Loads of thanks from Sue for a fantastic birthday |
The dance Thank you, thank you, thank you - for making my birthday celebration the best yet (I say that every year because it's true: It just gets better and better.) Thanks especially to the
long line of tangueros who wanted nothing more than to dance with little old me - so many that it took a milonga, a tango and a vals and then another vals with Walter to get through the line. I've achieved my junior high school dream, and you all made it happen. I especially want to thank Felix for leaving his very busy practice early so he could start the my birthday dance off with a milonga and Walter for doing an extended vals to end that marvelous experience.
The cake, the food, the introduction Thanks to Tsipoyra for the delicious kosher for Passover chocolate mousse birthday cake. Brigitte gets thanks for yet another absolutely delicious chocolate cream cake, Hilda for two flans, Judy for the
drunken fruit and everyone else for the more or less kosher for Passover food. The Firehouse folks finished it all. What more could a Jewish mother want? Thanks to Terri for the beautiful introduction.
More food See the list
The gifts Thanks to all of you who showered me with flowers, cards, gifts and good wishes. I am incredibly grateful for the love and caring of my Firehouse friends. Thank you Terri, Brigitte and Sandor,
Shan, Fred, Rifky, Judy and John Koski, Joyce, Mabel, Flo, Syd, Elena S, Francis and Marie, Barbara, Elsa, Francesca and Ken, Hilda, Walter and Gay, Rose and Eva (I hope I didn't leave anyont out) for the wonderful gifts.
Thanks to Elena for picking up Estelle and taking her home (Notice that this is listed under gifts - It most definitely is one.) We miss Estelle
desperately
Yet another gift was Joyce, who hasn't been to Firehouse for a long time. I hope that you make it a habit, Joyce.
More or Less Kosher for Passover Milonga last Thursday |
Our annual traditional more or less kosher for Passover feast took place at Firehouse Milonga on Thursday, April 9th. It was truly amazing, and we all left stuffed and happy.
Items featured on our holiday menu
were:
Sue - brisket with potatoes, carrots and string beans, gefilte fish, dried fruits and nuts, macaroons, desserts and honey from Joe's bees. George Ngo - Matzah (in adsentia) Marion Levine - Yemeni Charoses Georgina Blitzer - Potato Kugel
Tsipoyra Sartan - kosher for Passover birthday cake for Sue Judy Assisi- Sephardic fruit compote Jack B. - Tsimmes Bonny Y - Chopped liver and pickled herring Jack M. - Sweet and sour lamb ragout (I requested this, and you all found out why. It
was as good as I remembered) Norma Arias - roasted carrots and fennel and chocolate covered matzah Brigitte Szarka - Flourless chocolate cake (birthday and Passover) Hilda Genni - Flans and kale salad Mike and Debbie - Green salad - bitter herbs Stephen and
Jeannie Matzahs
Francesca P and Ken K. - Too much stuff to mention - Passover popovers with margerine, mints, Tsimmes, etc. etc. etc.
Camille - Wine and chocolate cookies
Ferd - Devilled eggs - his specialty - yumm
Rose W - A promise to take me to lunch and
whitefish
Next Thursday April 16th - Birthday of Francis Gregoire
Francis and Marie Gregoire have been coming to Firehouse for many years and have been to Buenos Aires with us
three times, and we are honored to be able to celebrate Francis' birthday on April 16 th. Francis will start the birthday tango with Marie and then we lucky ladies can begin cutting in. It will be delightful. Oh, and the mountain of huge and luscious shrimp and delicious chocolate cake that Francis and Marie always bring will be fabulous, as always.
Last Thursday - Bonny, Brigitte, and Sue
Bonny Yankauer and I share an April 12th birthday, and Brigitte Szarka's is on April 9th. We all celebrated with Brigitte's and Tsipoyra's cakes and Hilda's flan, though the other two ladies chose not to do a birthday dance. It would have been wonderful had they joined me.
