Birthday of Joe Dallon

On Thursday, August 14th, we will celebrate the birthday of Joe Dallon.  Sue will start the birthday tango, and we expect all of the wonderful Firehouse Tangueras to cut in.  Please, ladies, let's make him happy. 

A New and Blessed Life

My granddaughter and husband Jessica and Evan, welcomed into their lives this am a Son,  Sebastian Luis Simpson at 7.4lbs.  Already smiling, and handsome.  I am ecstatic having my first Great Grand Child.

Terri

Congratulations to Terri from your Firehouse friends

No celebrations next Thursday - Just great dancing, eating, and socializing with wonderful friends

Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned one of the ways in which a good leader can help make sure he takes care of his follower on the dance floor. I called it "overcoming step static."

Here's what I said during that Tango Tip:

The easiest way to completely forget about using good lead/follow technique is to walk onto the floor with a head full of memorized dance steps. If you're like most leaders, you'll find yourself concentrating far too intently on getting your own steps right -- and you'll totally neglect what you need to lead your partner to do to make each figure work. I'm going to call this "step static." The only way to overcome this dreaded disease is to carefully break every memorized figure down into its individual elements -- in advance -- and make certain that you lead your partner through each movement during your execution of the figure, waiting for her to be ready to continue before you proceed to the net element within the figure. The result might not look like it did on stage, but at least you and your partner will live through the experience.

Several leaders asked if I would explain this a bit further, and I'm very happy to do so.

If my focus as a leader is on what we'll call "pure improvisation," this means that I focus on leading my follower to take one step at a time. To describe this briefly -- I decide which of the basic individual elements I'm going to invite (forward, backward, side, in-place, pause, or pivot). Next, I apply my specific knowledge of leading technique in order to invite the movement I decide upon. As she travels through space, I accompany her with a movement of my own choosing. At the same time, I monitor her response to my lead in order to make certain that she's doing what I've asked of her, and that she's comfortable and in balance while executing the step. At the end of each step, I begin the process again by selecting another movement, and leading it in the same way as above.

In this way, I create what we might call "figures" -- not by prior design, but rather "in the moment." In fact, as I go through this process, I may be completely unconscious of the end result as a structured figure, because I'm totally absorbed with the success of each element.

Now, what happens when my concentration is elsewhere? What happens when my goal is to replicate a complex, learned sequence? Maybe it's something I just picked up in a dance class. Or perhaps I grabbed it from a teaching video, or possibly from YouTube. Here's where I may easily be overcome by "step static." Instead of focusing on good leading technique, all I can think about is getting myself through a memorized step sequence. I hardly even notice what my follower is supposed to do -- somehow she'll know, won't she? If I've "learned" the figure in a dance class, all the followers did their jobs beautifully, didn't they? (Well, of course they did --these followers memorized the figure right along with me. There was absolutely no lead/follow necessary!)

When I take my newly memorized figure to the dance floor, and try it with a follower who wasn't in the class, the thing just falls apart -- or maybe I try to "muscle" her through the figure, and end up making her feel as if she's been through a war.

Step static.

The antidote to this dreaded Tango disease is to translate your figure into a lead/follow challenge in your own mind -- remember "pure improvisation?   Then, try to carefully lead your follower through each element of the sequence, one step at a time. In this way, you'll be returning to basic lead/follow technique -- and letting the figure take care of itself.

Give it a try. Let us know if this helps in the execution of your favorite figures.

with Fran Chesleigh and Pat Altman

Sunday, August 17

12:30 -- 3:30 P.M.

One of the most satisfying -- and challenging -- moves you can make in Tango is molinete, when the follower glides around the leader in an effortless "grapevine" as he turns in place with perfect balance.

Molinete Magic! is a fast-paced, 3-hour, intensive Tango workshop that will help you build your molinete right from its basic foundations all the way to a host of advanced accompaniments and adornments.

Here are some hot spots:

·      Learn the basic followers' techniques for perfect execution of molinete.

