Sue back - Thanks to All for running Firehouse in my absence |
After a wonderful time at my granddaughter Amanda's high school graduation in San Francisco, I'm back to the world's friendliest (and I think the best)
milonga. As before, loved my vacation, but I'm very happy to return to my dear friends at home (Though I will be out again next Thursday - c'est la vie)
Thanks, thanks, and more thanks to the
Firehouse Tangueros
Huge helpings of gratitude go to all of you who brought food and drinks, set up, and cleaned up. I am very aware that my trip would be impossible without an enormous amount of help from the folks back home.
The logistics - The Superhero Team
Special thanks to Terri Lopez, Steve Turi, and Fran Chesleigh for making the whole shebang such a great success. Terri, with Steve's help,
planned; ran operations; and coordinated setup and cleanup (and that's not all.) Fran and Pat executed the lessons to perfection.
These folks fielded the problems and glitches that seem to arise every week. The tasks involved in running Firehouse are monumental, and we are incredibly fortunate to have so many fabulous friends willing to step in whenever needed.
The newsletter
This Firehouse Tango
newsletter has been published nearly every week since March, 2002 and thanks to Fran and Pat, the past two weeks were no exception.
Among his countless talents, our remarkable instructor, Fran Chesleigh, is a professional writer. As always when I am out, he and his equally extraordinary assistant, Pat Altman, flawlessly and with a style of their own, take over the task of writing the Firehouse Tango newsletter. I didn't have the foresight to take my computer, so our wonderful
Tibor did the work for me.
The awesome duo (Fran and Pat) is usually found at "Fran's Table" in the alcove closest to the DJ table. They are always happy to answer your Tango questions or show you how to do something you might have missed, so make sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn from the best.
Superman Steve Turi was Clean-up Editor.
The music and the performance- DJ Johnny
Tabla
While I was away, your tangos, milongas and valses were spun by fabulous guest DJ, Johnny Tablada. Many of our tangueras have had the pleasure of dancing with Johnny, who comes to Firehouse every Thursday. Now, you were able to enjoy listening to his incredible music, as well. As promised, you were not disappointed. Johnny has an amazing and extensive knowledge of Argentine Tango.
Johnny also awed us during his performance with our fabulous teacher from Argentina, Monica Paz.
The performance and the visit- Maestra Monica Paz
See below
Last Thursday, Firehouse Tango 14th anniversary |
Last Thursday, June 15 - Firehouse Tango 14th Anniversary Celebration - Monica Paz at Firehouse
The anniversary celebration went on without a
hitch. Thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate the fantastic evening.
The food and the music
I made the brisket, potatoes, turkey, string beans and carrots with love for my dear Firehouse friends. As always, I did the same for the playlist. Everyone seemed to enjoy both. I am happy.
Eva made flan, Flo made her chocolate/whipped cream/custard/coffee liqueur creation, Jack brought delicious fruit, Elena made a yummy pie, and Shop Rite made the 14th anniversary cake.
Monica Paz and Johnny Tablada
It was absolutely electrifying to watch Monica and Johnny dance milonguero style tango, vals, and milonga. Nothing was practiced, and everything was improvised, yet they make it look so easy. We are very lucky that Monica includes New Jersey in her yearly itinerary, and we are so fortunate to have Johnny Tablada
to show her off. I cannot wait until next year for her return.
The
door prizes
Prizes went to Flo, Nina, can't remember who else. They were really nice, though, and the winners were very lucky.
Thursday, June 22 - Sue out once again
This time, I'll be going to the Hamptons for a family reunion
(not mine.) Johnny will DJ and the wonderful A Team will take over. Please support them. See below for details.
Thursday, June 29 -
Sue back. No celebrations. Just great dancing, eating, and socializing.
Monica Paz - In New York City next week and in Oakland, New Jersey this Saturday (See Los Pitucos information below) |
No private lessons available. Monica will have workshops at Los Pitucos on Saturday and others in New York City.
For registration, please contact Monica at: tangopaz@yahoo.com.ar
www.mptango.com
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.
Five years ago, Monica realized her dream of opening her own studio in Buenos Aires (at 30 Riobamba near the Congresso.) Monica and Osvaldo Natucci (one of the best milongueros in Buenos Aires) 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.
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.
Monica Paz - In New York City
Hello
tangueros,
I am very happy to announce my upcoming visit to NYC. This year my visit will be shorter, however I have A LOT to share with my students. After more than twenty years of dancing with the Milongueros in Buenos Aires and learning from them, I regard them as the connection between Tango in the Golden Age and nowadays. For the Milongueros and for me, Tango is more than a fashionable dance. “I don't want to teach you just WHAT to do, but HOW to
do it: this is my CHALLENGE”. If you feel ready for that, you can find me at the Astoria Tango Club or in my Master Classes and Private Lessons.
