We do still need several more sign-ups, for the March 27th milonga. Please email me at paltman21@gmail.com if you would like to bring something, or Fran at franchesleigh@mac.com

Just a few requests to make our evening go smoothly next Thursday:

·      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 pm, latest 7:45 pm.  Appetizers will be served at 8:00 pm.

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

Thank you so much everyone! We look forward to seeing you next week

*****Message from Sue - Help!  

Happily, Joe and I (Cats # 1 and 2) will be at Firehouse next week.  Sadly, Terri (Cat # 3) will be away.  That means we will need all the help we can get before, during, and after the milonga.  We appreciate anything that you can do. 

If you haven't been there, you don't know what you're missing. Everyone who goes falls in love with the city; and everyone who goes with Firehouse Tango says that we run the best (and friendliest) trip around. You can immerse yourself in private and group lessons with our favorite Porteño instructors. Your tango will never be the same, and after experiencing this magnificent city; neither will you. 

Our group leaves New York on Friday, October 31, 2014 at 10:15 PM and returns Monday, November 10 at 6:15 AM. As I write, the round trip fare for non-stop American flights #953/956 is $1285. Let me know now if you are interested in joining us. You can contact me (Sue) at 201-825-1570 or  firehousetango@gmail.com.

How Much:

Cost of the trip including everything listed below (excluding air) is $2000 (double occupancy). Single supplement is available for an additional fee of $300. Airfare should be about 1,285.

Payment Schedule:

$400 at signup - Non refundable (Single Supplement $300) due about March 13

$400 April 24 - Refundable if canceled before September 4

$400 May 22 - Refundable if canceled before September 4

$400 June 26 -Refundable if canceled before September 4

$400 Balance September 4 - Non refundable

We advise you to purchase trip cancellation & medical insurance (for example www.accessamerica.com )  You should make your air reservations as soon as possible, since the fare may go up. There is also an Argentina Reciprocity Fee of $160.  This is a one-time payment that is good for ten years. 

How to Register:

Give check made out to Firehouse Tango for $400 together with your name, address and phone numbers to Sue or send to Sue Dallon, 16 Fox Hollow Rd. Ramsey, NJ 07446. For more information or references ask Sue or call 201-825-1570 or 201-826-6602.

What's included?

·         8 nights / 9 days in Buenos Aires with the friendliest group around

·         Stay at the excellent, centrally located Bauen Suites Hotel

·         Full breakfast every day

·         Transfers to and from hotel (included only if traveling with group on American # 953 Fri Oct 31 and # 956 Sunday November 9 (arriving Mon  10))

·         Welcome luncheon where you will meet the instructors

·         Private group lessons with excellent local teachers and local hosts as partners

·         Milongas with local hosts (male and female) who are there just to dance with us

·         City Tour

·         Full day at gaucho ranch with barbeque and show

·         Popular Tango show with dinner

·         Day at San Telmo Flea Market & enough free time for shopping, exploring the city, visiting museums, taking private lessons, visiting milongas on your own or resting (heaven forbid).

·         You most certainly will want to visit a shoe store (shoes cost about 1/3 of price here).  Prices in Buenos Aires are amazingly low & additional costs are minimal.

·         Excellent & inexpensive local teachers highly recommended by us for privately scheduled lessons.

Optional add-on - Four days in Mendoza - Argentine wine country

Four of us are going to Mendoza after the rest of the group leaves.  It is an awesome trip with visits to lots of wineries, a little more tango dancing on the west coast and sight seeing in this beautiful place.  Please let us know if you are interested in joining us.

Sue and Joe Dallon

Firehouse Tango

March 20  - Cat's Away Milonga I

 
 See above for more information about this terrific Firehouse tradition.  

March 13  - Birthday of Carl Remmes

 
 Carl is in incredible dancer and Firehouse friend who has been coming for years.  Carl is such a wonderful singer that I actually summoned up the nerve to ask him to start his own birthday song.  Jan started the dance (at Carl's request - a milonga,) I made sure to be second, and then the rest of ladies cut in.  As promised, it was a great opportunity for a fabulous celebratory dance with him.

The carrot/custard cake that Jan brought was delicious (as is everything that Jan brings.)   She also brought a great salad.

• Sue and Joe are going
• Michael Nadtochi and Zoya Altmark teach all Argentine Tango workshops
• Special Sunday afternoon milonga with Ilene Marder

Joe and I always love these weekends and we're going to attend this one.  Let me know if you would like to join us, and we'll arrange to sit together.

