Thursday, October 16th and 23rd
No celebrations for the next two weeks, just great dancing, eating, socializing and learning the milonga
Thursday, October 30 Halloween milonga (See information below)
Birthday of Diane Huber - Diane is new, and it is the first time she is going to celebrate at Firehouse. Let's show her what it's like.
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
October is Milonga Month at Firehouse Tango (all levels) |
For four Thursdays in October (2, 9, 16, 23) Fran Chesleigh, our incredible Firehouse Tango resident instructor, will be teaching one all-level milonga class (from 7 to 8:30 PM) in place of his usual beginner and intermediate classes. For the best results, please try to come at 7. As many of our regulars know, Argentine social dancing includes not only tango, but two other dance forms as well - vals and milonga. Since tango is what we focus on primarily in our weekly classes here at the Firehouse, people are often a bit
timid about getting up to dance when a vals or milonga are played.
In October, however, all that changes. Because starting Thursday, October 2nd, and running for four solid weeks, Pat and Fran will be teaching a month-long series of special classes in milonga. Their goal is to bring
everyone from beginners to advanced dancers up to speed on this exciting Argentine dance. They will begin with the absolute basics of the dance, and move quickly through as much material as time and your progress will allow. By the end of October, you'll know what milonga is, how it's danced, and how much great fun it is to dance.
Firehouse Tango history and time line
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Last week, we celebrated Firehouse Tango's annual Jewish New Year with a feast of traditional holiday food. Since New Year's is always a good time to look back on our history, here it is:
At appropriate times during the year, we take a look back at
some Firehouse Tango highlights. We sincerely thank all of you who have been with us from the start, the newcomers, and everyone in between. Every one of you contributes to making us who we are. 03/20/2003 Argentine Tango instructors Carlos and Rosa announce they are leaving for Paris and ask if we would like to continue Pasional, their weekly milonga at Paramus firehouse # 4. 03/27/2003 Sal and Laura Zullo host first session of Tango Co-op while Sue, Joe and Eva are in Buenos Aires. 04/1/2003 Sue Dallon publishes first weekly newsletter. 04/17/2003 Fran Chesleigh teaches first lesson
as guest instructor. 06/12/2003 Tango Co-op members vote to change name to Firehouse Tango. 07/20/2003 Fran has accident - recommends Jak Karako as replacement. 07/29/2003 CJ Puotinen publishes interview of Fran Chesleigh, first of a series of Firehouse Tango instructor interviews. 09/4/2003 Jak Karako teaches first lesson as guest instructor. . 02/3/2004 Goodbye party for Jak 02/10/2004 Fran is welcomed back as permanent instructor. 03/16/2004 First Firehouse Tango trip to Buenos Aires. Fran
Chesleigh and Pat Altman run milonga and buffet and write newsletter. They call it the Cat's Away Milonga, and it becomes an annual tradition. 04/20/2004 Firehousetango.com web site is launched. 04/29/2004 Firehouse Tango outgrows firehouse and moves to Maywood Knights of Columbus Hall. 05/6/2004 Firehouse Tango celebrates first anniversary in new home with live music by Hector Del Curto trio. The anniversary celebration will become an annual event. 06/17/2004 Fran's half-hour basic tango class is expanded to full hour. 07/2004 Fran adds one hour intermediate lesson and teaches from 7 to 9 pm every week 08/30/2004 First Firehouse Tango on the Hudson picnic milonga. These will continue as an annual tradition. 06/15/2006 First Fran Chesleigh Tango Tip published in Firehouse Tango newsletter 09/2006 Firehouse Tango's first Milonga Month. Fran Chesleigh teaches a two hour milonga lesson for entire month. This becomes yearly tradition. 05/31/2008 Monica Paz from Buenos Aires visits Firehouse Tango and gives first Saturday workshop. She will continue to visit Firehouse on her yearly trips to the U.S. 02/31/2009 New Year's Eve is Thursday night, and Firehouse Tango has New Year's Eve Milonga 03/2011 Rich Ariza, Hector Scotti and Felix Pacheco join Firehouse as guest DJ's while Joe recuperates. Sue then takes over and when Joe returns, they begin to alternate weeks. 12/23/2011 Norma, Terri and Marion suggest a Christmas/Hanukkah party inviting everyone who wants to bring a dish. It's a resounding success, and we decide to continue the tradition every year. It's so much fun that we add a new year's party, as well. 1/5/2012 Firehouse Tango starts its tenth year with Fran Chesleigh's Argentine Vals lessons. This, too, becomes an annual tradition. 05/23/2013 Firehouse Tango celebrates its tenth anniversary with lots of original friends starting the anniversary dance and new friends joining in. 09/12/2013 A night to Remember. Lightning, thunder, floods, and no electricity could not keep the Firehouse folks from dancing the night away by flashlight, proving once again that we are, indeed, a very special place.
We extend our sympathy to Tibor on the death of his father. For those who would like to send cards, his address is:
Tibor and Regina Csokasi 316 Richard
Ct Pomona, NY 10970
Many thanks to Elena Titova for filling in at the door while Tibor was out.