·      Discover how a skilled leader initiates, controls, and concludes the flow of molinete.

·      Enhance your molinete with an exciting vocabulary of followers' adornment.

·      Make some advanced leaders' moves such as aguja, enrosque, rulo, and lapis.

Molinete Magic! offers you a unique opportunity to transform your Tango, Vals and Milonga into the polished, seriously authentic dances you've been working so hard to achieve.

Don't miss it!

Prepaid by Friday, August 16: $35 per person

Standard price: $40 per person

No refunds. No exchanges.

Dance Manhattan

Ballroom,Swing and Latin Dance Studio

39-47 West 19th Street, 5th Floor

New York, NY

1-212-807-0802

dancemanhattan.com

 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:

 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

Sunday Evening:

6:30 'till 10:30 PM

hosted by Richard & Eddie

TRIANGULO

Ballroom Dance Resort Weekend: September 12-14, 2014

 Joe and I are planning to attend this weekend.  Let me know if you would like to sit with us (firehousetango@gmail.com .) 

This is our 99th dance weekend!  We are pleased to introduce you to the new HONOR'S HAVEN RESORT & SPA (formally known as the Fallsview Resort).  Located only 90 miles from New York City and Albany on a 250 acre private estate with spectacular surroundings and glorious views of the Shawangunk Mountains.  The new ownership has renovated all the public spaces and the hotel grounds.  Best of all, they have thousands of square feet of wooden dance floor. Honor's Haven Resort also has the finest chef in the Hudson Valley, making it the perfect dance venue!

• Overnight Accommodations at Full Service Resort
• 7 Meals
• Champagne & Wine Reception
• Open Bar Cocktail Party & Smorgasbord
• Over 50 Dance Workshops
• Night & Day Dancing to 4 Great DJ's 
• Swing Shift Orchestra
• Great Gatsby Theme Saturday Night
• Dancing During Lunch & Dinner
• Top Nite Club Entertainment Each Evening
• Friday Lunch is on us! (Served from 1 - 2 PM)
• Your choice - Separate Dance Facilities for Latin, Ballroom, Argentine Tango, & Hustle/West Coast Swing
• Special Thursday Night Package (Join us for our Stardust Mixer Thursday Night to meet old and new friends)
• Call for more information 800-537-2797 (Monday-Friday 9am - 5pm) Outside USA & Canada 845-794-4707
• DAY PACKAGES AVAILABLE (based on availability, limited space) - Click here for info!

 *For more information click here --> Dance Weekend FAQ Section

OVER 50 DANCE WORKSHOPS
Please note: Each class is designed for different levels of proficiency.
Most classes are repeated offering everyone a chance to learn these stylish new steps.
(A) Beginner     (B) Intermediate     (C) Advanced

*SPECIAL WORKSHOPS*
2 Hour Salsa Workshop
2 Hour West Coast Swing Workshop
2 Hour Argentine Tango Workshop
*2 Hour Hustle Workshop

Click Here to Meet The Stardust Dance Faculty

I meant to write earlier and thank you both for the hospitality that you extended to me and to my mother last Thursday

at the Firehouse! We had an absolutely marvelous time and we owe it all to you and your warm and kind atmosphere that you set! Everyone was so friendly and kind and the music was beautiful:)

The next day, Al called to tell me that you included us into your Newsletter, and although I have not seen it, I wanted to thank you for that.

Looking forward to seeing you both at Hora Cero this coming Friday!

Love,

Eleonora and Ninah

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
  
• Jesse Barton
  
• Tsipoyra Sartan
• Steve Maisch
  
• Steve turi
• Elena Titova
  
• Debbie Glaser
• Nancy Sierra (First timer - Debbie's friend)
  

• Camille - Cheese Crisps
• Judy & Herb - Cole Slaw & Potato Salad

• Bill Krukovsky
• Rifky Mackeen
• Camille
  
• George Ngo
• Fred Meyer
• Eunice Charles
  
• Horatio Piccioni
• Eduardo Campos
• Terri Lopez