Celebrations - April at Firehouse Tango |
Thursday, April 7 - Birthday of Mona Phillips
Mona Phillips - Birthday
What a joy to have Mona at Firehouse to celebrate!
The birthday milonga will start with Wes, and the birthday girl, an incredible dancer, will get to dance with all the other Firehouse Milongueros, as they cut in. Do not miss it, guys.
Thursday, April 14 - Sue Dallon's birthday (It's a big one) and Monica Paz visit to Firehouse
Tango
Sue Dallon
Please help me celebrate my birthday at Firehouse Tango. In my opinion, there is no better way to get older than to be with lots of friends and dance with lots of tangueros. Felix will start the dance, and then I hope that every one of you wonderful guys cuts in. The longer the dance goes, the happier I
will be.
Monica Paz
My amazing friend and teacher from Buenos Aires, Monica Paz, will be here to join us at the Firehouse milonga on Thursday, April 14th. For information about the few remaining lessons with Monica, see
below.
Thursday, April 21 - Eva Roth (who returns from Buenos Aires to NJ just in time to celebrate her birthday) and Francis Gregoire
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 when she returns from Bs. As. on Thursday, April 21st. Eva loves the milonga, and she will surely glow while dancing her favorite dance. Mike Porro will start, and her many admirers will
follow.
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 21st. Francis will start the birthday tango with Marie and then the lucky ladies can begin cutting in. Francis is a
terrific dancer, and it is sure to be delightful. Oh, and the mountain of huge and luscious shrimp and mouth-watering chocolate cake that Francis and Marie always bring will surely be delicious, as always.
Thursday, April 28 - Walter Monteblanco returns from Buenos Aires to celebrate his birthday - Annual More
or Less Kosher for Passover Milonga
Walter Monteblanco
Walter is actually celebrating his birthday with us during the month when it occurs. This is a rarity, 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.
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.
Passover Dinner
Our annual traditional more or less kosher for Passover feast will take place at Firehouse Milonga on Thursday, April 28th. Details are below in this newsletter.
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 Lessons with Monica Paz in New Jersey going fast - Sign up now
There are just a few openings remaining for private lessons with Monica Paz, our wonderful teacher and friend from Buenos Aires.
She is here in New Jersey from Wednesday, April 13th through Saturday, April 16th. Sign up now while the opportunity still exists.
Happily she will also join us for my birthday celebration on Thursday, April 14th. Additionally, she will be at Los Pitucos Milonga in Franklin Lakes on Saturday, April 16th.
She will also be giving private and group lessons in New York City. Her schedule is below. Registration, please contact Monica at: tangopaz@yahoo.com.ar
Sue Dallon Firehouse Tango
More or Less Kosher for Passover Dinner-Milonga |
It's time to plan our annual Firehouse Tango Jewish New Year’s feast for our fellow Firehouse tangueros.
This year, Passover starts on Friday night, April 22nd and ends on Saturday, April 30th. That makes
Thursday, April 29th the perfect day to schedule the dinner.
As I do every year, I will make brisket with potatoes and carrots and maybe a turkey. Please let me know if you'd like to contribute something.
Sue
Here is what we already have:
· Sue Dallon - Brisket with potatoes and carrots (my mother's recipe,
the best in the Bronx,) salad, turkey, and misc. appetizers
and
desserts.
· Marion L - Drunken dried fruit
· Jack Block - Fruit and tsimmes
·
· Georgina B - potato kugel
.
. Mike Porro and Debbie Kim (Honorary) Salad
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone I might have missed.
Sue Dallon
I played Frank Sinatra selections this week. These are the ones that got displaced when Sylvester came
through with a full playlist worth of Easter songs last Thursday.
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. Your input is always welcome. My cortina library is expanding rapidly.
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.comFrom Brigitte and Sandor
Sue:
I must say, you are fantastic! Doing all the things you do for us all! Everybody feels so much at home at Firehouse Tango! The food
was excellent! Even I could enjoy it, although I am gluten sensitive.
Thank you so very much for all your endless efforts!
Brigitte
From me (Sue Dallon) More Motor Vehicle horror stories - Update
Two weeks ago, I shared the story of my
experience at the New Jersey Montor Vehicle Office. Since then, many people have shared their awful experiences. Below is another from Adrienne .
Here, in case you missed it, is my letter that was published in the Record.
