On June 19th, Jorge Nel will be at Firehouse with a large selection of Mr. Tango shoes for sale.  Since I discovered his line, I have thrown out all my other tango shoes.  Come with credit card or checkbook and take a look.

As an added treat, Jorge and Milena will also perform for us.  You simply have to see them to believe it.  They are amazing. 

You can preview Mr. Tango shoes at www.mrtangoshoes.com

When someone (Tsipoyra, in fact) came over to our table last Thursday evening, offering a tray filled with shrimp and cocktail sauce, we knew it was time to celebrate two very special birthdays. Yes, we had a full house for our milonga with great music, wonderful dancing, and the opportunity to share birthday greetings with two of our very favorite Firehouse milongueras, Marie and Gay.

Sue was away in California, visiting family; but Joe was on hand to offer up a fine selection of fabulous Tango music for the occasion. Happy Birthday, Marie and Gay, and many more to come.

The Turi Report

When the music ended at 11:15 p.m., the air at Firehouse continued electric with the energy and spirit of the crackerjack clean-up team. The folks listed below along with a few others wiped and swept and schlepped 'til the hall sparkled and glowed!

Terri

Tsipoyra

Bob Brillo

Elena Titova

Elena Syrett

Steve Maisch

Nonna and Joseph

Jesse Barton

Debbie Glaser

Mike Porro

Lynn Gross

Steve Turi

Joe Dallon

Thank you all for all you do.

-- Steve Turi

We might have to tweak the times a bit, but so far  your response to more dance time is overwhelmingly positive. 

During June, the beginner lesson will go from 7:00 to 7:30 and the intermediate lesson from 7:30 to 8:30, Dinner and dancing begin at 8:30.  We'll also add fifteen minutes at the end of the evening, playing until 11:15. That gives us forty-five minutes more of tango, milonga, and vals.

Let us know what you think by sending an e mail to firehousetango@gmail.com.  If you don't, we will have to decide without your input.

Sue and Joe Dallon

So far, it looks like a hit.

Your responses:

Anonymous

Lots of  anonymous responses, all  from folks who enjoy the extra dance time. Some would like the time of the Latin set to remain the same as it is, and we are happy to comply.

Eva Roth

From so far away; here I am enjoying reading your interesting newsletter.  Yes, I am in the Cayman Islands, enjoying this beautiful weather, turquoise ocean, many of my friends who are here, wonderful restaurants, etc.    However, no tango here.   I think that the new schedule would be acceptable to most of us, at least for me.

Rose Whitehill

Absolutely love the new schedule!

Bill Krukovsky

The new schedule is a good idea.

More dancing is great! Like the idea :-)

Last Thursday, June 12 - Birthdays of Gay Fallows Monteblanco and Marie Gregoire

I wasn't there, but I'm sure that the joint birthday dance and cakes were fantastic.  What an awful time to miss!  

Gay

Sue,

One more time! We can't express our gratitude enough! We are blown away!

Thanks,

Tibor

The June Stardust weekend is sold out, but you can still go to the Sunday tango program.

Ilene needs the names of anyone who is attending Sunday so they are able to pass thru security.   You can e mail her at imhmedia@gmail.com.    It's $35 for the lunch and Milonguita only. It's $50 for the entire day with the lesson.   The money is payable to hotel upon arrival.

Honor's Haven Resort

1195 Arrowhead Road, Ellenville, New York 12428

(845) 210-1600

info@honorshaven.com

The STARDUST SUNDAY TANGO PROGAM !!!!!
June 22- 11am-4:30pm

- ARGENTINE TANGO workshops, 11am-1pm, with-
John Hernan Raigoza & Yaisuri Salamanca !
(They took 3rd place in the World Championship in Buenos Aires)

- Elegant Dance Mix Lunch, 1pm-2pm
(Latin~Swing~Ballroom)

- LA RUBIA'S MILONGUITA
2pm-4:30pm
Host & DJ Ilene Marder
Playing the best tango dance music ever!

Really fabulous, large new wood floor, & great sound system for some of the most beautiful dance music ever recorded! Many Hudson Valley and NYC Tangueros join the wonderful Stardust Tangueros for a sensational afternoon....

ALL DAY SUNDAY PACKAGE: JUST $50
-2 hours of Workshops; 1 hour Dance Lunch; 2 hour Milonguita
OR-
Dance Lunch & Milonguita Only: $35
(- MILONGUITA ONLY: Complimentary, No Charge!)

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT MILONGAS WITH STAGE SHOWS CAN BE ADDED TO SUNDAY PACKAGE, OR BOUGHT SEPARATELY
($20 PER NIGHT IF NOT INCLUDED WITH SUNDAY...)

CONTACT ILENE FOR MORE TANGO INFO...

At the Honor's Haven Resort
off Rt. 209, Ellenville, NY

 
http://stardustdance.com/latest_weekend.html
www.stardustdance.com

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. "How do I learn to dance Tango?" This is the burning question we all ask ourselves. Does the process consist of memorizing and executing a constantly evolving lexicon of specific steps and specific "styling" (as we tend to do in learning other dances)? Or is there something more?

What are the chances of our Tango being as close to "authentic" as possible?

Okay, let's start from the beginning. As people existing outside Argentina, most of us (at least initially) see Tango as an exotic series of movements we'd love to be able to display on a dance floor. When we encounter Tango for the first time, our trigger response is "Gee, I wish I could do that!"

