Monica Paz in New York Fri & Sat June 26 and 27 |
I miss my houseguest (Monica,) and I look forward to seeing her in Buenos Aires this November and in New Jersey next year. In the meantime, you can still catch Monica during her last remaining
weekend in the U.S. in New York City.
I cannot believe that I forgot to write about Monica's awesome performance with Johnny Tablada in last week's newsletter. Thanks to Tsipoyra, you can see it on the Firehouse Tango Facebook page. Thanks so much to Monica and to Johnny for an amazing evening.
Below is information about Monica's group workshop schedule:
These workshops are at Ripley-Grier Studios
520 Eighth Avenue (between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY
06-27th, “Navigation and Etiquette” lesson and Practilonga. PractiMilonguero in NYC Monica Paz brings PractiMilonguero to NYC,June 27 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM @ DG
Studio“Navigation and Etiquette” lesson and Practilonga. Aren’t you tired of bumping into each other on the dance floor? At the milongas you will always find some people who dance tango to show off, but there are many who find it more enjoyable to dance “safely” on the dance floor and prefer to be more connected to the music and their partner. Are you into this group? Navigation techniques on a crowded dance floor. Do you want to know how to properly use the invitation by cabeceo? If you are a
leader: How to get dances without walking up to the woman. Choose your partner without fear of rejection or obligation. If you are a follower: How to do the eye contact and be sure that the invitation was to you and
not to your neighbor. Learn and practice as you would dance at a traditional milonga in Buenos Aires, like Cachirulo/El Beso. Meet others who like to dance tango “milonguero” style. Don’t miss this special and unique night when New York has its own Buenos Aires Style Milonga  25/30 couples Much cheaper than a flight to BA or an “encuentro”! $15 or $12 (Monica Paz workshop/Privates students discount) By registration only.
If you are
a follower If you are a leader
Monica brings her PractiMilnguero to NYC. A class and practice with etiquette. To learn and practice as you were in a traditional milonga in
BA.
This is the one that I (Sue) am planning to go to. It is Saturday, June 27 from 6:30 to 9 PM. It's at Dardo Galleto Studios 151 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
Only by registration
More information and registration, click
here
Also,
ASTORIA on 28th
Pre-registration required, first come, first served.
About Monica
Monica Paz was born and raised in Buenos Aires, and tango has been her full time profession for almost 20 years. She specializes in Tango Milonguero style (with its strong chest-to-chest connection) which she loves to dance with the best
old milongueros in the best milongas of Buenos Aires.
Three years ago, Monica realized her dream of opening her own studio in Buenos Aires (at 30 Riobamba near the Congresso.) One of the best milongueros in the city, Osvaldo Natucci, teaches group lessons on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Monica translating when necessary. Monica and Natucci also teach private lessons.
If you are in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend checking out these lessons.
Monica has taught extensively all over the United States and Europe, as well as in Australia and much of South America. She was invited to Los Angeles to teach and perform in June.
Monica's web site with interviews of old milongueros
Monica is passionate about preserving the traditions, codes, and history of tango. To this end, she continues pursuing her project of interviewing the precious few remaining old milongueros of Buenos Aires. Their stories and the videos accompanying them, as well as other
wonderful videos of Monica can be found on her web site at www.mptango.com Scroll down for English or Spanish selection.
Facebook page and Calendar
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. I enjoy these posts so much that I share them with my readers every week in my newsletter (See below.)
Concert Pasión Latin - tomorrow night at St. Peter's Charch in New York (Friday, June 26) |
We had a surprise visit tonight from the wonderful Luz del AlbaRubio. She mesmerized us with her magnificent voice, and we danced to her beautiful tango songs. Below is information about her performance with Placido Domingo Jr. tomorrow night, Friday, June 26. Many thanks go to Consuelo
Evans, who brought Luz along with her friends, Mr. Fan and Moying Li.
If you can't read it, here it is in text:
Placido Domingo Jr.
in Pasion Latina with Luz del Alba Griday June 26 7 PM St. Peter's Church 619 Lexington Avenue and 54th Street 10022 New York, NY
General Admission $30 - welcome drink with reservation on 917-882-5593
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1644858
July 4th at Firehouse Tango |
Many of you will be off on Friday, so why not join us as we celebrate Independence Day next Thursday at Firehouse?