A frustrating trip to the
MVC My recent experience at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission was absolutely appalling. In order to renew my license, I was required to go in person to the agency. Lodi was the closest, and I arrived at 2 p.m. and stood on a long line outside in the rain. At 4 p.m., an officer came out and announced that the office would close at 5:30 p.m. and that anyone who was not at the window at that time would have to go home.
I asked
if we would make it, but he had no idea. At 5:30 p.m., I was five people from the front and was told that I would have to come another day and start all over. They even took back the envelope in which they had put my already checked documents.
First, it would be very simple to determine how long it takes to process people and to cut off the line when it gets to the point that no more can be served. They could even put this online to keep more folks from
coming.
Second, if people have waited for hours and not been served, there should be a way to let them go to the front of the line another day.
If the state makes people go in person every four years simply to renew a license, it should hire enough staff to handle the crowds. It might even be prudent to outsource this simple renewal to say, UPS stores, which already take
passport photos.
There are many ways the system could be improved. It is very disconcerting that no one cares enough to address it.
Susanne Dallon Paramus, March 14
PS from Sue - The following day, I went to the Oakland DMV and was in and out in a half hour. So, dear friends, take my advice and never go to Lodi: Oakland is far
better.
Sue
From Adrienne Burton
Hi Sue, When I read your story of the DMV, I smiled, because I have one (war ha ha)
story of my own.
The first time I had to go in person, with the various documents, I went to the town next to me, Oakland...maybe 12 years ago? They denied me because I had shortened my maiden name on my marriage certificate, which as I had learned in high school, was legal to do.
They sent me back to Lyndhurst where I had originally gotten my marriage license, and was told it would take SIX MONTHS, yes SIX MONTHS to get the proper documents. They actually called Oakland and pleaded my case, but they wouldn't budge! I was only ONE DAY away from an expiring license...I was then driving on the highway frantically not knowing what to do, when I called my son, David, who is endowed with a generous share of common sense. He said, "Go to the DMV in "BLANK" they're used to people with problems." Well I drove to "BLANK" and I went right thru and got my license!!! ONE DAY BEFORE IT WAS ABOUT TO EXPIRE!!!
Ok, so sorry about the blank, but I don't want to tattle on them, but if anyone needs, I
will tell...ha ha ha.
Hope you enjoyed my little story, I have told it many times with many laughs, which goes to show that every problem is a seed of a greater benefit!
Thanks. You are amazing! Adrienne |
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, I'd like to continue talking about what I consider to be the anatomy of a single Tango step. For purposes of this discussion I'm going to focus on a step to the side. Such a step should be easy for you to visualize, and contains an obvious
element of travel, which I'm going to offer below as a primary component of a single step.
If you were to watch a skilled Tango couple execute a step to the side, you'd almost certainly see that step as a single element within a continuum of other movements, which might come before or after. What you would not necessarily see are the internal dynamics of that individual step -- the things that
make it viable both in itself and a part of the entire dance.
Here is what I mean. I'm going to break our step to the side down into what I think of as its three distinct parts:
Beginning: Initiation of the step (lead/follow) Middle:
Execution of the step (traveling through space) End: Balance at the conclusion of the step
The beginning The first part of our side step is its beginning. This is the moment in which the leader communicates his/her intent o the follower, (If you're familiar with the way in which
I teach the lead/follow mechanism, you're aware that after placing the follower on one balance axis, the leader flexes the knees very slightly in order to lower the torso slightly -- thereby communicating that the ensuing movement will involve travel. Immediately thereafter, he/she actually moves to the indicated side, thereby inviting the follower to do the same.)
In this initiation of the step to the
side, the leader and follower must be interdependent; i.e., they need to effect a two-way communication in order for this part of the step to work. If the lead is faulty in some way, the follower won't know what the leader wants. If the follower doesn’t understand the lead, the step won't work either. In other words the two participants have collaborative, complementary roles at this point in the process. They work together, and both have to know their parts.
The middle Once the lead/follow mechanism has been successfully implemented; i.e., both partners know what is expected to happen next, the second part of the step commences. In this phase, the follower executes the invited movement (in this case, a step to the side). What is crucial to be aware of here is that the follower does this independently of what
the leader may or may not do by way of accompaniment. The leader may, for example, choose to accompany the follower by also taking a step to the side. But that same leader might have other ideas. He/she might elect to remain still -- or to pivot, or perhaps to create some kind of entrada as the follower's legs come apart during the step.
