Sue's New Year's Message (Our Twelfth)
|
THANKS TO EVERYONE - WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU
The text below comes directly from last year's end of year newsletter, which comes from the year before that and the year before that all the way back to 2009. I adjusted the year and made a few more changes for 2015.
In 2014, Firehouse Tango continued its tradition
of being the best place to dance Tango in New Jersey and the ONLY place to be on Thursday nights.
Though many of you thank us, the truth is that it's you, our dear Firehouse friends, who generate our success. So at the beginning of the New Year, we want to thank you all for helping and for bringing
wine, food, and other wonderful goodies. Mostly, thank you for coming every week and for the pleasure of your company.
We wish you all a year filled with good health, love and friendship and as
the song says, "If you have the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."
MY 2014 RESOLUTIONS
- Keep improving my español and study Spanish every day
- Keep visiting Buenos Aires
- Shorten this newsletter
(HaHa)
- Exercise every day when I'm at home and try to continue when I'm on the road
How did I do? Successes and failures
Buenos Aires
I only went to Buenos Aires once last year, but it was an absolutely amazing trip. Our group was awesome, and we made lifelong friends. We all came home agreeing that it was the best vacation ever and vowing to go again next year.
Spanish
I've really been working on my Spanish, which has improved greatly, especially when I was in Buenos Aires.
I installed Duolingo (a Spanish learning tool) on my computer, and so far, my completion streak has continued for 22
days.
Thanks to Hilda, Rafael, Horacio and Georgina for their help. I love my almuerzo sessions with Horacio and Hilda, and I learn so much from spending an entire lunchtime speaking only español.
I appreciate the help that I received from all of
my Spanish speaking amigos. Please keep it up, no matter how much I might resist. However, remember to habla muy despacio, por favor.
Newsletter You will notice that I dropped
the futile shortening endeavor this year
Exercise
I exercised for at least twenty minutes more days than not.
My Resolutions for
2015 - Preview
- Improve my español and continue my Duolingo streak (more about that next month)
- Take a group to Buenos Aires (I will try very hard to make it as wonderful as last year's, but that's a tall order.)
- Exercise six days a week - I'm afraid to let this one go. It's like Weight Watchers. If I don't share it, I will stop doing it.
Wish me luck!
Last Thursday, December 18th - Last Firehouse Milonga of 2014 Francis and Marie Francis and Marie Gregoire have been coming to Firehouse for many years and
have been to Buenos Aires with us three times (including just now, as Marie corrected me). We are honored to have been able to celebrate yet another special occasion with them.
Francis started the birthday tango with Marie and then everyone cut in. The guys danced with Marie and the ladies with Francis. It was be delightful.
Oh, and we loved the mountain of huge and luscious shrimp, the fried chicken, and the delicious chocolate cake. They were fabulous, as always.
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
Firehouse Tango celebrated the holidays (Christmas, New Years and Hanukkah) last Thursday, December 18th, our last milonga of 2014.
As expected, the hall was filled
with happy people dancing the night away. We had door prizes, food, and dancing; and everyone came dressed for a party. Holiday cortinas and the decorated hall set the mood, and many folks stayed to celebrate for an extra half hour. Santa showed up right on time and proved to be jolly as ever.
Awesome Holiday Dinner by Firehouse
friends
The Food
Our Firehouse friends brought loads of delicious food. My mom taught me that making food for people meant that you loved them. How true!. Happy, Happy New Year to all my dear Firehouse
friends.
- Sue Dallon - Turkey, ham, sweet potato souffle
- Terri Lopez - Arroz con pollo - The best ever
- Flo Salierno - Dessert
- Hilda Genni Two flans and my favorite kale salad
- Mike and Debbie - Salad
- Bonnie - Huge fruit platter and chips
- Barbara - popcorn
- Judy Wynne - Pumpkin banana nut bread brought a week ahead
- Irina P - Eggplant salad
- Daniel and Georgina - pickled cabbage salad and wine
- Marlene Streisenger - appetizer
- Brigitte Szarka - Mediterranean Tapas platter, with crackers
- Sydney St. James - home-made cranberry sauce, home-made pickles and cut up pineapple
- Camille D. - a half tray of orzo with broccoli & red beans n other vegies
- George Ngo - Tray of cavatelli, broccoli rabe and sausages
- Tonya - wine, home made cole slaw
- Steve Maisch - Home made Olive bread
- Rose Whitehill -
Cookiesw
The special visitor
Thanks to Rafael for inviting and arranging for our visit from Santa. He did a great job.