Perhaps next year.
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
There are five Thursdays in April, and we are making great use of each one.
April 2 - Birthday of Mona
Phillips
April 9 - Birthday of Sue Dallon and traditional Firehouse Tango Passover Milonga/Feast
April 16 - Actual Birthday of Francis Gregoire
April 23- Birthday of Eva Roth
Our dear milonguera from Buenos Aires, who took Firehouse by storm a few years ago and cooks something different for us almost every Thursday when she is here, will celebrate her birthday with us on Thursday, April 23rd. Eva loves the milonga, and she will glow while dancing her favorite
dance with all of the Firehouse Tangueros.
April 30- Birthday of Walter Monteblanco
Our wonderful friend Walter is actually celebrating his birthday with us during the month when it occurs. This is a first, as the
Monteblancos are usually traveling.
Walter has been teaching Argentine Tango since way before I knew it existed, and he's my absolute favorite vals partner in the world. Everyone loves Walter's large and happy personality. We look forward to celebrating Gay's (Mrs. M.) birthday
the second week of May.
Gay will start the celebratory dance, and I will fight with Marita for the privilege of being second. Each of the tangueras can then have her turn. Possibly a few tangueros will cut in as well, since Walter follows as flawlessly as he leads. 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.com
From Elena Syrett
My dear Sue I shall be there to help you celebrate your birthday; I would not miss it for the world! all very best till then elena
Well done Mona! You are quite a lady to be able to lead and be led. This was one of the most enjoyable birthday celebrations I have had the great luck to be present for! And Mona's dress was equally spectacular as the lady herself!
Happy Birthday, once more...
From Fred Rueck
Fred has been sending lots of
contributions, for which I am delighted and grateful. Last week, I published Signs you are a Tango Addict. This week, Ive selected another interesting tidbit from Fred.
Click on the word "video" or "May 12, 2014" to go directly to
the video.
QUESTION: Is your dance teacher teaching you the ability to dance small?
You'll appreciate the ability to dance like this on your trip to Buenos Aires!
Patio de La Morocha shared Marina Alexanyan's video.Para que aprendan a valorar el espacio en un
dancing flor
From Michael Ditkoff
Michael is also sending lots of contributions to this newsletter. This one is very interesting.
“The Washington Report” AN
IMPORTANT LESSON BY Michael Ditkoff
In February 2000, “Forever Tango” came to Washington, DC for several performances. It was rumored that members of the cast would come to the regularly scheduled Saturday milonga after an exhausting day
of matinee and evening performances.
Ten thirty, no cast members. Eleven o’clock, no cast members. Around eleven thirty, the milonga host arrives with several cast members. The only one I recognized is Carlos Gavito from Jeff Allen’s book “Quick Start to Tango” who I recognize from a photo.
Of course, everybody is expecting the cast members to take center stage, never mind they must be exhausted and have two performances the next day. We wait and it never happens. Mr. Gavito takes a partner onto the floor and blends into the traffic. Several of us on the sidelines are hoping
everybody will clear a space for him so that we can see a maestro at work (or is it really at play?) My eyes are riveted on him hoping to pick up an important lesson that I can add to my vocabulary. He and his partner glide across the floor doing absolutely NOTHING! That’s right, NOTHING!! They move a few steps and stop. A few weight changes in place and then a few more steps with the first half of a change of front (called open box in ballroom for waltz and fox trot.) [For those who don’t know
the figure, the man’s back is now facing the line of dance so he can walk backwards.] A few more weight changes in place, he walks backwards a few steps, more weight changes, and then the second half of change of front so that he is now facing forward and his partner is facing backwards to the line of dance. This sequence is repeated for the entire tanda. No boleros, ganchos, paradas, nor anything fancy. What a disappointment! But then, this wasn’t a show performance so he was perfectly in his
rights to dance what he wanted for his partner.