The end The final element in the movement is the end; i.e., the conclusion of the step. This is where both partners bring themselves independently into balance. The leader doesn't suddenly curtail the follower's momentum by using his/her arms or body. The follower doesn't grab onto the leader in order to prevent herself/himself from falling. Each of the partners concentrates on achieving independent balance at the end of the step. Such balance is only possible,
of course, if the leader is not forcing the follower off axis, and if the follower is not "anticipating" the next possible step in the continuum. If both partners do their jobs here, the end of the movement results in what I like to call a neutral position. By this I mean that the follower is now ready for anything by virtue of being completely in balance, and the leader can therefore invite any further step or figure he/she may want.
· At any point in the development of a single step, problems can begin -- and often do -- with a poorly executed lead.
· They may start, if a follower doesn't feel -- or perhaps doesn't have the experience necessary to read a good lead.
· If a leader shoves the follower into phase two (rather than inviting the movement and allowing her/him to accept and execute the invitation), the follower may have no inner resources with which to prevent a stumble or even a fall.
· If a follower doesn't receive the lead and
move both independently and dynamically through the travel phase, everything will almost certainly come to a sputtering halt.
· If the leader is not acutely mindful of the follower's need to be allowed to balance independently at the end of a given movement -- or (less often) if the follower is somehow distracted about the need to finish each step in balance, even the simplest
step may end in disaster.
Social Tango is made up of an ongoing series of single movements. Each one has to be confidently and carefully led/followed in order to succeed. As I hope you can see from this discussion, successfully navigating a single step involves a very specific, complex process. The upside of learning how to do it right, however, is that once you can take step one with skill and confidence,
step two becomes relatively easy. And step three is a piece of cake! Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, I'd like to continue talking about what I consider to be the anatomy of a single Tango step. For purposes of this discussion I'm going to focus on a step to the side. Such a step should be easy for you to visualize, and contains an obvious element of travel, which I'm going to
offer below as a primary component of a single step.
If you were to watch a skilled Tango couple execute a step to the side, you'd almost certainly see that step as a single element within a continuum of other movements, which might come before or after. What you would not necessarily see are the internal dynamics of that individual step -- the things that make it viable both in itself and a part of the
entire dance.
Here is what I mean. I'm going to break our step to the side down into what I think of as its three distinct parts:
Beginning: Initiation of the step (lead/follow) Middle: Execution of the step (traveling through
space) End: Balance at the conclusion of the step
The beginning The first part of our side step is its beginning. This is the moment in which the leader communicates his/her intent o the follower, (If you're familiar with the way in which I teach the lead/follow mechanism, you're
aware that after placing the follower on one balance axis, the leader flexes the knees very slightly in order to lower the torso slightly -- thereby communicating that the ensuing movement will involve travel. Immediately thereafter, he/she actually moves to the indicated side, thereby inviting the follower to do the same.)
In this initiation of the step to the side, the leader and follower must be
interdependent; i.e., they need to effect a two-way communication in order for this part of the step to work. If the lead is faulty in some way, the follower won't know what the leader wants. If the follower doesn’t understand the lead, the step won't work either. In other words the two participants have collaborative, complementary roles at this point in the process. They work together, and both have to know their parts.
The middle Once the lead/follow mechanism has been successfully implemented; i.e., both partners know what is expected to happen next, the second part of the step commences. In this phase, the follower executes the invited movement (in this case, a step to the side). What is crucial to be aware of here is that the follower does this independently of what
the leader may or may not do by way of accompaniment. The leader may, for example, choose to accompany the follower by also taking a step to the side. But that same leader might have other ideas. He/she might elect to remain still -- or to pivot, or perhaps to create some kind of entrada as the follower's legs come apart during the step.
The end The final element in the movement is the end; i.e., the conclusion of the step. This is where both partners bring themselves independently into balance. The leader doesn't suddenly curtail the follower's momentum by using his/her arms or body. The follower doesn't grab onto the leader in order to prevent herself/himself from falling. Each of the partners concentrates on achieving independent balance at the end of the step. Such balance is only possible,
of course, if the leader is not forcing the follower off axis, and if the follower is not "anticipating" the next possible step in the continuum. If both partners do their jobs here, the end of the movement results in what I like to call a neutral position. By this I mean that the follower is now ready for anything by virtue of being completely in balance, and the leader can therefore invite any further step or figure he/she may want.