Here is the schedule of my visit:
- GUEST INSTRUCTOR at: Astoria Tango Club June 11th and 21st
-SATURDAY of MASTER CLASSES, Saturday June 24th at Champion’s Studios
Saturday 24
3:00 to 4:45 PM, Master Class 1:
Get the most of your dance improving your technique.
3:00 a 6:45 PM Master Class 1 & 2:
As a leader or follower, achieve how to express the music in every single movement.
Pre-registration required, first come, first served. Master Classes and private lessons will take place at Champion’s studios. 257 West 39th Street, 14th floor.
-PRIVATE LESSONS: Few spots available.
Thank you for sharing this information with your fellow tangueros and tangueras!
Un abrazo
milonguero, Monica 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
Sue out on next week, June 22nd - A Team takes over |
June 22nd in the Hamptons Twice this month, I will play hooky. June 8th I'm
passing up Firehouse for my granddaughter Amanda's high school graduation, and on the 22nd, I'll be in the Hamptons. Fortunately, I can leave my baby (That would be Firehouse Tango) worry free because I have incredible friends who are more than willing and able to keep the Firehouse fires burning brightly. Please support our wonderful back-up team.
The logistics - The A
Team
Terri Lopez (Wonder(ful) Woman) and Steve Turi (aka Superman) have generously offered to head up our milonga logistics team in addition to their normal invaluable weekly help. The tasks involved in running Firehouse are monumental, and we are incredibly fortunate to have so many fabulous friends willing to step in whenever needed.
But What about the Music? Johnny Tablada DJ's
Not to worry. While we are away, your tangos, milongas and valses will be spun by fabulous guest DJ, Johnny Tablada. Many of our tangueras have had the pleasure of dancing with Johnny, who comes to Firehouse every Thursday. Now, you can enjoy listening to his incredible music, as well. I promise you will not be
disappointed. Johnny has an amazing and extensive knowledge of Argentine Tango.
How about the newsletter?
This Firehouse Tango newsletter has been published nearly every week since March, 2002 and thanks to Fran and Pat, the next two weeks will be no exception.
Among his countless talents, our remarkable instructor, Fran Chesleigh, is a professional writer. As always when I am out, he and his equally extraordinary assistant, Pat Altman, flawlessly and with a style of their own, take over the task of writing the Firehouse Tango newsletter. I will send his handiwork out when I return.
This awesome duo is usually found at “Fran’s Table” in the alcove closest to
the DJ table. They are always happy to answer your Tango questions or show you how to do something you might have missed, so make sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn from the best. 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.
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 Lucille Krasne
Hi dear one, big, fat, wonderful congratulations. on your anniversary!! I cannot be with you sadly but am so happy for you. Best to you y su novio!!! XXXXXX Lucila
From Cris Grapa
Planning to be there & looking forward to celebrating this special Anniversary with my Firehouse family of delightful friends, dancers, chefs, party planners, organizers & social butterflies! See you later. Cris.
Planning to be there & looking forward to celebrating this special Anniversary with
my Firehouse family of delightfu
From Rose Whitehill
Happy Anniversary , Firehouse! and big hug and best wishes to you, Monica. Love to all, Rose
Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. If you want to learn how to dance Tango here in the USA today, your best option is to find a teacher or dance school that promises to fulfill your goals. As a teacher myself, I wondered how people in Argentina learned this very complex dance as it was evolving during its early
history.
Here is a brief glimpse into how things were in the past. To begin with, Argentina has always had a definite love/hate relationship with Tango. During its formative years, the dance, the music, and the lifestyle were looked down upon as extremely vulgar, if not obscene by the society at large. One source I encountered described Tango as "the amusement of carriage drivers, grave diggers, and
wastrels." Even today, many among the Argentine upper classes find it difficult to believe that Tango has had such universal appeal around the world, since the widely acclaimed "Tango Argentino" burst on the scene in 1985.
Notwithstanding the stigma attached to Tango right from its beginnings, the music and dance became very popular. During social occasions, a typical encounter between a man and a woman
might have been something like the following:
A woman would attend a social function, accompanied by a retinue of protectors, including members of her family and perhaps a special duena whose job was to carefully scrutinize and control her interactions with strangers -- particularly those of the opposite sex. A man, possibly a laborer of some kind, would attend the same function in the hope of
obtaining a formal introduction to the woman, so that ultimately he could enjoy a Tango or two with her -- under the critical Argus-eyed gaze of all her friends and relatives.
As they danced, the man would literally "teach" the woman how to respond to his lead, while the woman would engage in the difficult discipline of moving precisely to the man's invitation, remaining balanced and ready at the
conclusion of each movement until and unless her leader proposed a new step.
If both man and woman played these roles with skill, the dance would be a success. If the leader wasn't able to lead, and/or if the follower wasn't able to follow, the dance would be a failure.
