My Commitment - Published last week |
Last week, I asked for your support after my commitment for two more years at the Knights of Columbus Hall in
Maywood. Your overwhelming phone, text, and e mail responses touched me deeply. This wonderful community makes life worthwhile for so many people: me more than any other. Thank you, thank you, thank you! See the Readers Corner below for a few of the e mails I recived. I just reached 100 consecutive days during which I have completed my Duolingo. Firehouse friend Judy Assisi, actually reached 368 days before deciding to take a
break after the year mark. She is now on a new streak at 51. Duolingo is a Spanish quiz that takes me about 1/2 hour per day. For a while, I shared my progress in this newsletter, and some of you might remember me nearing this milestone but never quite reaching it before. I'm still far from fluent, but I appreciate all of your attemts to get me there. Please continue your efforts. Felicitaciones, Susana!
Celebrations at Firehouse |
Next week
There are no celebrations next week, only great dancing, eating, and socializing with some of the nicest folks around.
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
Questions from Sue about trip to Spain
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My two daughters and I are planning a trip to Spain for late August/September. We're thinking of going to Madrid, Granada, Seville, and Marbella. We are asking for recommendations for hotels, sights, restaurants, transportation, and anything else to make our time more enjoyable. Thanks to those who have answered.
Has anyone else been to these cities? I'd appreciate any information you can give me. Thanks. I played The Beatles cortinas last week, after using Elvis Presley the previous one. Next week, I plan to go back a decade and use Frank Sinatra. This is fun for me, and I hope that others enjoy it, as well. For the future, Adrienne has
suggested Chicago. I will try my best.
Any other suggestions? I always love feedback. Let me know if you love or hate my selections or anything in between. Same for my playlists. Remember, I do this for you, and I really aim to please.
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 Adrienne Burton
I am very happy to here of your two year commitment at the Knight's of Columbus. You do an awesome job of managing/directing our group. Here are some of the songs by the band, Chicago:
Saturday In the Park Does Anybody Know (What Time It
Is?) 25 or 6 To 4 Beginnings Make Me Smile Old Days Baby, What a Big Surprise You're the Inspiration
Hope this helps with the cortinas, and hope to see you soon. Adrienne
From Estelle Stanger (her birthday)
Hi Sue, I am still in shock from my surprise birthday celebration last week. It was such an
overwhelmingly wonderful feeling to have so many friends sing the birthday song to me. And,Oh, that delicious Napoleon cake that Judy Koski brought was absolutely heavenly. I can't understand why more tangeros don't celebrate their birthday with a cake and a dance(I truly would love to dance if I could) The whole experience left me with a warmth that still echoes whenever I think of it. Thank you so much for this and for making the Firehouse a
truly magical place for so many great people for 13 years. Hopefully there will be many many more anniversaries to celebrate. Love, Estelle
From Camille
Hi Sue,
Thanks for doing what you do! I’m looking forward to the next two years (and beyond) of Firehouse Tango.
Love,
Camille
From Elena Syrett
Dear Sue If one loves tango, friendship and a nice time every week your FH Milonga is IT!!! Thank you for committing for 2 more years.. You are amazing... Elena
From
Debbie Glaser
Dearest Sue, Thank you for commiting Firehouse to two more years of fun, friends and fabulous tango. Debbie Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Leaders often contend that their followers don't seem to be able to do the right thing during a dance. "She just doesn't move fast enough," is one of the more common complaints. Another phrase I hear quite often is: "You were supposed to ..." followed by some elaborate explanation of a
movement or sequence they somehow either forgot to lead, or provided a lead that was incomprehensible.
To this kind of all-too-familiar leader's fantasy I'd like to offer an alternative reality. Believe it or not, your follower is not a pre-programmed automaton whose mission is to react instantaneously to what may be in your head -- "I just found this really neat move on YouTube" -- but isn't
in your lead. To go a step or two further, the way I'd like leaders to start thinking about the relationship between them and their followers is:
YOUR DANCE IS HER DANCE.
Let me try to clearly spell out exactly what I mean by this. Social Tango occurs in increments of one
step. Not elaborate, multi-step sequences. One step. Your follower receives your lead to do something -- let's say, take a step to the side. She responds by executing that one single movement. She may respond immediately, if she's a seasoned follower (and if your lead is accurate). Or she may find herself having to process the lead a bit before taking action. Your job as a leader is to provide the lead -- and then to allow your follower the opportunity to respond to it, no matter how
long it takes for her to do so. Only after her response -- which includes bringing herself into balance at the conclusion of the individual movement you just led -- should you be even thinking about what comes next.
An important part of your job as a leader is to carefully monitor how your follower responds to your lead for each movement you invite. Your subsequent actions depend entirely on the
results of her present actions. Your dance is her dance. Many leaders (maybe I should go further, and say most leaders) don't seem to get this. They may be focused on accurately remembering the components of a complex sequence; they may be thinking about getting it done at a specific speed (just the way those performers do it on stage!); they may be trying to incorporate a
special movement technique while they're executing the sequence. But what they're most likely not paying attention to is how their follower is fitting into the equation. Except, of course, to lament the fact that "she's doing it all wrong," and if she were an ideal follower, she'd miraculously be able to do it right.
If you'd like to train yourself to become a competent leader of social Tango,
here's where to start:
1. Fix the idea firmly in your mind right at the outset that your follower's comfort comes first -- not the completion of a complicated sequence, and not rigidly maintaining a musical timing you may have in your head.
2. Lead each sequence in
increments of one step. Focus on producing a lead, which your follower can easily understand and execute.
3. Monitor exactly how your follower responds to each lead. Notice in particular whether she has been able to successfully bring herself into balance at the end of each movement -- before you invite the next step.
4. If at any time your follower seems to be in difficulty, slow things down or come to a temporary stop, if necessary -- rather than insisting on plowing ahead with your planned figure.
Try to always remember that in social Tango what your follower actually does in executing each movement is what must ultimately
determine how you proceed in the dance. This is one of the most crucial considerations for a leader in making the dance work for both partners. Your actions depend upon her actions.
Your dance is her dance.
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 -
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I hope that this link to Monica's Facebook page works for everyone. Her tango and vals with Daniel Arias in Los Angeles is a joy
to watch.
Birth of HORACIO
SALGÁN, conservatory trained pianist. He was one of the few tango musicians of that time trained in the 5 basic instrumental activities: performer, conductor, composer, arranger and orchestrator. With his own orchestra (1944-1957) he did not have popular acclaim. His style was highly original: was he ahead of his time? Let’s hear. ♫ LA CLAVADA. Horacio Salgán (1950)
https://www.facebook.com/monica.paz.127?fref=ts
Here is another link to Monica's tango calendar: 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
Our cancelation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
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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 Jesse Barton Tsipoyra Sartan Steve Turi Elena
T.
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 - Popcorn
- Eva Roth - Cheese/Spinach & Lentil Lasagna
And these people brought wine
- Adrienne Burton
- Mary Pagano
- George
Ngo
- Jack Messing
- Tara Schwenker
- Bob Brillo
Tango in New Jersey and New York |
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