My private teacher told me that a true milonguero circles the dance floor ONCE during a tango. That is exactly what Mr. Gavito and partner did, only
once around the floor for each tango dancing NOTHING extraordinary.
After the tanda and he retired to the rear of the studio where refreshments were I went up to talk to him. He seemed very
approachable and friendly. He was a true friend of tango and those who dance it and definitely NOT a prima donna.
I said to him “Mr. Gavito. You really are a milonguero, only going around the floor
once. But you did absolutely nothing spectacular with the vast vocabulary you have. You will forget more about tango then I will ever learn.”
He looked at me with friendly eyes and said “My friend,
thank you for the compliment. The more you know, the less you need.” I was stunned; shocked by the simple message he gave me. He reaffirmed what I suspected. Tango is NOT about steps and figures. It’s about connecting with your partner and ensuring both have a good time. Here was a star of a tango show who didn’t feel any need to show off his skills. If Mr. Gavito doesn’t have to compete with other men on the dance floor for executing difficult figures, neither do I. I will always be grateful for his warm words. Without his knowing it, Mr. Gavito taught me an important
lesson.
Buenos Aires with Firehouse Tango November, 2015
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Since we've had lots of interest in our 2015 trip to Buenos Aires, it looks like we will go at the beginning of November. Please let me know if you might be interested in joining us.
Last year, we took a group, and exceeded all expectations. If
you think you might want to come, just send me an e mail at firehousetango@gmail.com, call us at 201-825-1570, or grab me at the Thursday milonga. This is just a preliminary survey, and there is absolutely no obligation, so don't hesitate.
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.
Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. A woman in my Wednesday class at the Argentine Consulate recently asked me the following question: "When a leader pushes and pulls me with his arms during the dance -- despite what he has been told about not doing that -- what can I
do?"
In fact, the same sort of question on a slightly different subject might be asked by a leader: "If my follower insists on taking several steps, when I've only invited one, what can I do?" Or: "How can I learn to follow, if the leader is constantly telling me what I'm supposed to be doing rather than actually leading me to do it?" Or: "How can I find my balance at the end of every step, when my
partner is using me as a leaning post?" Or: (Enter your pet peeve in this space.) Frankly, none of these questions is easy to answer. The simple response might be something dismissive such as "Try not to do those things, please." But such an admonition would probably solve the problem for about 10 seconds or less -- if it worked at all.
To be honest, most fundamental problems like these don't work themselves out quickly -- and many
never get resolved at all -- in the context of a typical group class situation. In my experience, the Tango class serves as a cursory introduction to the dance at best, but it simply cannot be expected to accurately and progressively enable the student to build crucial fundamental skills.
Every dance teacher knows this. If one's entire field of practical experience is limited to learning/dancing with partners who have very little or no
requisite skills, there is just no way a student can hope to become a more skillful dancer, even over a protracted period of time and effort. The idea of trying to learn to dance by attempting to partner with someone who has no skill whatever is the worst of all possible worlds. And yet this is exactly what we try to accomplish in the context of the typical beginner dance class. As you yourself have no doubt found, this just doesn't work.
What
would work better? If it were up to me (which of course, it's not), every aspiring student of Tango would be compelled to enter into a mandatory period of private instruction in order to prepare him/her for practicing and dancing with other students who have been engaged in the same course of study. Once fundamental skills have been assimilated through such study -- by which I mean consistently good posture, confidence and balance in motion and at rest, lead/follow expertise, and the
accumulation of basic repertoire -- any other mode of study would almost certainly prove beneficial, since the absence of basic skills would not be a fatal hindrance. But when the student attempts to circumvent fundamentals -- as so many students today do -- and "cut to the chase" by focusing prematurely on complex, "stagy" sequences and adornment, the results are in virtually every instance predictably disastrous.