How did the man and the woman get to the point
where they were able to play these roles appropriately? A woman's process for learning social Tango was largely limited to her experiences on the dance floor (along with quietly offered advice from friends and relatives). On the other hand, the man often went through a very demanding, almost ritualistic process, which was specifically designed to ensure that he became expert as a leader. Typically, he started his arduous dance “training” in the social club, playing role of follower, being led by
more experienced milongueros. As his skill level in the follower's role increased -- and as he therefore learned exactly what was necessary to produce a credible lead -- he was eventually given the opportunity to hone his leading skills under the guidance of his teachers. (There is some evidence that in the absence of available women to dance with, some men took the opportunity to practice their skills with prostitutes in the local brothels, lending fuel to the societal proscriptions
against the dance. But this is perhaps another story for another time.)
A fledging leader’s "graduation" from the rigorous -- and without doubt highly effective -- process of developing his skills ultimately involved being given the approval of his piers to begin attending dances as a leader who could be trusted to carry on the tradition of social Tango.
In contemporary times, as social prohibitions have become more relaxed, women have now moved well beyond simply playing a passive role in the social dance. Today, any woman who so desires can devote herself to developing her own individual expertise as a student of the dance.
At the same time, however, the male tradition of training
intensively within a knowledgeable, highly expert pier group as a necessary condition of entry into the social milieu has largely been lost. Today, men in Argentina learn Tango in the same way the dance is learned all around the world: they find a teacher or enroll in a dance school. Will this “modern” way of developing leading skills ultimately produce the same kind of expertise that was so much a part of the earlier tradition?
I guess time will tell.
Fran and Pat’s Guided Saturday Practica at Dardo Galletto
The longest-running and friendliest practica in NYC! Come join our happy group of social tango dancers, whose sole purpose is to enjoy dancing and to practice what they’re learning. Everyone dances! Essential Tango Therapy! Pat and I will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, and help you with material you’re working on. Plus you get a new “must-have” move each week! No partner required, all levels. Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46th
Street, 11th floor, (bet. 6th & 7th Aves) www.franchesleigh.com
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
Monica Paz at Los Pitucos Milonga Saturday, June 17
|
Next Milonga - Saturday, June 17th, 2017
Important advisement: Due to fireworks this coming Saturday next to
the American Legion building, the local police department will be closing the road leading to the Milonga's parking area by 6:00pm. Since no one would want to miss Monica's workshops anyway, instead of coming at 6:00pm, please come no later than at 5:30pm - our doors will open at 5:00pm. If you arrive later and the road is closed to traffic, you may park at the shopping parking lot at the corner of
Ramapo Valley Rd. & Oak Street and walk a few blocks to the American Legion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This month a special guest instructor - Monica Paz , the world renowned Tango instructor from Buenos Aires
Monica will conduct two
workshops: At 6:00pm - for Beginners At 7:00pm - for Intermediate/Advanced Social dancing starts at 8:00pm Couples, singles and beginners welcome!Admission $15, including home cooked "delight" THE AMERICAN LEGION 65 Oak Street
Oakland, NJ 07436 For directions click here
**********************************
June at Simply Social
Dancing
Latin Night at La Havana
59 110 Moonachie Ave, Moonachie NJ
Tuesday, June
27th 7:00 to 10:00
pm
Mostly Salsa and Argentine Tango... some Bachata, Merengue, Rumba, & Cha
Cha. An Argentine Tango lesson to start (for all level
dancers).
$20.00 cover includes 2 house drinks or 1 drink & 1 Latin Night
appetizer
For reservations and
directions: Biagio's Restaurant for Dinner &
Dance 299 Paramus Rd, Paramus NJ
A mix of music for all types of partner dancing.
$35.00 for dinner and dancing
(includes tip) / Cash bar For this event, reservations are very important. It allows our host to prepare the room and enough food!
|
| |
Our cancelation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
|
Even though we had to cancel once this year because of a blizzard, 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 my cell
phone 201-826-6602. Feel free to leave a message.
We cancel only when absolutely necessary (only about eight or nine times in all these years - including, unfortunately, the Thursday that I was in Florida, 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. - Jesse Barton
- Steve Turi
- Steve Maisch
- Tsypoyra Sartan
- Nina Grynyk
- Elena Syrett
- Herb Kahn
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 -
- Eva Roth - Flan
- Ferd Ritz - Eggs
- Nina Grynyk - Beans & Veggie Wraps
- Elena Syrett - Grit Pie
- Flo Salierno - Chocolate/rum delight
And these people brought wine - Henry Kim
- Barbara Lombardi
- Mary Pagano
- George
Ngo
- Carl Schaefer
- Vely Daleus
- Jesse & Cathy
- Diane Langmuir
- Walter
Milani
Tango in New Jersey and New York |
|
|