If we study Tango for any length of time, however, we eventually come to be aware that people from Argentina -- at least that very small percentage of the total populace whose lives are "caught up" in Tango -- think of it as far more than a dance. To those who have in the past been somewhat disparagingly referred to as -- and who at least these days proudly call themselves -- milongueros -- Tango represents an entire way of life. It involves music, a sense of their ongoing history, a special way in which certain men and women relate to one another in Argentina -- and a host of other factors which are integral to being born in and living day to day in that unique environment.

So now our question becomes: "Without all this background, how can we expect to achieve anything close to authenticity in a dance, which depends on total immersion in this very specific way of life?

Well, of course, we can't.

What we can do as people who don't bring our own inherent authenticity to Tango -- and I mean this sincerely -- is that we can pretend. My dear friend and dance mentor, the late John Lucchese, used to point out to me that every time we walk out onto the dance floor, we become actors, playing a very distinct role. If we're dancing Foxtrot, we become Fred and Ginger. If we're dancing Swing, we're Frankie Manning and Norma Miller (Don't know who they are? You have a computer. Look 'em up!). If it's Salsa, we become -- (insert your favorite salsero here).

Get the idea? We play a role.

The same thing happens, when we dance Tango. I have several personal favorite dancers whom I try to emulate, when I dance --Gustavo Naveira, Carolos Gavito, Miguel and Osvaldo Zotto, Julio Balmaceda, and a wonderful social dancer named Hector Chidichimo. I can never be these great Tango dancers. But I can try to channel their unique ways of moving into my own dance by watching them on YouTube, and by doing my best to pretend I'm one of them, right from the moment I form my embrace with a partner on the dance floor.

This is something I encourage you to try, too. Pick out your favorite dancer, and watch as many videos of him or her as you can. And every time you get set to dance, try to think of yourself as the embodiment of that dancer. The likelihood is that no one will know that you're now the spitting image of Lorena Ermocida or the late great Esther Pugliese; but they'll probably notice something new -- maybe something very special -- about the way you're moving.

About three years ago, as I was walking off the floor after a dance, someone said to me, "You were doing Gustavo, weren't you?" I could have died and gone to heaven right then and there.

Try it, and see for yourself. Let us know how it works.

Your Video Is Ready and Waiting!

"10 More Must-Have Tango Moves You Should Know"

Special April 6, 2014 intensive workshop

with Fran Chesleigh and Pat Altman

Pricing:

·      If you attended the session, we are offering a special discounted price of $25

·      If you did not attend, but would like to have this unique DVD, the regular price is $50

Pick up a DVD:

·      At our Saturday Practica at Dance Manhattan (2-4pm)

·      Or at the Argentine Consulate on Wednesdays (12-2pm)

Order by Mail:

Send a check made out to Fran Chesleigh, and mail it to us at 207 West 106th Street, Apt. 11A, New York, NY 10025. Please include an additional $6 for shipping and handling.

Here's a listing of the ten individual figures we taught that day. If you have any questions, contact us at franchesleigh@mac.com. And please don't forget to practice, practice, practice!

1.   Nito Garcia's ochos with traspie

2.   Julio Balmaceda's "running" molinete

3.   Osvaldo Zotto's back cross with molinete plus adornments

4.   Osvaldo Zotto's back cross with side step to cruzada

5.   Nito Garcia's media vuelta with rulo

6.   Pat's  "Esther Pugliese"adornment sequence

7.   Gustavo Naveira's left-rotating cadena plus adornments

8.   Orlando Paiva's "El Gato" sequence/with adornments

9.   Carlos Gavito's right leg wrap

10. Osvaldo Zotto's "show-stopper" step sequence

 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 June 8th and a link to the Facebook page, where you can hear the music:

 June 8, 1908: Birth of ENRIQUE CAMERANO, virtuous violinist. He is first violin in the octet that Osvaldo Pugliese organized in 1939 to debut with his own orchestra. The honoree remains in that privileged position for over 18 years. He won the unanimous recognition of his colleagues. Let's hear the first recording of that group.

 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 Jorge Garcia at PractiMilonguero

http://youtu.be/iBvxXlJp3FU

From Eva Roth - From Grand Cayman

Sue:

If there would be a "Firehouse Tango" here, my stay would be complete.  AND, the locals would enjoy having a place to go.  The Marriott Hotel has plenty of space for us and the manager, who is from Argentina, said you would have no less than 500 people on a weekly basis, no dinner, of course charging 25.00 per person.   Enrique said to me:   Bring FIREHOUSE HERE, WE LOVE TO HAVE THEM!.    Yes, see you soon.      Eva

Encyclopedia of Tango by Gabriel Valiente - 800 pages covering 150 tango orchestras and their recordings before, during, and after the golden age, for only $36.  I hope you enjoy it, and I would appreciate if you could forward this announcement to your students and any other tango contacts who might be interested.

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 Maisch
  
• Jesse Barton
• Bob Brillo
  
• Steve Turi
• Debbie Glaser
  
• Elena Titova - A great big thank you to Elena for filling in so well for Tibor during his absence. 
  

• Heidi Fedor - Bacon Wraps
• Herb Goodfried - Pretzels
• Francis & Marie - Shrimp & Cake
• Jan Folmsbee & Carl Remmes - Beets & Onion Salad
  

• Bill Krukovsky
• George Ngo
• Meryl Shapiro
• Rifky Mackeen
• Bob Brillo
• Edna Negron
• Francis & Marie
• Horatio Piccioni
• Jesse Barton