December at Firehouse Tango |
December 3 -
Firehouse Tango returns from Thanksgiving holiday - Birthday of Elena Titova
See below
December 10 - Special birthday of Veronica M. See below
December 17 -
Holiday party
See below
December 24 - Merry Christmas - No Firehouse Tango
Firehouse Tango will be closed on Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24th. We hope you'll enjoy the day with your family, as we all will - and, of course, we won't see you on Thursday, December 31st either.
we look forward to welcoming you back on Thursday, January 7, 2016.
December 31 - Happy New Year - No Firehouse Tango - Milonga Tango Loco VII in Midland Park - Information below in this newsletter
Firehouse Tango will be closed on New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31st. Please join us at Tango Loco New Year's Eve Milonga in Midland Park, New Jersey, hosted by
Mike Porro and Al Ko. I will be there in all my finery.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Next Thursday, December 10th - Special birthday of Veronica M.
Veronica, my Spanish teacher, is a native of Buenos Aires and loves Argentine Tango. She misses her Thursday nights at Firehouse only when her very busy schedule interferes. Three years ago, Veronica made sure that I wrote
down her birthday because she was so excited about celebrating with us. She was not disappointed and wants to do it again, this time for a special birthday. We are delighted to do so, and we urge all tangueros to join her birthday tango. You definitely should not miss dancing with this awesome tanguera.
Last Thursday,
December 3 - Birthday of Elena Titova Elena joined us about three years ago, and she has quickly become a great Firehouse friend. The surprise guest was her brother, Ilya, who travelled all the way from Russia to join us. As predicted, her smile lit up the room. As the tangueros cut in on the birthday vals, the room filled with excitement and
energy. Elena has become a fabulous dancer, in addition to a fabulous Firehouse friend. We are thrilled that we were able to celebrate with this dynamic tanguera. Tsipoyra's sister made a magnificent home-made chocolate cake for Elena. 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 Holiday Milonga Thursday, December 17 - Food contributions (appetizers, desserts, main dishes, drinks) welcome |
According to my calculations, Christmas and New Year's Eve/Day will not fall on Thursday again until 2025. However, this year, unfortunately, Firehouse Tango will be closed for the last Thursday of 2015 and the first of 2016.
Firehouse Tango will celebrate the holidays on Thursday, December 17th, our last milonga
of 2015.
As always, expect wonderful friends, door prizes, food, and dancing; but dress for a party. Holiday cortinas and the decorated hall will set the mood, and we'll give you an extra half hour to celebrate. Keep your eyes open for the yearly visit from Santa on the 17th.
As always, our $15 admission charge will also include beginner (7 - 7:30) and intermediate (7:30 - 8:30) lessons taught by Fran
Chesleigh and buffet dinner.
Bring a dish to the Holiday Milonga on December 17
Here are the contributions so far for our holiday milonga. Please let us know if you would like to bring something:
- Sue Dallon - Brisket with potatoes, carrots, string beans
- Terri Lopez - Arroz con pollo
- Hilda Genni - Two flans
If you would like to
make something for the Christmas/Hanukah/New Years milonga, please let me know. It doesn't even have to be home made.
No Firehouse Tango Christmas and New Year's Eves
|
Firehouse Tango will be closed on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24th and New Year's Eve, Thursday, December 31st (We're going to be at
Tango Loco - see below for information) We hope you'll enjoy the evenings, as we all will - and, of course, we'll look forward to seeing you on the following Thursday evening, January 7th.
Happy Holidays! |
New Year's Eve Tango Loco VII Milonga with Mike Porro and Al Ko |
Ring in 2016 with Argentine Tango TANGO LOCO VII Second 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, 2015 Latin interlude - Salsa lesson 10:00 PM Thursday, December 31, 2015 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! I'm waiting for more suggestions for cortinas. Let me know if you have some favorite non tango music, and I will
try to play it. This week's cortinas were easy listening numbers. Next week's cortinas will be for Hanukkah.
A cortina (curtain) is a short piece (20–60 seconds) of non-dance music that is played between tandas at a milonga (tango dance event). The cortina lets the dancers know that the tanda has ended. The partners can then without insult thank each other and return to their own tables, to find a new dance partner at the next tanda. Cortinas are used at many of the milongas in Argentina and Uruguay but are increasingly common elsewhere. - Wikipedia
Let us know if you are celebrating an occasion and would like to request special music for that night’s cortinas. We will try very hard to accommodate you. 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 Titova
Thank you, Sue.
I so grateful for the chance to celebrate my birthday with my friends at firehouse.
Elena Tango Tip of the Week
Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Two weeks ago, we defined what we referred to as "Exercise 1" in the challenge of achieving musicality in your dancing. With that exercise (see our Tango Tip of November 19, 2015, for a complete description), you can very quickly figure out whether
you have a "natural" ability to hear and respond in an accurate and consistent way to the rhythm of a piece of music. As I mentioned, it's very important for you to try this exercise in the presence of your teacher, since he/she will easily be able to tell you right away whether you seem to have this ability or not.