Never has the phrase "you have to crawl
before you can walk" been more appropriate than in the study of Tango. If you really want to learn this dance, rushing through the basics -- or skipping them altogether -- simply will not work. Find yourself a teacher, do the work, and you will get better. Take a few classes, watch a couple of YouTubes, and wish upon a star, you may have a little fun but you'll be largely wasting your time. Whew! I feel a lot better now.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dardo Galletto Studios
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Please join Fran and Pat for our Saturday Practica at Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues; 2-4pm, $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) We think it’s just like being in Buenos Aires! We’ll both be 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.
Simply Social Dancing - Another dance at Biagio's
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Hi dancers, Our next Dinner & Dance Event is on April 26th. The details are below. *Please note that we will be starting an hour later.
Sunday April 26th Time: 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Biagio's Restaurant The Banquet room (upstairs in the restaurant) 299 Paramus Rd, Paramus NJ 201 652 0201 http://www.biagios.com
We will start the evening with a beginner dance lesson for brand new people (about 40 min.) This is a chance to learn a few steps, and to break the ice in meeting each other. I will play a variety of music for the remainder of the evening.
Buffet Dinner / Cash bar Cost: $35.00 per person (this includes tip)
We will be in the Banquet Room above the
restaurant. Go through the restaurant's front entrance. They will direct you from there. Just tell them you are attending the "Dinner & Dancing" event.
Please call Biagio's for reservations before Sunday
evening. *This allows them to prepare for the number of people attending. Even if you call on April 26th to make a reservation, it will help them in setting up for us.
___________________________________
Future Dates at Biagio's: May 17th July 19th August
16th ___________________________________
Please feel free to invite friends and family. The more people to meet, the better the event!
You are welcome to call me or respond with any concerns or questions.
Kindly,
Lisa Skates 201-694-7087
http://www.simplysocialdancing.com/
View Monica Paz' terrific tango Facebook posts - my pick from
this week is below
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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
April 4th,
1894
Calendario Milonguero
Birth of JOSÉ DE CICCO. Doctor and poet. Author of about 20 themes, among rural folkloric songs
and tangos. He also worked very successfully in radio, especially with an episodic novel on the famous Santos Vega: an Argentine gaucho, heroic minstrel, who lived around 1830 and gave birth to many legends. Now let’s hear perhaps the best tango of the honored author.
♫ DE SALTO Y CARTA. Angel D’Agostino and Angel
Vargas (1942) ⊙ CD Nº32 Colección Natucci (40 CDs) +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) : New MP Tango Interview MPTango Presents Carlos Horacio Funes at PractiMilonguero Click on cc underneath the screen for English subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6X8BC1MX1s&feature=youtu.be
Our cancellation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
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Even though we had to cancel once 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 my cell phone 201-826-6602. Feel free to leave a message on either of these lines.
We cancel only when absolutely necessary (only about eight or nine times in all these years - including, unfortunately, the first scheduled milonga of March, 2015), 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.
- Ferd Ritz
- Lynn G
- Elena T - for picking up Estelle - hip, hip, hooray
- Bob Armstead
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- Steve Maisch
- Walter Milani
- steve turi
And of course, without Terri Lopez and steve turi 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
- See the Passover list for more- Barbara Lombardi - Popcorn
- Sydney St.James - Candy
- Mary Pagano - Candy
- Bonny - Chopped Liver, Pickled Herring
- Jack Block -
Tzimmes
- Rose Whitehill - Whitefish
- Fred Ritz - Deviled Eggs
- Judy Assisi & Herb - Compote
- Maroon Levine - Yemenite Style Haroset
- Camille - Chocolate Cookies
- Hilda Genni - 2 Flans & Kale Salad
- Eva Roth - Easter Ring from Argentina
- Diane Langmuir - Bacon Popcorn
And these people brought wine- Jack Messing
- Walter Milani
- Charles
Moorman
- Camille
- Horatio
Piccioni
-
Edna
Negron
-
Francis &
Marie
-
Eduardo Campos
Tango in New Jersey and New York
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