October 16 - Milonga Month Continues
October 23 - Milonga Month Continues
October 30 - Normal beginner and intermediate tango lesson schedule resumes Firehouse Tango's 12th Annual Halloween Milonga (Details next week)
Birthday of Diane Huber
12th annual Firehouse Tango Halloween Milonga at Thursday, November 30th
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Our Halloween party features: - Belly dance performance by Belly-Tangueras Marion Miller and Brenda Gaines
- Door prizes
- Parade of the
Firehouse Tan-ghost and Tan-goblins
- Awards for best couple, most creative, funniest and sexiest costumes
- Tango lessons by Fran Chesleigh and Pat Altman
- Buffet dinner
- Milonga
Join us Thursday, October 30th for our twelfth annual Firehouse Halloween Milonga (regular lessons from 7:00 to 8:30.) If you don't have a costume, don't let it keep you away, but come, dance and
cheer for your friends. Costumed or not, expect a great evening. In addition to awards for the most creative, best couple, funniest and sexiest costumes, we've got some great door prizes (costume not required to be eligible.) Of course, also included in the low price of only $15 are basic and intermediate
tango lessons taught by Fran Chesleigh; a buffet dinner; and dancing and socializing with the fabulous Firehouse tangueros. We're also planning to celebrat Diane Huber's birthday
We welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.com We welcome readers' contributions about Argentine Tango in general and Firehouse Tango in particular. Send your thoughts to firehousetango@gmail.comFrom
Sydney St. JamesSue, thanx for the great and fun opportunity to celebrate a joyous occasion like the anniversary of my divorce with my new "dance family". I had lot's of fun. My only regret is that I have to wait an entire year to do it again.
From Eva Roth
Eva spends a good deal of time in her home-city of Buenos Aires. Below is part one of her notes about tango in her city:
A true - life adventure fueled by caffeine, dulce de leche and, most potent of all, "Tango".
On a recent autumn afternoon in Buenos Aires - just spring in the United States - I found myself
wandering alone on Avenida de Mayo and in its plaza. I was near to the end of my trip, after spending three months in the Capital city, I was absolutely excited with the romance of the city, for I had been enjoying their wonderful coffee and expressos, and staying out in tango clubs and milongas until 4:00 a.m. each morning in this 24-hour city. My head was filled with nostalgia of tango shows. I came upon the Cafe Tortoni and felt drawn inside by its marble floors and wooden tables and dark wood walls with large mirrors. The ceiling was stained glass and watercolors and caricatures hung on every wall. If my head needed more excuse to spin than it already had, the sight
of this magical literary gathering place, set it flying. I finished my coffee and delicious crepes and left. If my stay in Buenos Aires provided the adrenaline, it was certainly not the first. I had not known, the magic of the tango until I saw it performed at 'Carlos Gardel" in the San Telmo neighborhood. I had entered the elegant restaurant and
cabaret that evening to witness my first tango show at the time. When the dancers appeared, four men came onto the stage first. Each dancing the tango with a broom - "upside down"!. They sported fedoras and black suits, Then, the men began to dance as partners, the women, also dressed in black. The men partnered with the women. The musicians behind them, played violins, piano and, of course, very important
to the sound the "bandoneons" - - accordion like instruments. that I was somehow a "tanguera" too' But a lot of this , on my part, is owed to the great effort of Fran and Pat, our in-house tango teachers at Firehouse in Maywood, New Jersey. Without their help, I do not think that I would have had the courage to dance on the stage with some of the professional tango dancers, when they noticed me in the audience!. This is the way I spent my nights, Cafes, Tango Shows, Milongas, wonderful theaters, the Colon Opera House or tango and singing places many museums. "El Beso" (The Kiss), in the downtown section is excellent. In Pelvi's Cafe, waitresses served drinks in their underwear. In La Ideal, I found not only tango dancing but tango lessons.
Visiting the schools that I had attended was an added attraction. In the daylight hours, I wandered the different neighborhoods on foot. On Calle Florida, a long handsome pedestrian avenue, where kiosk is king, street performers plied their trades - -
magicians, human statues and mechanical men, a clown with an accordion. The French architecture is very present in the city; piece by piece was brought from France. I visited the German School of Equestrian Sports engaged in a jumping competition. I walked through the wealthy barrio Recoleta. It was easy to find a French Cafe like Cafe de la
Paix, I loved these walks. Cafe Britanica and antique shops lined the streets with memories of a time long past. These are some of the wonderful memories that I have of the city where I was born.