If you have trouble with Exercise 1, I don't believe there's much you can do by yourself to improve your sense of musicality. That
said, there are lots of ways an experienced teacher can help get you past this first major hurdle. My recommendation, therefore, is that you try Exercise 1 (with your teacher on hand), decide whether you need help making the exercise work, and, if so, do what's necessary to get yourself to a point where you're ready for the next series of exercises -- meaning, work closely with your teacher.
Let's say, however, that your experience with Exercise 1 is positive; i.e., you find out
that you do indeed have a "natural" rhythmic sense. You're physically able to maintain the beat of a piece of music in a rudimentary way. Congratulations! This means that you're ready to move on to Exercise 2.
Exercise 2: Moving in place -- responding rhythmically not only by nodding your head, moving your hand up and down, or tapping your foot
-- but by engaging your entire body.
Here's the exercise.
1. Begin by cueing up a piece of Tango music. Choose one that's not too fast.
2. Stand in one place with your legs slightly apart, and your weight evenly distributed between both feet.
3. Listen
to the music, and try to establish the beat within your body by flexing and straightening you knees. This will allow your body to move slightly up and down as you keep the beat.
4. Now, stop flexing and straightening your knees. Relax for a few moments, continuing to feel the beat of the music inside your body.
5. Next, gently shift your weight to one side so that one foot is carrying most of your weight,
and the other foot is free (although this "free" foot can actually be touching the floor).
6. Now, move your weight from one side to the other in sync with the music, trying to keep the rhythm of your movement accurate and consistent. Continue the exercise all the way to the end of the music. Then, relax.
7. Now, put on another piece of music, and repeat the exercise. Does it seem to be working? Try the
exercise with four or five different pieces of music at different tempos (slow, medium, and fast). Prove to yourself that you can execute Exercise 2 without difficulty.
Just a couple of thoughts here. These exercises can and should be tried by both leaders and followers. Since we're not yet attempting to move in concert with another person (using some version of the embrace), it's important to establish whether
you as an individual have a natural sense of rhythm (Exercise 1), and whether you're able to put this rhythmic ability into practice, using your entire body (Exercise 2). Do you need a teacher monitoring your activity at this point? Ideally, yes; but if you've already clearly established that you have a "natural" sense of rhythm through Exercise 1, you'll probably be successful with Exercise 2 on your own. (When in doubt, however, be sure to check
with your teacher to verify that things are going well.)
Do you feel confident that you have no problem with these first two exercises? Great! That means it's time for you to tackle Exercise 3. And that's exactly what next week's Tango Tip is all about.
Looking for the perfect holiday gift?
Here’s Fran and Pat’s suggestion for a perfect holiday gift for your favorite Tango dancer. It’s a gift certificate for
a private lesson with Fran! There’s nothing better to kick-start or enhance a dancer’s progress in Tango like a focused private lesson. Your gift can be for a couple, or for either a leader or follower. (For followers, Fran will serve as leader; for leaders, Pat will be on hand to do the honors while Fran teaches the lesson.) Go to our website – www.franchesleigh.com - and follow the link. Happy Holidays!
Saturdays with Fran and Pat at Dardo Galletto Studios
Please join us for our Saturday Practica at Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), 11th floor; 2-4pm, $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Pat and I will 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, you can visit our website at www.franchesleigh.com, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com Join us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/franchesleighllc
View Monica Paz' terrific tango Facebook posts - my pick from
this week is below - Link to New Interview |
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 OSVALDO PUGLIESE is born. Pianist, conductor and composer. Considered a “capo” of tango. He performed for fifty years and recorded about 450 themes. He started in 1939 following the “Decariano”’s
style, but with a more intense rhythm. At the end of the 40’s, he was one of the founders of modern tango, although if with his creations he almost always took care of making it appropriate for dancing. Here we are listening to his first tango composed when he was 19. ♫ RECUERDO. Osvaldo Pugliese (1944)
⊙ CD Nº08 Colección Natucci (40 CDs) +info 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 and othes like it that Monica has preserved! Un bello recuerdo
Juan Carlos Pontorielo Q.E. P.D.
https://youtu.be/CiEib0rZ92Q
Simply Social Dancing events in January |
Lisa Skates Simply Social Dancing |
| |
Please call the restaurants to make a reservation, even on the event day. We are given more space and more food and
more servers base on our Reservations!!
**************************
___________________________________________________________________
Biagio's Restaurant for Dinner & Dance 299 Paramus Rd, Paramus NJ
Sunday, January
17th 6:00 to 9:00 pm A mix of music for all types of partner dancing. All levels, singles & couples welcome. $35.00 for dinner and dancing / Cash bar
*******************************
Latin Night at La Havana 59 110 Moonachie Ave, Moonachie NJ
Tuesday, January 26th 7:00 to 10:00 pm
Argentine Tango, Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Rumba,
& Cha Cha. $20.00 cover includes 2 house drinks or i drink & 1 Latin Night appetizer
Our cancelation 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.
- Hilda Genni
- Jesse
- Nancy
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- Steve Maisch
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 - Popcorn
- Bob Brillo - Huge box of candy
- Eva Roth - Yummy chocolate cake
And these people brought
wine - Mary Pagano
- Adrienne
Burton
- George Ngo
- Bob Brillo
- Eduardo Campos
Tango in New Jersey and New York |
|
|
