September at Firehouse Tango |
September 6 - Sue out, A team takes over. Tsipoyra's birthday
See below
September 13 - Jewish New Year
Dinner/Milonga
See below September 20 - Venue change to Twin Door Tavern/Maywood Inn
See below
September 27 -Birthday of Terri Lopez
See below
Tsipoyra's birthday September 6
Tsipoyra has been an integral part of Firehouse Tango for many years. She helps Terri set up every week, and she helps close down, as well. She's a good friend and a loyal Firehouse Tango supporter. We are thrilled to be able
to celebrate her birthday.
Sue out Thursday, September 6th A Team takes
over |
I'm off to California I'll be visiting Los Angeles for a tango festival and San Francisco to see my daughter and her family. This time, I'm passing up Firehouse for tango and family fun. 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? Rich Ariza DJ's
Not to worry. While we are away, your tangos, milongas and valses will be spun by fabulous guest DJ, Rich Ariza. He has been our guest DJ at Firehouse and is very much in demand all over the NY metropolipan area.
Rich has guest-DJ'd at many New York and New Jersey milongas, and we've had the pleasure of his company - not to mention DJ expertise - quite often at the
Firehouse.
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.
Thursday, September 13 Jewish New Year Dinner/Milonga
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As is our tradition during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, some of our tangueros judeos will bring traditional holiday food for our Firehouse friends Thursday, September 13th.. You don't have to be Jewish to
contribute and it's not too late, so let me know if you'd like to make something. Just send an e mail to firehousetango@gmail.com
The schedule for the evening will be as normal, including dinner (traditional and spectacular), lessons,
and dancing.
Here is what we have so far for this ethnic feast (You will note that there are some honorary Jews among the
contributors):
Sue Dallon brisket, carrots, potatoes string beans Turkey
Apples and honey from Joe's bees
Mike Porro Salad with bitter herbs
Judy Assisi Drunken fruit
Georgina Blitzer Noodle kugel
Ingrid Jacob
Cake Thursday, September 20 Firehouse Tango at Twin Door Tavern (formerly Victor's Maywood Inn) |
Firehouse Tango at Twin Door Tavern (formerly Victor's Maywood Inn) on Thursday, September 20st (one day only) |
On Thursday, September 20th, Firehouse Tango will be at the Twin Door Tavern (formerly Victor's Maywood Inn), less than a mile from The Knights of Columbus. The time and schedule is the same as always. The place will change, the price will be lower, and you CANNOT bring wine. Please order something from the menu.
Twin Door Tavern - Victor's Maywood Inn 122 W. Pleasant Avenue
Maywood, N.J. 07607-1235
(201) 843-8022 http://www.twindoortavern.com/index.html Thursday, September 2oth 7:00 - 7::30 : Basic tango lesson with Fran Chesleigh 7:30 - 8:30 : Intermediate tango lesson with Fran Chesleigh
8:30 - 11:00 PM Milonga
Admission is only $10 and
includes lessons and milonga. The Twin Door Tavern has an excellent menu and bar. We encourage you to try both. Please do not bring wine.
For additional information, call Sue at 201-825-1570 Thursday, September 27 birthday of Terri Lopez
Terri, who has become so indispensable that I say in all seriousness that Firehouse Tango could not exist without her, celebrates her birthday on Thursday, September 27th.
We will invite the Firehouse Tangueros to show our most loyal Firehouse friend EVER just how much we all appreciate her . Our dear friend Rudy will start the birthday tango. Then, a stream of Firehouse Tangueros will cut in, dancing to Di Sarli tango and a milonga. The cortinas, of course, will be Terri's favorite, Tony
Bennett.
I (Sue) will bring the delicious cake with Terri's beautiful picture.
Terri Lopez has been a part of the Firehouse family since our first days at
Paramus Firehouse # 4, and we look forward to many more birthday celebrations with her.
I want to point out that Terri Lopez is more than a helper who I call Wonder Woman and who takes my place when I am out. Terri is our CEO and has as much, if not more, responsibility and authority than I
do.
Let me make it clear: Firehouse Tango would not exist without her.
