admission $10
For more information Lucille 212 777 6053
We welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.comWe welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.com
From Sue Dallon
Dear Readers,
When I included my granddaughter's letter in last week's newsletter, it didn't occur to me that some readers might not know who I am and might even think this was a phishing scheme. The letter was all too real, and you may call me to verify. I'm sorry for any confusion. (The offer for Boston Strong t-shirts for the marathon victims is no longer available.)
Sue Dallon - Organizer Firehouse Tango and Writer of Firehouse newsletter
201-826-6602
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From Walter Petuch
Hi Sue
I missed being with all of you at the Firehouse on Thursday. My changing work schedule made it impossible for me to be with all of the Firehouse tango dancers this week.
I will try to come out next week and show off my new steps I learned today at Dance Manhattan
From Terri Lopez
Hi, Dear Friend... Thank you for the birthday salute to my beloved late husband, Fernando Lopez. It was a beautiful birthday celebration every year for almost ten years that you and Fernando celebrated your birthdays together at Firehouse. I brought the picture album of those celebrations to share them with all the firehouse Milongueros, some that new him and others that did not. It was a memorable night. Love Terri.
From Eva Roth
Dear Sue and Joe:
Each Thursday is like a new adventure at "Firehouse", and what's around
the corner, no one knows!
This past Thursday, when my birthday was celebrated, I felt joy, I felt
that friendship is a story that's unfolding in trust, in tenderness,
and loyalty. Every "friend" becomes a precious treasure, enriching my
life with lovely memories. I felt that I was in the right place at the
right time with wonderful people and that place is called "Firehouse".
That's why today I wanted to let you both know how much I treasure the
friendship I find week after week - and how much I treasure both of
you!. With love, Eva
From Joseph and Nona
Eva and Sue,
Nonna and I (mainly me) will have to apologize for our absence at firehouse this week and last week. We sorely missed out on your birthday celebrations. Last week I was sick and not feeling well enough and this week I've been terribly busy with work. I had not finished work until around 10:30 and only then took the bus back home from the city. There is a release tomorrow night and there is preparation steps which are needed for tomorrow. Work has required more time than usual you'll have to excuse us for our absence. We hope to see you both soon (hopefully next week) .
Happy Belated Birthday Eva and Sue (I know we wished you last week),
-Nonna and Joseph
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. What do you mean when you say, "I want to learn how to dance?" Do you mean, "I want to learn that fancy step I saw those professional dancers do on TV?" Or do you mean, "I want to put in the necessary commitment in time and energy to actually learn the complex skill of moving comfortably and elegantly with another person in a social context?" What motivates most of us to want to learn how to dance is the former. We see some exciting move on YouTube or in a show somewhere, and we want to be able to do it ourselves -- and, of course, we want it NOW!
That's exactly what happened to me. I happened to see the wonderful show "Tango Argentino" on Broadway in the mid 1980's, and immediately decided that I just had to be able to dance the way those fabulous people were doing it on stage. I had already been teaching ballroom dancing for many years. and I was considered an expert in all three general styles (Ballroom, Latin and Swing). It would be easy, I thought, to add one more style to my repertoire. Let's see, it's now 28 years later, and I'm beginning to think I might be starting to get it.
Argentine social dancing is radically different from the American/European paradigm, which I spent so many years learning. If you look at it from the outside in a superficial way - as I initially did -- Tango might seem to be the same. You have a partner in an embrace, and you move together to the music. You might be forgiven for thinking that the only thing different is that you're moving to the music of Tango rather than that of, say, Foxtrot or Waltz. But, of course, you'd be dead wrong. For one thing, American/European progressive dancing is based on a tradition of continuous motion. Tango is based on stillness, or at least the possibility of stillness at the end of every single step you take. This is very big - in fact, a crucial -- difference, and learning this took me the better part of ten years.
Not because I'm particularly dense, but because no one ever mentioned it to me during the hundreds of lessons I took from Argentine dancers and teachers. Why didn't they mention it? Because they assumed everyone danced the way they did, that there simply wasn't another way of moving. Duh ... I describe this to you, because I think it's very important for you to be aware that learning a new dance - like learning a new language, let's say - is by no means a straight-forward, linear project which has a predictable learning curve. If you try to do it by yourself - or even if you have a teacher who isn't quite up to the task - you're eventually going to end up with the feeling that you're falling down a deep well.
Yikes, isn't that depressing! Anyway, let's get back to the question of the day. Is it going to be "Dancing with the Stars," or acquiring a real skill that you want? Or maybe you just want to be able to get up with a partner and move around the floor a little without bumping into other people. (This, by the way, is a very realistic goal, and one that you can achieve pretty quickly.) Do yourself a favor, and think about this. If it's just moving around the floor a little that you'll be satisfied with, take a few classes to get the hang of it, and head for the dance floor. Don't get jealous of people who look better than you do - remember, they're probably working a lot harder at Tango than you are.
If you want to become a skilled social dancer, take lessons - mostly private ones. Yes, they're costly, but you'll get much better, and it won't take all that long. If instead of these options you want to just focus your energy on a few of those "Dancing with the Stars" moves -- without building the necessary skills first -- go and be well. Preferably somewhere that I don't have to watch.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dance Manhattan |
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!
Firehouse Tango hot line - We rarely cancel |
We want to remind everyone that if the weather looks really bad, we will leave messages on our web site www.firehousetango.com and phone 201-825-1570. You can also reach us on our cell phone 201-826-6602 (Sue) and 201-913-8504 (Joe). Feel free to leave a message on any of these lines. We cancel only when absolutely necessary (only about six seven times in all these years), but please check whenever you're not sure. If there isn't any message, we're on.
During Hurricane Sandy, when we had only cell phone service, I was able to leave a message on my cell, so I guess that the best number to call is 201-826-6602. If you lost something, we probably have it. We have a few ladies' scarves and some shoes. There are also various items of clothing and jewelry in the closet. Ask Tibor at the front desk. 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
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- steve turi (There only in spirit)
- Debbie Glaser
- Jesse Barton
- Mike Porro
A reminder that Firehouse Tango does not supply wine - Your fellow tangueros bring it. Therefore, if you drink it, please make sure to bring a bottle every so often.
The folks below brought food and wine this week -
- Jorge Sturam - Bubales
- Francis and Marie - Cake and shrimp
And these people brought wine - Eduard Simpson
- Dorothy Whitton
- Dan & Georgina
- Bob Brillo
- Naum & Slava Khromov
- Emerson & Gunilla
- Edna Negron
- Horatio Piccioni
- Francis & Marie
- Eduardo Campos
- Terri Lopez
Tango in New Jersey - Milongas |
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