The
Door prizes
Congratulations to the winners of our fabulous door prizes. - Earphones - Camille
- Universal charger -
- Cookbook - Diane
- Tango magnet
- Notebooks from Argentina
- Speaker - Charles
- Steve Maisch - Tango
magner
- Diane - Buenos Aires surprise and with a second ticket, BA surprise
No Firehouse Tango Christmas and New Years Days
|
Firehouse Tango will be closed on Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25th and Thursday, January 1st. We hope you'll enjoy the day with your family, as we all will - and, of course, we won't see you on Thursday, January 1st either. we look forward to
welcoming you back on Thursday, January 8, 2015.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
January 2015 at Firehouse Tango
|
January 1 - No Firehouse Tango - Happy New Year
January 8 -
No celebrations, just great dancing, learning, eating, and greeting old and new friends for the start of another great year.
January 15 - Belated Birthday of Cris Grapa
Chris Grapa is a great tanguera,
a great dancer, and a great friend. She was so busy that she postponed her December birthday to January so we can all enjoy it. During the milonga, you'll find her at Fran's table or on the dance floor. Chris is still digging out from her damage from Hurricane Sandy, but she comes to Firehouse as often as she can. Carl will start the celebratory tango, and then you guys can all cut in.
January 22 - Birthdays of Estelle Stanger and Rose Whitehill
Estelle Stanger
Estelle is one of the greatest
ladies of Firehouse Tango. We are always thrilled to see Estelle walk through the Firehouse door. We're certain that Bert looks down at the scene with joy and approval. Estelle won't dance, but we will sing to her with great enthusiasm.
Rose Whitehill
Rose is a great dancer and lovely lady who has been a Firehouse fan since our Firehouse # 4 days. She has also been to Buenos Aires with us seven times. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate her birthday. As for the birthday dance, I'm sure that the Firehouse Tangueros will keep cutting in as long as we would let them.
January 29
-
No celebrations, just great dancing, learning, eating, and greeting old and new friends for the start of another great year.
Good Manners at Firehouse
|
Please do not park in the driveway of any of the houses across the street. The houses are now all sold and occupied.
Also, before you leave, please throw away your paper goods.
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 Diane Langmuir - Pope loves Tango
A friend of mine sent me this link and thought I'd pass it on to you
all.
From Elena Titova
Thank you to all my friends in Firehouse tango for making my
birthday so special.Elena "And thank you and Terri for making it possible.  Elena
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. If you're like most of us leaders, you were first attracted to Tango, because you wanted to be able to wow your friends and dance partners with all that fancy stuff you saw performers
doing. That's certainly what happened to me, when I had the great pleasure of seeing Tango Argentino for the first time back in 1986. "If only I could throw some of that showboat splash into my dancing," I thought. "I mean, who needs Foxtrot, right?" Eventually -- and it took quite a while -- I was grudgingly steered in the direction of social Tango -- you know, what good teachers tell us
we're supposed to be doing, when we take our Tango out onto the dance floor. Frankly, I didn't really like this major downshift at first. No more enrosques, no planeos, no rulos, sacadas de la pierna, calicitas, barridas, Not even a little parada now and then .... I thought, "Bor-ing." Ultimately,
and after plenty of reluctance, I came to accept the joys of keeping it simple: Basic lead/follow; maintain the line of dance; pay careful attention to my partner; make it intimate instead of flashy -- okay, maybe a tiny bit of razzle-dazzle now and then to keep things interesting, but nothing outrageous. (Sigh.) Cutting to the present, lots of my
students come up to me with requests for help, which begin with the words, "I just saw this neat thing on YouTube ..." Then, they try to describe some acrobatic extravagance they're about to foist unto an unsuspecting partner, and, of course, they'd like me to aid and abet them in their felonious assault. My trigger reaction in such instances is to grab them by the shoulders and say: "Just stop right now! Don't do it! You don't need this in your life!" Of course, I know by now that this won't
work -- they'll just get mad at me -- so I smile; I feign interest, and take a ride with them down the rabbit hole. Usually, the thing they're trying to do is way too difficult for them anyway, but I try my best to at least point them in the right direction. Why not; life is short. Secretly, however, I long for a time when someone will come up to me and ask: "How can I improve my lead so that my partners can follow me
better?" Or maybe, "How do I make sure I'm balanced at the end of every step?" Or how about, "Can you help me slow down my rotation in leading molinete, so my follower doesn't feel she's taking her life in her hands." Questions like that. I know, I know. I'm asking for the moon. But think of it this way: It's the holiday season -- a time for
giving. As a very special present to Pat and me, regale us with a question or two about how to improve your social Tango. (Trust me, we know a lot about this stuff.) After the new year, I promise to answer all the questions you want to ask about YouTube fantasies. But just for the next couple of weeks, please throw us a bone or two about the basics now and then. I promise you, it will just suffuse us with paroxysms of holiday cheer. And that is what you want,
right? Seriously, folks, Pat and I wish all of you the happiest of holiday seasons, and we look forward to sharing with you a great new year. Keep dancing, and learn to love the basics! It will be the best present you could possibly give yourself -- and your partners.