Buenos Aires with Firehouse Tango November, 2015 - More information |
Latest information on Buenos Aires
Our trip to Buenos Aires from October 30 to November 9th, 2015 (with a possible optional extension to either Mendoza or Iguazu Falls) is on.
Last year, we took a group and exceeded all expectations (references are happily available.) If you think you want to come, please send me an e mail at firehousetango@gmail.com or call me at 201-826-6602.
Trip details and payment information are below. 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
- Welcome luncheon at the hotel
- Transfers to and from
hotel (included if traveling with group on American # 953 and #954)
- Private group lessons with excellent local teachers and local partners (male and female) for each person
- 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
How Much: The cost of the trip including everything listed below (excluding air) is $2100 (double occupancy). Single supplement is available for an additional fee
of $400. Airfare should be about $1,400. Payment Schedule: $400 at signup - Non refundable (Single Supplement $400) due about May 7th $400 June 4th- Refundable if canceled before September 3 $400 July 2 - Refundable if
canceled before September 3 $400 August 6 -Refundable if canceled before September 3 $500 Balance September 3 - 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.
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 Debbie Glaser
Dear Sue, Thank you once again for making the joy of tango possible for me in NJ. Firehouse is a beautiful thing and I love it. Each week is
filled with love and friendship and laughter. It's an oasis in this sometimes troubling world. A piece of heaven..Last night was bittersweet with our Joe absent. But not absent in our hearts. Love and blessings,Debbie
From Fred
Rueck
Carlos Gardel Today, Wednesday June 24 will be 80 years since Carlos Gardel died. He was 44 years
old. His death was a loss for the world and millions of people mourned his death. He died in Medellín Colombia in what is known as a senseless death. When his plane was signaled to take off, the flag man, who was at the cross road of the two crossing runways, made a confusing signal and both planes thought it was their turn to take off. Both planes collided at the place where both runways
crossed. In the plane was also Alfredo Le Pera who wrote many of the lyrics of the tangos Gardel made famous, including “Por una cabeza”, “El dia que me quieras”, “Cuesta abajo”, “Volver”, “Sus ojos se cerraron” and many more. There were other business associates, friends and guitarists in the plane who also perished in the crash. Carlos Gardel’s body rests at the Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos
Aires. He was also known as “El Zorzal”, “Carlitos”, El Morocho del Abasto”. His popularity is such that tangueros all over the world say: “Gardel sings better every day”
Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, I want to begin talking about the single most important thing you absolutely must know in order to dance social Tango with any degree of proficiency. We'll just be able to scratch the surface with this Tango Tip today, but we're going to continue the discussion for the next several weeks. I'll
start by identifying what (I think) is the really crucial skill set you need in order to dance social Tango. I sometimes refer to it as the "lead/follow mechanism," or just "lead/follow." Do you know what this means? Are you an expert in lead/follow? If not, your Tango is probably uncomfortable at minimum. And more likely almost not danceable. Without understanding and becoming very adept at lead/follow -- a highly complex matrix of complementary skills -- social Tango simply
doesn't work. And yet it's hardly ever addressed in any kind of meaningful way in Tango classes. I'm not certain why this is the case, but for some reason, most teachers seem to just ignore lead/follow -- as if students will somehow "pick it up" along the way. They won't; they don't; their Tango never goes anywhere; and it's time to talk about it. When two people dance together, what they're attempting to do is move "synchronously;" i.e., as if they were one person. There's an easy way
to do this, and a hard way. The easy way is to move together choreographically. The hard way is to use lead/follow. First, we'll talk about choreography. With this method, each person memorizes his/her part, and then they do it together. Using this way of teaching/learning, even relative beginners can look as if they've suddenly become seasoned dancers within a very short time. Does this sound familiar? Maybe that's because you've taken a few dance classes in a
school. The teacher demonstrates the leader's part; then the follower's part; then puts you together, and you try it with each other. Because both partners have more or less memorized what they're supposed to do, the figure hangs together pretty well. You leave the class, feeling that you really accomplished something. Boy, that was fun! I can't wait for the next class. What I'm describing here is the way virtually all dance schools today operate. "It's so easy," they say.