You have the choice to "SIT IT OUT...OR DANCE". Stardust Dance Productions' 97th Ballroom Dance Weekend is almost here (April 4-6th). Don't be left out. There is no better place in the country than the experience of being in the Catskill Mountains of New York during this season..  Stardust Dance Weekend is being held at the beautiful Honor's Haven Resort & Spa located in Ellenville, New York.  Prices start at $385.00 per person which includes:

·     Overnight accommodations at full-service resort

·     7 meals - Champagne and wine reception

·     Open bar cocktail party and smorgasbord

·     Over 50 dance workshops

·     Dancing during lunch and dinner

·     Night and day dancing to 4 great DJ's

·     Top nite club entertainment each evening

·     Stardust's got Talent

The Stardust Sunday Tango Program
 APRIL 6TH  -  11am-4pm  -
Finale of the 97th Stardust Dance Weekend in Ellenville NY!

- Two Workshops with Michael Nadtochi & Zoya Altmark
- Elegant Dance Mix Lunch
- La Rubia's Milonguita with Host & DJ Ilene Marder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-
11am-1pm Workshops with
MICHAEL NADTOCHI & ZOYA ALTMARK
11AM- INTERMEDIATE/ 12 NOON- Intermediate/ADVANCED

- 1PM-2PM- ELEGANT 3-COURSE LUNCH,WITH MIXED DANCING
 LATIN-SALSA-CHACHA-HUSTLE-WEST COAST SWING-LINDY-BALLROOM-TANGO

- 2:00-4:00pm: LA RUBIA'S MILONGUITA !
CLASSICS, MODERN, & NUEVO
HOST & DJ ILENE MARDER~ LA RUBIA DEL NORTE

---  ALL DAY SUNDAY PACKAGE: JUST $50
2 hours of Workshops; 1 hour Dance Mix Lunch; 2 hour Milonguita
 OR
- Dance Lunch & Milonguita Only: $35
 (- MILONGUITA ONLY: Complimentary, No Charge! )
_________________________________________________________________
 These Sundays are always productive, delightful and fun!
ADVANCE RESERVATIONS NECESSARY!
PLEASE CALL OR WRITE ILENE....
imhmedia@gmail.com /  (845) 399-9034
_________________________________________________________________
ALSO!!!
- FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT MILONGAS & STAGE SHOWS:

Each night....
- 9pm:  MILONGA WITH DJ LA RUBIA DEL NORTE
(9-10p DANCING/ 10-11p-SHOW/ 11p-1A+ MORE DANCING!)  
- 10-11PM- MULTI DANCE STAGE SHOW!                              
LATIN,BALLROOM, SWING, TANGO, et al
-11pm-1am+: MILONGA CONTINUES! 
____________________________________________________________________
MORE THAN 400 DANCERS COME FOR THESE EXCITING WEEKENDS! More than 50 classes and workshops!
MULTI DAY PACKAGES AVAILABLE.
CONTACT STARDUST:845-794-4982 or 845-796-6511/
http://stardustdance.com/images/emailart/STARDUST_WEB_BROCHURE.pdf

Honor's Haven ~ 1195 Arrowhead Rd Ellenville, NY 12428 ~ is a lovely, modern hotel located just off Route 209 in Ellenville, south of the Village (first left after the last gas station going south), directly next door to the famous Nevele Hotel. Approx. 35 minutes from Kingston, NY
 
 Friends, this is a wonderful fun weekend and I hope you will be able to join us...the Argentine Tango program is growing by leaps and bounds with many good dancers attending! We created the Sunday Tango Program to serve and involve regional tangueros.
Looking forward!
xox Ilene

 Every day, our dear friend and teacher in Buenos Aires posts a historical tango fact of the day. These interesting and informative tidbits always include English, Spanish and Italian  information and a relevant recording. You can see all of them and listen to the recording by simply joining Monica Paz PractiMilonguero Facebook page. Below is the post for March 11th and a link to the Facebook page, where you can hear the music:

11 DE MARZO DE 1921

Daily Archives 11 marzo, 2014

11 DE MARZO DE 1921

 March 11, 1921: Birth of ASTOR PIAZZOLLA. He was the most universal and innovative musician of tango. He joined the orchestra of Aníbal Troilo (1939-1944). To achieve his own style he progressed "zigzag". He rejected the dance tango and did not shine in sung tango. But when he hit, he didn't broke up with "tanguedad", he immortalized tango as no one did. Now a tango dance with musical organization by Piazzolla.