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Pearl Studios
|
Please join Fran and Pat for our Saturday Practica at Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue (between 35th and 36th Streets; 2-4pm, $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Fran and Pat will 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.
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 ARMANDO LABORDE (José Atilio Dattoli) dies. At the end of 1944 he joined the orchestra of Juan D’Arienzo to replace Héctor Mauré, a difficult task that he performed very well. In his first period, without a doubt his best, he recorded 145 themes. Together with Alberto Echagüe they formed a valuable duo for that orchestra. Here is his singing. ♫ YUYO
BRUJO Juan D’Arienzo y Armando Laborde (1949)
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
New Years Eve Milonga with Mike Porro
|
Ring in 2015 with Argentine Tango TANGO LOCO VI New Years Milonga To Simply Enjoy Dance & Friendship at Grand Ballroom Authentic Argentine Tango Music provided by DJ Al Ko 8:00 PM – 1:00 AM December 31, 2014 Light Nibbles BYOW Champagne at Midnight $30 before 12/15 $35 12/16 – 12/30 $40 at the door (if space is available) Mail checks payable
to “Tango Loco” to: Michael Porro 180 Old Tappan Rd. Bldg 5, Old Tappan, NJ 07675 Grand Ballroom Dance Studio Midland Park Shopping Center (around the back) 85 Godwin Ave, Midland Park, NJ 07432 For additional information call 201-768-0218 or email: porro@erols.com TANGO LOCO MILONGA is a spontaneous event that arises when the spirit
moves us and we have the opportunity to host extraordinary teachers of dance for our tango community. On this night, our extraordinary teachers are you!
Tango event - m¡longa - at New York City Center Feb 26 - March 1 2015
|
Bodies mingle and meet in the Buenos Aires dance-hall setting of m¡longa—a revelatory new take on the sensual art of tango from celebrated contemporary choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
The production features twelve dancers and an Argentinean tango band of five musicians.
“Simply
astonishing. Has tango ever been given a fonder or more imaginative makeover?”-Mark Monahan, The Daily Telegraph, UK“
Cherkaoui’s m¡longa makes you you feel as if you’ve stumbled into a fantasy dance hall, and you’re the luckiest wallflower in town.”-Keith Watson, Metro, UK
m¡longa is presented by New York City Center in association with Sadler’s Wells. Friends and Family Discount Code: DANCEFRIEND This code provides 25%
off all Orchestra, Grand Tier and Mezzanine inventory for all performances of m¡longa as well as the other shows in our dance series, Havana Rakatan and Ballet Flamenco Website: http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=8682
A Bailar: Dance at the Centerm¡longa Mainstage Feb 26 - Mar 1, 2015 Tickets start at $25
Best, Eleanor
Marks
Our cancellation policy - We STILL rarely cancel |
We 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.
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- Georgina
- Hilda
- Rafael
- Steve M
- Elena T
- Tsipoyra
- Elena S
- Jesse
- Ulyses
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 - See above - Marlene Streisinger -
Appetizer
-
George Ngo - Cavatelli Broccoli Robe/Sausage
-
Stephen Maisch - Olive Bread &
Spread
-
Bonny - Chips & Fruit
-
Flo Salierno - Dessert
-
Camille - Orgo & Veggies
-
Dan & Georgina -
Salad
-
Rose Whitehill - Cookies
-
Tonia - Home Made Cole
Slaw
And these people brought wine
-
Rifky Mackeen
-
George Ngo
-
Camille
-
Dan & Georgina
-
Marta
Bautis
-
Francis &
Marie
-
Edna Negron
-
Tonia
Tango in New Jersey and New York
|
|
|