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Last Thursday, August 30, Anniversary if Walter and Gay Monteblanco |
Thursday, August 30th -
Anniversary of Walter and Gay Monteblanco
We celebrated Walter and Gay Monteblanco's ninth anniversary with great joy on August 30th. Last year, Gay had hurt her back, and I filled in for her at the anniversary dance. No such luck this year (not about Gay's back, about my dance). The lovely couple started the dance and I followed with Walter before the long line of
Firehouse tangueras. The tangueros danced with Gay.
Walter has been a close friend and supporter since the very beginning at Paramus Firehouse # 4, and Gay came soon after. When they aren't traveling, they come to Firehouse often.
The cake with Walter and Gay's photo was, as always, beautiful and
delicious.
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
Parking Warning - Don't park too close to stop signs |
In accordance with New Jersey law, there is no parking within 50 feet of a stop sign. Some of our friends have received tickets when they parked too close to the stop signs at the corner of Elm and Grove. Please don't become one of them.
Welcome Back Tibor next week |
Tibor was away again this week, but our very capable friend, Elena Titova, manned (woman?) the
door August 9, 16, 23, and 30/ Thanks for bringing exact change. It made life easier for her. Last week, I played patriotic cortinas for Labor Day. Next week, I'll be out and you'll enjoy
Richard Ariza's music. The following week, I'll have Cortinas with Carol King and James Taylor.
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 Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Last week, we began a discussion of giro or molinete in Tango. As described in last week’s Tip, this is a complex sequence of interconnected movements in which pivots play an important role. To recap my detailed version of the individual elements within this sequence as they occur from
la cruzada:
1. The first pivot (in preparation for the forward step) 2. The forward walk 3. The first pivot to alignment 4. The first side step 5. The second pivot (in preparation for the backward step) 6. The backward walk 7. The second pivot to
alignment 8. The second side step
The first question one might ask about this sequence is: “Why does it exist at all?” The function of molinete is to enable the follower to move in a tight circle around the leader. Why couldn’t she accomplish this by simply walking forward or backward or even using side steps with in-place weight changes in between (as in Merengue from the Dominican Republic)? The answer — as any
milonguero would immediately explain — is asi se baila el tango. “That’s the way Tango is danced.” In other words, like la cruzada, molinete is a sequence, which is part of the customary or established way of moving in Tango.
The implication here is that the individual elements of molinete are not led - they’re assumed. When the leader invites the follow to travel around him, he initiates the sequence by asking her
to execute a forward or backward ocho. As he continues to rotate his body in one direction, she responds by applying the accepted formula for molinete in order to continue moving around him.
Now, let’s look at what actually happens between the leader and follower as the molinete occurs. In keeping with our detailed description above, we’ll assume that the leader has taken his follower to la cruzada either from la
salida or from a walk, and has decided to invite molinete to his right:
The first pivot The leader invites the follower to “unwind” herself from la cruzada by rotating his upper body slightly counterclockwise. The follower responds by pivoting counterclockwise, releasing her leg from the crossed-over position as she turns, and bringing her heels together. In this moment she is in a “twisted” position in which
her upper body is facing the leader, and her lower body is facing the leader’s right — in preparation for a forward walk across his front. The follower makes certain here that she has aligned her body so that in her forward walk (which will occur as the next element), she will not be “closing the circle” with her leader, but rather maintaining an appropriate distance from him as she goes.
The forward walk The leader now rotates his upper body
slightly clockwise in order to invite the follower to walk forward across his front. The follower responds by executing a forward step with her right leg, moving to the leader’s right with her body in the “twisted” position. As she moves, the follower chooses a direction, which takes her on a circumferential path around the leader — neither opening nor closing the distance between them as he goes.
The first pivot to alignment As the follower comes
to the end of her forward walk, she brings her heels together left to right, and pivots clockwise just enough to release her lower body from its twisted position. This enables her to align herself front-to-front with the leader. She does this on her own; i.e., without being specifically invited to do so by the leader. (The basis for this unled action is that part of the follower’s role in Tango is to consistently maintain a front-to-front relationship with her leader at all
times. Anytime she finds herself facing another direction, she pivots enough to rectify this lack of alignment.) These first three elements, taken together comprise a forward ocho.