Nace ASTOR PIAZZOLLA. El músico más universal e innovador que dio el tango. Integró la orquesta de Aníbal Troilo (1939-1944). Para logar su estilo avanzó en zig-zag. Descartó al tango danza y no brilló en el tango canción. Pero cuando acertó no rompió la tanguedad sino que la extendió como ninguno. Ahora un tango para bailar orquestado por él.

11 marzo 1921: Nasce ASTOR PIAZZOLLA. Il musicista più universale e innovatore che mai donato dal tango. Fece parte dell'orchestra di Aníbal Troilo (1939-1944). Per raggiungere il suo stile procedette a zig-zag. Rifiutò il tango danza e non si distinse nel tango canción. Però quando ebbe successo non infranse la "tanguedad", ma la estese come nessuno. Qui ascoltate un tango per ballare arrangiato da lui.

 https://www.facebook.com/MPTango

And the following one for her latest interview (She regularly posts interviews that she does with surviving old milongueros) : 

MP Tango Interview

MPTango Presents Jose Santoro at PractiMilonguero

http://youtu.be/9CWJ2gAELnU

You are invited to join Los Pitucos' monthly event on  Saturday, March 15, 2014

Tango lesson or Guided Practica from 7:00pm, social dancing from 8:00pm till 11:00pm
Couples, singles and beginners welcome!

Admission $15, including home cooked "delight"

New Location!     

The VFW is located at:

725 Franklin Ave.
(corner of Pulis Ave.)
Franklin Lakes NJ 07417

For directions click here

For more information contact:
info@lospitucos.com
website at
http://lospitucos.com

About Los Pitucos

¡Gracias por su boletin! ¡Entiendo ahora porque vos dice que sus boletines son muy grandes (o es la palabra "largo"?)! ¡Pero muy interesante y un inspiracion acerca de sus  practicando de español! 

Ok enough! I have wanted to get back to studying Spanish and you are inspiring. Pero es muy triste que mi energia es muy limitada estes dias. ¡Oy! (Spanish for oy!)

Thanks for listing--I found them!! I loved Terry's comments about birthday etc. She is special most obviously. 

Perdoname mis errores.

Love,

Lucila

PS I need to learn how to do the Spanish accents. I will ask my new sweet Argentine computer guru for this to be set up on my computer. I can't quite do this.  

Lucille,

***Sue's answer - I've included this in case anyone is interested in setting up your pc to toggle between English and Spanish keyboards:

Lucille,

Estoy feliz que te gusta el bolet​ín.  Aquí está la manera para usar acentos españoles.  Es facil porque puedes cambiar entre español y ingles facilmente.

Sue

 You can set up the keyboard this way (but see later down for another way to get the Spanish characters):

Here's how to switch keyboard layouts in Windows XP:

1. Click the Start->Control Panel menu item.
2. Click Date, Time, Language and Regional Options.
3. Click Add Other Languages.
4. Click the Details button.
5. Click the Add button.
6. Find the language you want and select it.
7. Click OK.
8. Click the Apply button.

Here's how to switch keyboard layouts in Windows Vista:

1. Click the Start->Control Panel item.
2. Under Clock, Language and Region, click Change Keyboards or other Input methods.
3. Click the Change Keyboard button.
4. Click the Add button.
5. Find the language you want and select it.
6. Click the + sign to expand the item.
7. Click the + sign next to Keyboard to expand it.
8. Check the language you want.
9. Click the OK button

This will add that language it to the list of possible languages and possibly add the Language toolbar to your Task bar. You should be able to switch between the languages with the Language toolbar or with the LeftALT/Shift key combination.

Now for the other way. This should work in any Windows word processor, text editor, browser or email client.

1. Make sure your keyboard is in NumLock mode. On some laptops, this might be accomplished by pressing the blue FN key and the NumLock key. This changes a set of keys, also with blue numbers on them and usually in the 7-8-9-U-I-O area, into a numeric keypad.
2. Hold down the ALT key and enter the number on the NUMERIC KEYPAD. The keys on the top row of the alphabetic keypad won't work.

for é 130
for á 160
for í 161
for ó 162
for ú 163
for ñ 164
for Ñ 165
for ¿ 168
for ¡ 173
for Á 0193
for É 0201
for Í 0205
for Ó 0211
for Ú 0218

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, I'd like to talk about my favorite Tango subject -- lead/follow. This mechanism is the means through which two people are able to get around the dance floor in social Tango. When lead/follow is executed with knowledge and skill, the dance can be a very easy and comfortable experience. Conversely, when one or both of the partners does not understand how to do their jobs, the dance can be disastrous.