· At any point in the development of a single step, problems can begin -- and often do -- with a poorly executed lead.
· They may start, if a follower doesn't feel -- or perhaps doesn't have the experience necessary to read a good lead.
· If a leader shoves the follower into phase two (rather than inviting the movement and allowing her/him to accept and execute the invitation), the follower may have no inner resources with which to prevent a stumble or even a fall.
· If a follower doesn't receive the lead and
move both independently and dynamically through the travel phase, everything will almost certainly come to a sputtering halt.
· If the leader is not acutely mindful of the follower's need to be allowed to balance independently at the end of a given movement -- or (less often) if the follower is somehow distracted about the need to finish each step in balance, even the simplest
step may end in disaster.
Social Tango is made up of an ongoing series of single movements. Each one has to be confidently and carefully led/followed in order to succeed. As I hope you can see from this discussion, successfully navigating a single step involves a very specific, complex process. The upside of learning how to do it right, however, is that once you can take step one with skill and confidence,
step two becomes relatively easy. And step three is a piece of cake!
By mastering parada, paradita, and barrida
A special workshop with Fran Chesleigh and Pat Altman
Sunday, April 24, 2016
12:30 -- 3:30 p.m. Pearl Studios
500 8th Avenue (between 35th and 36th Streets) 12th Floor, Room 1201
All levels welcome
Parada
-- A signature stop in the classic Tango repertoire, often accompanied by a caress of the foot, followed by a wealth of resolutions from simple to complex.
Paradita -- A "small stop" with a touch, a caress or entrada as she closes her feet. Barrida -- A smooth, often dramatic sweep of the follower's foot. Sharpen Your Tango Edge is a fast-paced, three-hour workshop, designed to spotlight three of the truly classic elements of the Tango repertoire, take your dance to a new dimension, and bring you closer to becoming
a more complete social Tango dancer.
· Discover the ideal entrances to a perfect parada · Build a unique vocabulary of adornments for the paradita · Create both static and dynamic barridas · Turn the tables with the follower's surprise barrida
With Fran and Pat's Sharpen Your Tango Edge you can now
transform your social Tango into the polished, seriously authentic dance you've been working so hard to achieve.
Don’t miss it!
Register online: $35 per person at franchesleigh.com by Saturday, April 23rd $40 per person at the door on Sunday, April 24th
Checks and cash also accepted.
No refunds. No exchanges.
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 at www.facebook.com/franchesleighllc
View Monica Paz' terrific tango Facebook posts - my pick from
this week is below - Link to New Interview for February, 2016 |
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
March 27th, 1901
Calendario Milonguero
Birth of ENRIQUE SANTOS DISCÉPOLO. Poet, composer, playwright and actor. Son of a Neapolitan musician. He was educated under the guard of his elder and only brother, Armando, a distinguished playwright. Enrique soon became a great tango artist. He writes the lyrics and gives the melody he imagines, to someone else to be written.
This is the case of the theme we are now listening to, although it was almost never sung.
♫ MELODIA PORTEÑA. Juan D’Arienzo (1937) ⊙ CD Nº40 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 - March - |
If you missed March, watch for April.
*******************************
Latin Night at La Havana
59 110 Moonachie Ave, Moonachie NJ Tuesday, March 29th 7:00 to 10:00
pm
Salsa, Argentine Tango... Bachata, Merengue, Rumba, Samba & Cha Cha. A Latin evening for those who enjoy Latin music, food, and dancing! A Tango lesson to
start. $20.00 cover includes 2 house drinks or i drink & 1 Latin Night appetizer
For reservations and directions:
Our cancelation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
|
Even though we had to cancel once last 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 on my cell phone 201-826-6602. Feel free to leave a message if I don't answer.
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.
- Steve Maisch -
- Mike Porro
- Elizabeth R.
- Tsipoyra Sartan
- Elena Titova
- Bob Brillo
- 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 - - Mary Pagano - Candy & Cookies
- Jorge Sturam - Bubbly
And these people brought wine - Bill
- Dan & Georgina
- Mike Casale
- Bob Brillo
- Tonia
- Edna Negron
- Francis & Marie
- Eduardo Campos
Tango in New Jersey and New York |
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