The first side step As the follower brings herself into alignment with the leader, he has many options. In order to sustain the molinete sequence to his right, however, he now elects to continue rotating his upper body in a clockwise direction. The
follower responds to this by executing a side step to the leader’s right with her left leg. As she travels, she maintains the circumferential path around the leader. At the end of the side step, the follower brings her heels together.
The second pivot The leader now continues rotating his upper body clockwise — once again sustaining the molinete sequence to his right. In response to this, the follower now pivots clockwise in preparation
for a backward walk. Her pivot at this point is quite profound (at least 90 degrees), which enables her to set up a traveling direction that neither moves away from her leader nor “closes the circle.” There is no need here for the leader to specifically indicate which direction her pivot needs to take. The follower’s choice of rotating direction for this pivot maintains the customary formula for molinete; i.e., forward ocho, side step, backward ocho, side step. As she
executes this pivot, the follower once again creates a “twisted” position as she did during her first pivot.
The backward walk The leader once again continues to rotate his upper body clockwise. In response to this, the follower executes a backward walk around the leader, maintaining the “twisted” position with her body as she goes, moving around the leader without either increasing or decreasing the distance between herself and her
leader.
The second pivot to alignment As the follower comes to the end of her backward walk, she brings her heels together left to right, and pivots counterclockwise just enough to release her lower body from its twisted position. This enables her to align herself front-to-front with the leader. Once again, the follower does this on her own; i.e., without being specifically invited to do so by the leader. These three
elements, taken together — the pivot, the walk, and the alignment — comprise the backward ocho.
The second side step The leader elects to sustain the molinete by continuing to rotate his body clockwise. The follower responds to this by executing a side step to the leader’s right with her left leg. As she travels, she maintains the circumferential path around the leader. At the end of this side step, the follower once again brings
her heels together.
I hope that this rather elaborate description of the individual elements of molinete (as I perceive them) serves as an indicator of just how complex this sequence is. It requires an intense level of continued communication between the leader and follower — which can only be achieved through a great deal of skill development and practice over time. If you want to master the art of molinete, you would do well to work closely with your teacher
in a one-to-one situation, engaging in a serious study of, and commitment to, this fascinating aspect of Tango.
Put Fran and Pat on your Monday Calendar with our streamlined Summer Class Schedule
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Recognizing that people have lots of things they want to do during the summer, we’ve responded to your needs with our special Summer Schedule! We’ve now combined our two Tango classes into one for Mondays, and the same for our American Social Dance classes, which will now move to Monday as well.
Bottom
line: Monday is now your night to enjoy a fun-filled evening of dance with us at our New York teaching location, Studios 353, 353 West 48th Street (between 8th and Ninth Avenues), 2nd floor, in Manhattan. Tango starts at 7:30 p.m., followed immediately by American Social Dance at 8:30 pm. There’s always plenty of room for parking during these early evening hours, so come join us, and get ready to have a ball!
Would you like a private lesson?
Visit our website at www.franchesleigh.com, call us directly at 212-662-7692, or email us at franchesleigh@mac.com Join us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/franchesleighllc
Our cancelation policy - We STILL rarely cancel
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Even though we had to cancel twice this year because of blizzards, 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 (still only about ten times in all these years, 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.
This week, our neighbor who helps clean up, Anjelito, was out of town, and his replacement left much undone. Thanks to our awesome Firehouse team, however, the hall was spic and span when we left.
I want to particularly acknowledge the following folks:
Jesse Barton
Steve Maisch
Sandor and Brigitte Szarka
Barbara
and of
course:
Tsipoyra Sartan
Steve Turi and Lynn Gross
and lots of other folks.
Thanks so much. All we had to do was ask, and you all came through - We love you all.
Thanks to everyone who helped and who brought food and goodies. This is 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.
Special Thanks to Mike Porro for helping me wash the dishes.
The folks below brought food and wine this week
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- Barbara Lombardi - Popcorn
- Henry Kim - Cookies
- Ingrid Jacob - Zwetschgen Kuchen
- Walter and Gay - Cake and champagne
And these people brought wine
- Barbara
Lombardi
- Marion & Justin
- Bob Brillo
- Maria Z
Simply Social Dancing September and October |
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EVENTS _____________ |
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