The common misconception about lead/follow in social dancing -- we see this all the time -- is that the follower drapes herself on her partner, who, in turn, pushes and pulls her around the floor. Thousands of social dancers today think of this as lead/follow. Leading is conceived as an aggressive, controlling act of literally carrying the follower around the dance floor. Following is thought of as a passive, submissive response to being carried. Alternatively, an unskilled and uninformed couple may sometimes view the lead/follow relationship as a battle for control in which either the physically or psychologically stronger partner will ultimately prevail.

In fact, lead/follow is neither of these crude mechanisms. Quite to the contrary, what we sometimes refer to as "the lead/follow collaboration" requires a very high degree of knowledge,  skill, awareness and patience on the part of both participants in order to be successful. In Tango, the entire dance is defined by the execution of single, discrete movements -- rather than by continuous sequences. This means that both leader and follower concentrate their focus on what happens from the beginning to the end of every step -- as if each movement represented the whole dance.

To be more specific, let me break a given movement down -- we'll use the example of a step to the side -- into its three fundamental parts:

1.     Initiation

2.     Travel

3.     Balance

(We could break actually any given step down even further, but these three parts will suffice for our discussion of lead/follow.)

In order to initiate or lead the side step the leader employs a very specific, very "readable" bit of body language in order to communicate to his follower exactly what he wants her to do. He lowers his torso slightly by flexing at the knees, and follows this by beginning to move his body sideways through space. The lowering action tells his follower that he's about to move somewhere through space, and that he's inviting her to do the same. The direction which his body then takes tells her where he would like her to travel.

This is where the lead ends.

(There are, of course, specific leads for each basic movement in the dance, including forward and backward steps as well as weight changes in place, pauses and pivots. I have described these in other Tango Tips, and so I won't go into them here.)

Part two of the step is the traveling action. Once the follower has been invited to move, she travels through space by herself. The leader does not carry her through the movement as many couples think. Instead, he leaves her alone, and (in the case of our example) he takes a side step of his own in order to accompany her.

Part three of the step is the balancing. In our example, both leader and follower have traveled through space on their own after the lead or invitation has been offered and accepted. At the end of the step both now bring themselves into balance individually -- without in any way relying on the other to help out. This is the moment in executing the step where a very high degree of skill is necessary on the part of both leader and follower. Bringing oneself into balance at the end of a movement is difficult enough, when one is doing it alone. Balancing in the context of the embrace can be extremely challenging for the couple in collaboration.

One of the things that is important to notice in the above description is that the lead in any given movement occurs right in the beginning; i.e., in Part 1, but does not carry through to the end of the step. Once the leader has made the invitation, each of the partners executes Parts 2 and 3 of the step by themselves. You may remember that in a previous Tango Tip I quoted Carlos Gavito as having said, "I lead, then I follow." I would add, "And finally, we balance."

If you've been able to understand my somewhat lengthy and detailed explanation of what I believe occurs in the skilled lead/follow collaboration, you can easily see how this differs from the uninformed perception of people who are new to social Tango, who haven't studied sufficiently, or who have adopted one of the many idiosyncratic fads which keep cropping up in this continually evolving dance.

If you would like to experience maximum comfort and optimum flexibility in your Tango, work with your teacher on making lead/follow a priority in your studies. You'll find that once you have this unique skill under your belt, your Tango will become much closer to what you want it to be.

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

• Tony Mele
• Tsipoyra Sartan
  
• Terri Lopez
• Debbie Glaser
• Jesse Barton
  
• steve turi
• Bob Brillo
• Elena Titova
  

• Thanks to Jorge Sturam for bringing (as he always does) champagne.  He proved, once again, that nothing, but nothing, compares to Pugliese and Champagne
•  Adrienne Burton - Irish Soda Bread
• Mary Pagano - Cookies
• Jan Folmsbee - Birthday Carrot Cake, Chinese Cabbage Salad
• Pat Flaherty - Sun Chips & Spinach Dip
• Bonny Yankauer - Chips & Guacamole
• Herb & Judy - Tin of Candy
  
• Faye & Lou Levine - Italian Cookies

• Adrienne Burton
• Barbara Lombardi
• Rifky Mackeen
• Camille
• Carl Schaefer
• Jack Block
• Enrique Zuniga
• Bob Brillo
• Jorge Sturam
• Francis & Marie
• Eduardo Campos
  
• Terri Lopez