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

We're so glad you were able to get Carlos Sampelayo for tonight. We're sorry we couldn't be with you this evening, but we'll certainly be back next week.

Have a great evening.

Fran and Pat

First Cat's Away Milonga in Three Weeks!

We are now only three weeks away from our first Cat's Away Milonga on Thursday March 20, and already it's beginning to take shape. Even though Fran and I couldn't be at Firehouse on 2/27, Steve Turi pinned up the Poster and helped people sign up, and Sue promoted our two Cat's Away Milongas - on March 20th and 27th - despite the fact that the 'Cats' in the title (i.e. herself and Joe) will NOT be away!! Our sincere appreciation to Steve and Sue for their help this week.

There are still plenty of slots that need to be filled, and you can either sign up on the Poster, or you can send Fran or me an email to let us know if you will be bringing a dish.

Not every item has to be a masterpiece. Simple appetizers, entrees or desserts are welcome too! We will also need two people each week to make a large salad. Keep in mind that these salads -- and each dish -- should feed approximately 25 people. The Appetizer dishes generally go out at the 8:00 p.m. lesson break, and the entrees are served at 9:00 p.m., after the second lesson. To sign up or ask questions, contact me at paltman21@gmail.com, or Fran at franchesleigh@mac.com.

We are waiting to hear from you!

March 6

 
No celebrations - just great dancing, learning, eating, and socializing with the greatest folks around

March 13  - Birthday of Carl Remmes

 
 Carl is in incredible dancer and Firehouse friend who has been coming for years.  Jan will start the dance and then the ladies will cut in.  Ladies, do not miss this opportunity for a sure-to-be-fabulous celebratory dance with him.

March 20 and 27 - Cat's Away Milongas I and II

 See above message from Fran and Pat

Many thanks to our friend Carlos Sampelayo and his wife, Lynn,  for teaching the beginner and intermediate lessons in Fran's absence Thursday.  We liked them very much, and everyone enjoyed the lessons.

No celebrations next Thursday, just great dancing, learning, socializing and eating with those wonderful Firehouse Friends.

• 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 February 27 and a link to the Facebook page, where you can hear the music:

27 DE FEBRERO DE 1946

 February 27, 1946: Date when Osvaldo Pugliese and Alberto Morán recorded  DEMASIADO TARDE, a very representative creation of this magnificent tango duo. When they acted live together, people got crazy . The dancers complained because the ladies gathered around the stage. Meanwhile Alberto Morán sang "at least tell me you hate me" ... decime por lo menos que me odiás...

 Fecha en la que Osvaldo Pugliese y Alberto Morán graban DEMASIADO TARDE. Un tango muy representativo de éste magnífico dúo. Cuando actuaban en vivo había alboroto. Los bailarines se quejaban porque las señoritas se agrupaban en torno al escenario. Entretanto Alberto Morán cantaba: decime por lo menos que me odias... 

 27 febbraio 1946: Data nella quale Osvaldo Pugliese e Alberto Morán registrano DEMASIADO TARDE. Un tango molto rappresentativo di questo magnifico duo. Quando si esibivano dal vivo si creava scompiglio. I ballerini si lamentavano che le signorine si affollavano intorno al palcoscenico. E intanto Alberto Morán cantava: decime por lo menos que me odias... (almeno dimmi che mi odi...)

 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

From Eva Roth (In Buenos Aires)

Hi Sue:

And so, life continues here in this magnificent city of Buenos Aires!

Added to the marvelous weather we are having on a daily basis of 82 degrees with a clear blue, blue sky.

I am sure that everyone who signs up for your trip will be thoroughly happy with the decision to come here.  I say that since you and Joe will be accompanying the group and that will certainly make all the difference in the world.

I leave Buenos Aires on March 30th.  Of course, leaving my heart behind right here in Buenos Aires.  Andrea Boccelli will be arriving soon, as well as Joan Baez and Rod Stewart.

This afternoon, Rafael, Hilda and I, are going to La Milonguita which is held at El Obelisco.  From there, we will go out to dinner.

Thanks for missing me at "Firehouse" - If "Firehouse" would be here in Buenos Aires in the same manner that you have it with two-hour lessons, dinner, birthday/anniversary celebrations, a Viennese table, etc., no doubt, that you would be the most famous Milonga in the entire city.

Talk to you soon! -     Love to you, regards to Joe,    Eva

Note from Sue:  Here for the third time is Fran's Tango Tip from two weeks ago about the line of dance.  Also, as promised, I've repeated more previously published information:

Continuing about the line of dance

Please guys, follow the line of dance.  It makes it so much more pleasant for everyone.  Here is an interesting web site that you can go to for more information about the line of dance and dance floor etiquette (used with permission of owner).

  http://www.inscenes.com/etiquette.htm

  As a follower, I implore my leaders to respect the line of dance.   

Fran's Line of Dance Tango Tip

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. One of the primary disciplines that we all absolutely must incorporate into our dancing right from the beginning is that of maintaining the line of dance.  And yet, this crucially important practice seems to completely elude so many American dancers that we find ourselves talking about it again and again -- usually with very little positive result. Today, I'd like to talk about why I think this problem persists, and possibly how each of us can do our part in trying to fix it.

The concept of maintaining the line of dance is very direct in its simplest form:

Tango is traditionally defined by progressive movement; i.e., people moving counterclockwise around a dance floor more or less continuously. This well-established convention enables a group of dancers to interact predictably and comfortably while navigating a crowded room.