EVA Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Ladies, when was the last time one of your partners stopped during the middle of a dance, and explained what he wanted you to do -- rather than using his leading skills to make it happen? And when such an
incident occurred, did you respond why doing what he said? Let's look at a typical interaction between a leader and follower: He makes a series of movements -- this is almost always a complicated figure he either
picked up during a "hot-shot" workshop, or maybe something he recently scored from YouTube. You know he expects you to respond in some way, but you just can't figure out what that response is supposed to be. He looks at you with frustration (and maybe a touch of impatience) on his face. He describes what he expected you to do with a sentence that starts with the words "You were supposed to ...." At this moment, big, brightly colored red flags should be exploding in your mind. You know -- you know -- that you should tell him, "I didn't feel a lead for the movement you wanted me to make." But instead, you bite the bullet, and just do what he wants. The implication -- the thing that's hanging in the air during a scenario like this -- is that you just can't follow. It's your problem. And when you actually do what he describes, you're falling right down the rabbit hole. Bad. Okay, we're going to look at what happened in the scenario above from a few different points of view. We'll start by opening Door Number One: He really is a highly skilled leader. He led a step or figure you should have been able to follow. But because your following skills are just not adequate, you blew it. This, of course, is what you're supposed to be thinking. But the thing is, it's almost NEVER THE CASE!!!! It turns out
that -- major surprise -- most men don't put in the time or effort necessary to become good leaders. It feels too hard. So they opt for memorizing figures. And then they expect their followers to be mind readers. To make things worse, followers actually buy into this nonsense over and over again, because most women seem to have this deep-seated feeling that everything wrong must be their fault. Who told you this? Anyway, don't get me started. Moving on to Door Number Two: You're a great follower; he just can't lead. "All I need," you keep telling your friends, "is a good leader, and I can do anything!" Well, maybe, but as much as we might wish he'd do what it takes to become a better leader,
his lack of adequate leading skills may not be the root of the problem here. Which leads us to Door Number Three. The thing he's trying to lead just isn't leadable. That's right. There are lots of figures and
sequences floating around the Tango world today, which nobody can lead, and nobody can follow -- unless, of course, they make a prior agreement: "When I do this, you do that." Long-time dance partners often have a long list of such figures in their repertoire. When they execute such material, it works great. But when you try it, it doesn't seem to work at all. The same thing is true of performers. Professional entertainers spend a great deal of time coming up with figures, which are designed to impress audiences. Sometimes, such figures are lead/follow; sometimes they're not. When these performers decide to teach one of their "special" figures during a workshop, they will often demonstrate the leader's part,
then the follower's response -- without ever really talking about lead/follow. As long as you're repeating the figure over and over during the workshop, everything seems to be working just fine. But later, when you try the same figure with someone who wasn't at the workshop, it just falls apart. Even though I earn my living as a dance teacher, I don't always know right off the bat whether a given figure can be led/followed or not. In such cases, what I do is spring the figure on a few of my more skilled students or dance partners -- without explaining in advance anything at all about it. If my lead feels right to me, and if the figure works with most of my followers, I may then choose to add it to
my teaching/dancing repertoire. If it doesn't work, I discard it. You can try this method yourself. When you're dancing with a partner you know well, particularly someone who follows well, attempt the figure or
sequence in question without giving her any prior indication of what you're going to do. If it doesn't quite work, try it again later -- or maybe with another trusted partner. The moment you feel like saying, "You're supposed to ...," keep that thought to yourself, and recognize that the figure probably isn't leadable. If you'd like a second opinion, ask Pat or me. We'll be happy to help.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dance Manhattan |
Every Saturday, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Dance Manhattan, Fran and Pat host
a special beginner/intermediate practice, geared toward helping you bring 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 material you're working on. If you'd like a private lesson, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com. For the practice, all you have to do is arrive with $10 and your dance shoes in hand.
View Monica Paz' terrific tango Facebook posts - my
pick from this week is below |
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 a link to the Facebook page, where you
can hear the music:
Calendario Milonguero October 6th, 1971 ÁNGEL MAFFIA dies. Bandoneonist and composer. The brother of the great Pedro Maffia. He remained for several years in Madrid and Paris where he worked as an actor. When he came back he played in a few second rank orchestras. Carlos Gardel recorded a beautiful theme written by him: SUEÑO QUERIDO. Another wonderful theme, composed by the figure we are honoring, is the one we are listening to
here. ♫ LA MADRUGADA. Juan D'Arienzo y Alberto Echagüe (1944) ⊙ CD Nº14 Colección Natucci (40 CD) +info
Here is the Facebook link to see Monica's tango calendar: 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 Eduardo "El Nene" Masci at
PractiMilonguero Click on cc underneath the screen for English subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBECqsZMnl0&feature=youtu.be
Our cancellation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
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In spite of the fact that we have cancelled twice this year, we STILL 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 seven or eight times in all these years - including, unfortunately, the first scheduled milonga of 2014), 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.
The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango.
- Tsypoyra Sartan
- Elena Titova
- Hilda and Rafael (- We're thrilled to have them back - Look for Rafael's book next Thursday)
- Steve Maisch
- steve turi
- Sydney St. James
And of course, without Terri Lopez, we would have to close up shop.
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
- Sydney
Cheese
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Mary
Buns
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Bonny Guacamole and
Chips
And these people brought wine
- Horatio
Piccioni
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George
Ngo
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Bob BrilloEdu
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Eduar
KrukovskysddfTerri
Lopez
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Eduardo
Campos
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Sydney
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Edna
Tango in New Jersey and New York
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