"The man does his part; the woman does her part; mission accomplished." Then, you try the figure with someone who wasn't in the class. "Gee," you exclaim, perplexed. "It didn't work. I must have missed something the teacher said." Well, if you want to know the truth, it was probably the teacher who missed something. He/she neglected to mention how to lead and follow the sequence. Among other things, this would mean that the class would have taken four or five hours instead of one. Most
of the students would have become frustrated or bored, maybe even walked out! And just possibly the teacher really had no idea how to communicate lead/follow anyway. Better to stick with choreography. Men on this side; women on that side; here we go. The business of a dance school, you will not be shocked to learn, is to keep people coming back for more. Make them feel good, and they'll see you again next week. Overburden them with hard stuff --like actually teaching them to dance --
and they'll just go somewhere else. I wish this weren't the case, but it's true. The majority of students want it to be easy, and they want it now. Unfortunately, this means that the only effective way to keep a dance school business viable is by teaching choreographically. The cash register keeps ringing. Everybody's happy. (Except, of course, that not very many students really learn how to dance.) Okay, let's talk now about the hard way for a couple to move together
synchronously -- in other words, to engage in social dancing as it is practiced by accomplished dancers in places like Argentina. This way of interacting with one another demands that both partners learn lead/follow. This is a precise, relatively difficult-to-learn system of complementary skills, which eventually enable two people to function as if they were one person. If you're a good leader, but she can't follow, it won't work. If you're a good follower, but he doesn't know how to
lead, it won't work either. Lead/follow begins with the embrace, moves on to the individual skills each partner brings to bear in creating movement together, and continues with appropriate responses to music and to the contingencies of the dance floor environment. Next week, we'll discuss el abrazo del tango, the Tango embrace. And we'll go on step by step from there. I hope you can't wait to come back for more.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dardo Galletto Studios
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Please join us 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. Plus you get a new “must-have” tango move each week! If you’d like a private lesson, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com. Don’t forget to visit our website at www.franchesleigh.com and join is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/franchesleighllc
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: Below is a link to Monica's interview with Juan Carlos Pontorielo from February 8, 2011. He passed away recently. How wonderful to have this video history.
Un bello recuerdo
Juan Carlos Pontorielo Q.E. P.D.
https://youtu.be/CiEib0rZ92Q
Calendario Milonguero
Date in which Carlos Di Sarli recorded the first of three versions of the instrumental tango LOS 33 ORIENTALES. The other two were recorded in 1952 and 1958. It is
known that the title refers to the patriotic deed culminating in the birth of Uruguay as a nation. The authors are Alfredo Mazzeo, violinist, and José Felipetti, bandoneon. ♫ LOS 33 ORIENTALES. Carlos Di Sarli (1948)
⊙ En la Colección Natucci dedicada al director (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 Ricardo Rezk at PractiMilonguero Click on cc underneath the screen for English subtitles.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14d21c02e335a6a8
Simply Social Dancing - Salsa and Argentine Tango |
Dancing with Simply Social Dancing Havana 59 Restaurant -New 110 Moonachie Ave, Moonachie NJ
Tuesday, June 30th 7:00 to 10:00 pm
Havana 59 Restaurant 110 Moonachie Ave, Moonachie NJ
The evening will start off with a lesson, followed by
dancing. Mostly Salsa and Argentine Tango... some Rumba, Bachata, Merengue, and Cha Cha thrown in.
$20.00 cover per person (pay when arrive) Includes 2 house drinks or 1 house drink and 1 appetizer from Latin night menu.
Thank
you,
Lisa Skates Simply Social Dancing Mostly Salsa and Argentine Tango... some Rumba, Bachata, Merengue, and Cha Cha thrown in.
$20.00 cover per person (pay when
arrive) Includes 2 house drinks or 1 house drink and 1 appetizer from Latin night menu.
201-694-7087 http://www.simplysocialdancing.com/
Our cancellation policy - We STILL rarely cancel |
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.
- Elena Titova -
- Mike Porro
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- Steve Maisch
- Jesse Barton
- Marta Bautis
- steve turi
- And thanks to Carol Emering for bringing our dear Estelle
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 - - Barbara Lombardi - Cherries
And these people brought wine- Carol Emerring
- Eduard Simpson
- Edna Negron
- Mary Walsh
- Horatio
Piccioni
-
Bob Brillo
- Francis & Marie
- Eduardo Campus
Tango in New Jersey and New York
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