The problem with this concept is that in order to maintain line of dance with absolute certainty, all the leaders in the room would have to agree to do nothing more than continually walk forward, while all the followers would continually move backward, nobody would be able to stop or slow down, and giving in to any kind of individual creative impulse would be virtually impossible.

How would that way of dancing Tango work for you? It sure wouldn't work for me.

Let's say that I had been born and raised in Buenos Aires (rather than Brooklyn). Let's say that my initial introduction to Tango involved going to a social dance with family or friends. Okay, given those circumstances, it's possible that I might have been very pleased to learn the more gentle art of social dancing -- in order to do what my friends were doing. In order to be a part of the social swim. I mean, all my buddies would know that nobody in Argentina does stage stuff on the social dance floor, right? It's just unheard of. (Ahem ....)

Anyway, getting back to the ideal world, like most Americans, my first exposure to Tango was watching people dancing on stage. It just took my breath away. I fell hopelessly in love. I became instantly hooked. I thought, "I want to look like those guys. Get me a teacher now!"

So, what if my teacher had said, "Okay we're going to learn to walk around the room non-stop without ever doing any of the fancy stuff." I'm sure my response would have been, "I want another teacher." Or maybe, "Oh yeah? Well, I quit!"

Have I spelled out the dilemma I, you, we, face? Strict, one-note, robot-like, rat-in-the-maze social dancing versus the unbridled ecstasy of the stage?

Of course, this way of thinking is ridiculous. Yet many, if not most, students in America seem to find themselves caught up in this unrealistic fantasy. They approach learning Tango as an exercise in accumulating -- and dancing -- as many elaborate stage sequences as possible, while completely neglecting the less dramatic -- but crucially important -- elements of basic movement within the social dance. Because their focus is exclusively on displaying their own prowess, they tend to disrupt -- if not completely destroy -- the line of dance. Quite often, they actually place themselves and their peers in danger.

Does this describe you? I myself have certainly been guilty of such breaches of the delicate social dance contract from time to time.

Ultimately, I think that what we need on the social dance floor is compromise. Yes, of course, it's fine to get all excited about learning all that material we see on stage, on YouTube, and in lessons with the "stars." As skilled social dancers, however, we have to find a way to integrate such material into a well-practiced habit of taking care of everyone around us.

We know that the norm is to maintain a consistent line of dance. So that idea has to sit front and center in our consciousness as a primary goal, whenever we find ourselves on the dance floor. Our ongoing challenge will be to pick just the right moment, when we feel that it's safe to introduce a complex element into the mix. Sometimes, it will work. At other times, we'll have to abort a particular sequence in order to maintain our first responsibility - the comfort and safety of other people in the room.

Does this sound like a plan? Let's all try it, and see whether maintaining the line of dance as a primary goal makes things better for everyone on the dance floor.

"I just couldn't dance with them," she reported. "Whatever it was that these guys had on made my eyes hurt, and my nose run, and caused me to sneeze all the time I was anywhere near them. I felt that I couldn't find the right words to say anything to them, but to be honest, I just had to walk away."

I've heard this same complaint more than once in the past -- not only from followers, but also from leaders who were put off by their follower's perfume or other kind of scent. There are lots of people who just don't react well to lotions, powders, colognes, after-shaves, perfumes, strong deodorants, or other kinds of applied scents -- no matter how well intentioned they might be. I don't know whether it has to do with allergies, with the chemicals that are currently being used in these products, or simply with personal preferences -- but more and more of us are asking that these substances be kept away.

There's no doubt that we're all concerned with wanting to present ourselves in public as fresh, clean, and inoffensive to others. And it's certainly true that a touch of scent may seem to be  appropriate in certain social situations. However, as a general rule of thumb, I would recommend limiting the use of products such as those listed above to occasions other than dancing. I know from my own experience that if I'm dancing with someone, it increases my need to breathe more deeply -- and the last thing I want at such times is to be continuously inhaling the smell of perfume, cologne or body lotion no matter how pleasant such an aroma might otherwise be during other social circumstances.

And as to getting the odor on my clothes ... no thank you!

What do you think about my student's "delicate dilemma?" Pat and  I would love to have your opinion. You can discuss it with us in person at the next Firehouse Tango event, or email us at franchesleigh@mac.com. As always, we'd be very pleased to hear from you.

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.

We've noticed that some of you haven't picked up your DVD of our workshop at Dance Manhattan. If you weren't able to be there, but you'd now like to have access to these unique figures from some of the world's premier Tango dancers, you can buy the DVD for $49.95. If you participated in the workshop, you can pick up the DVD for the very low, discounted price of $25.

We've had lots of positive feedback from people who have already purchased the DVD, many of whom have been happy to see themselves right there on screen. Want a copy for yourself? All you have to do is fill out the attached order form, and send it to us along with a check for your purchase. Please also include $6 for priority shipping. If you prefer, you can bring cash or check either to the Argentine Consulate (Wednesdays), to our practica at Dance Manhattan (Saturdays), or to Firehouse Tango (Thursdays). 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.

• Tsipoyra Sartan - Special recognition this week for picking up Terri on short notice when Tony couldn't make it.  She also helped set up and break down. 
  
• Terri Lopez
• Steve Maisch
• steve turi
• Bob Brillo
• Jesse Barton
  
• Elena Titova
  

• George Ngo
• Rifky Mackeen
• Bob Brillo
• Horatio Piccioni
• Kathy Doherty
• Terri Lopez