We're encouraged by the number of people who have responded so far, and we wanted to let you know that we're working on it. 

Also, if there is enough interest, we can offer an optional add-on of a few days in Mendoza (Argentina wine country).

Please let me know asap if you might be interested so we can continue to firm up our plans.  Feel free to call or e mail us with any questions that you might have.  We will continue to keep you aware of developments.

Until recently, Firehouse Tango organized wildly successful yearly trips to Buenos Aires.  Many participants said that it was the best trip of their life.  Some continued to come every year.  Everyone loved it.  We will be happy to provide references.

If you think you might want to join us, just send me an e mail at firehousetango@gmail.com, call us at 201-825-1570, or grab Joe or me at the Thursday milonga.  This is just a preliminary survey, and there is absolutely no obligation, so don't hesitate. We just want to see if there is enough interest to pursue it further. 

 To give you an idea of what it would be like, here is what we included in our previous trips (May be different this time):

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 if traveling with group on American # 255 and #256)
• Private group lessons with excellent local teachers
• 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
  

We haven't worked up the numbers yet, but the cost would probably be about $3,000 per person, including airfare.

February 6 - Judy Saul, Debbie Glaser, and Nathan Amatai

See details above under Celebrations

Valentines Day Milonga Thursday, February 13, 2014

Sunday, Feb. 9,  is  'Firehouse Night' at Domingo Tango Club. Anyone coming from the Firehouse gets in for $5. Rich Ariza is the host and DJ, and you'll find lots of friends and a warm welcome there. 

Rich has guest DJ'd at many New York and New Jersey milongas and has done the honors at Firehouse often.  If you haven't been to Triangulo, take advantage of this offer.  It's an easy ride with free parking right in front every Sunday.

Triangulo - The Studio for Argentine Tango


135 West 20th. St. #301
New York, NY 10011
212-633-6445
WWW.TANGONYC.COM

The Sunday Evening Milonga 6:30 - 10:30 pm DJ Richard Ariza  
 

 Our cortinas next week will be a tribute to Pete Seeger.  Valentine's Day will bring love song cortinas.

 After they found talcum powder on the floor, the Knights asked that we refrain from using this substance in the future.  Thanks for complying.  

 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 and Spanish 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 January 29 and a link to the Facebook page, where you can hear the music:

29 DE ENERO DE 1914

January 29th, 1914. Birth of HÉCTOR VARELA, bandoneon player, director and composer. Between 1940 and 1950 he was first bandoneon and the arranger of the orchestra of Juan D' Arienzo . Some time before he had failed with a band of his own. But then, while retrying, he achieved an even more surprising commercial success, more than qualitative. As an author he was austere. Now we will play his maybe best tango.

 (Note from Sue - I love Hector Varela - Me encanta Héctor Varela)

Nace HÉCTOR VARELA. Bandoneonista, director y compositor. Entre 1940 y 1950 fue primer bandoneón y arreglador de la orquesta de Juan D'Arienzo. Antes fracasó con una formación propia. Pero luego, al reintentarlo, logró un éxito sorprendente aunque más comercial que cualitativo. Como autor fue austero. Ahora quizá su mejor tango.

 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 Ofelia Rosito at PractiMilonguero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Yl--ceNcA&feature=youtu.be

Dear Sue and Joe

Just a word to say once more Happy Birthday/Bonne Anniversaire to our wonderful Marie Gregoire who looked splendid in her birthday dances. I would also like to thank her and Francis for the wonderful Vouvray they have been treating us... what a splendid generosity of heart and spirit and what a couple they are..... 

Elena

Note from Sue - I could not agree more.

From Debbie Glaser

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. You may remember that last week we began a discussion about some of the profound differences between the American/European Ballroom tradition and Argentine Tango. I want to continue that discussion today by describing what my own process on the dance floor has become over time as a result of learning and eventually emulating what I believe to be the Argentine way of dancing.

I spoke last week about the idea of reducing my concentration to a single step. What I mean by this is that when I dance Tango today, I find that I no longer think in terms of cobbling together an endless series of memorized and practiced sequences -- which, by the way, I used to do as a matter of course. Now, I try as best I can to stay absolutely in the moment, focusing on what is happening between my follower and me during every individual step we take together: 

Here I am on this dance floor with these people around me, and this music playing. I'm dancing with this particular follower, whom I'm trying to provide with the optimum lead so that every single movement I ask her to make will be as easy and as comfortable as possible. I'll try leading a side step (or any of the fundamental elements of the dance). As I do this, I'll pay very close attention to her in order to make sure she's responding in the way I'm asking her to. If my lead isn't working, I'll try to figure out why, and maybe be able to fix it so that we can both continue our dance in comfort. At the end of every individual step, I'll attempt to bring myself into balance before leading the next element -- and at the same time I'll try to make sure I haven't done anything that makes it difficult or impossible for my follower to bring herself into balance as well. However, I won't try to "help" her balance by attempting to control her. I'll try to remember throughout this complex ongoing process that initiating movement is my job. Executing any individual step and balancing at the end of it belongs to each of us individually.

Whew! That's lot to chew on, isn't it? And it all happens with every step I take. Well ... most of the time, anyway.

The other side of the equation is that in order to make all this work appropriately, I have to be dancing with a follower who is trying to do the same thing I'm attempting to do. The skill of following is every bit as complex and every bit as demanding as that of leading. Ultimately, the success of my process depends on how skillfully my follower is able to do her part.

I think that a very important thing for you to try in your own dancing -- at least some of the time -- is this concentration on what happens during and at the end of a single step. I strongly believe that if you can narrow your focus to the success of each element, your dancing will improve significantly over time, and your ability to execute even the most complex sequences will be greatly enhanced.

Give it a try.

If you attended Fran and Pat's recent special intensive workshop at Dance Manhattan, "10 Must-Have Tango Moves You Should Know," the DVD of the entire event is ready and waiting for you right now.

Remember the fun you had at Fran and Pat's November workshop? How about learning those 10 great figures from some of the world's premier Tango dancers? We've put it all on a big 2-hour plus DVD that's yours for the asking! If you participated in the workshop, you can pick up the DVD for the very low price of $25. If you weren't able to be there, but you'd like to have access to these unique figures now, you can buy the DVD for $49.95.

Sound good? All you have to do is fill out the attached order form, and send it to us along with a check for your purchase. We'll send out your DVD right away! If you prefer, you can bring cash or check either to the Argentine Consulate (Wednesdays), or to our practica at Dance Manhattan (Saturdays). We'll have copies of the DVD with us, ready to go.

As a reminder of what you experienced at our workshop. here's a listing of the ten individual figures Pat and I taught that day. By the way, we're so pleased with your response to this event that we're already planning an exciting follow-up -- "10 MORE Must-Have Tango Moves You Should Know!" We'll let you know the details as to when and where very soon! In the meantime, if you have any questions, be sure to contact us at franchesleigh@mac.com. And please don't forget to practice, practice, practice!

1.   Osvaldo Zotto's traspie with back ocho

2.   Virulazo's (Jorge Martin Orcaizaguirre) hook

3.   Julio Balmaceda's molinete with enrosque

4.   Pat's favorite adorno sequences

5.   Virulazo's (Jorge Martin Orcaizaguirre) arrastre

6.   Fran Chesleigh's forced cross

7.   Gustavo Naveira's back sacada

8.   Orlando Paiva's double sacada

9.   El Pulpo's (Norberto Esbrez) cross release

10. Osvaldo Zotto's molinete with lapiz and double cross

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

• Daniel Blitzer - Last week, when the floor was littered with salt and dirt, Daniel volunteered to pick up a broom and help Steve Turi sweep the floor.  Incredibly, I forgot to credit him.  I am making up for it now.
• Tony Mele
  
• Terri Lopez
• Steve Maisch
• steve turi
• Bob Brillo
• Debbie Glaser
  
• Elena Titova
• Jesse Barton
  

• Heidi Fedor - Bean Dip
• Bonny Yankauer - Guacamole & Chips
• Jack Block - Cheese

• Thomas Rodgers
• George Ngo
• Rifky Mackeen
• Fred Meyer
• Jean Shedlock
• Enrique Zuniga
• Dan & Georgina
• Edna Negron
• Bob Brillo
• Horatio Piccioni
• Lynne Tracey
• Eduardo Campos
• Terri Lopez