New Students

I was gifted by the gods this evening. On rare occasions, tonight being one of them, divine light shines down into the depths of darkness my soul is fond of dwelling in. All week, I have been sick as a dog and I do not do well with sickness. A cold that won't let go and a throat on fire. Still, I promised to teach a class for an associate who is out of town and it was only tango that got me out of my sick bed to go and teach. A sacred duty I suppose. I had no expectations, only a prayer that my voice would hold out for three hours.

I arrived at the studio about twenty minutes early to go over things with the owner, and he informed me that some students were already in the room. I was surprised. Wow, people were showing up and not only that, they were showing up early. I walked into the room to find a very sweet young man and woman. Even more delightful, they were Porteños. And I was to give them their first tango lesson. I think I was too busy feeling blessed to feel intimidated. Like sponges they soaked in everything I gave them and were hungry for more. They took to tango - mmm like two baby ducks to the water. To watch them move was so rewarding. To see them take the instruction and immediately incorporate it into their bodies was thrilling. The young woman, my god, the way her back curved and her ass stuck out - you just can't teach people to do that. Not in a first lesson anyway! When they say, it is in their blood, it is not just a saying. It is true. I witnessed this tonight.

At the end of the class, the young man thanked me and said it was just as he had imagined. His tango lesson fantasy had been fulfilled. Honestly, as a teacher, it doesn't get better than that. I am in total awe of these two and I look forward to teaching them again next week. For the first time, I understand what a priviledge it is to teach tango. I thank the gods for this gift.

Eso! Barbaro!

please leave a comment if you know who this fabulous couple are and where it is they are dancing! gracias.

tango intervention

williamsburgh bridge ny/bklyn, ny -Sep 16, 2007

Hola, here are my fotos of tangointervention. A dozen couples tangoed from the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, across the Williamsburg Bridge and into Williamsburgh Brooklyn. It took us 3 hours and it was an AMAZING day!! Ofcourse, my battery died after 18 pics and I was too busy tangoing to focus on fotos anyway. There were some great photographers there so check Robert's website www.tangointervention.org for upcoming video and images. Also below a short clip - I didn't even realize the video was rolling!

Gancho This!

Gancho (dance move) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Enrique y Guillermo De Fazio

These guys are GREAT!!!

Milonga Show
Music: Reliquias Porteñas

Tango Intervention

Are you ready for the Tango Intervention? Tiger is! It's coming to New York on September 16. I'm already signed up with my partner and ready to dance across the Williamsburgh Bridge. That's right. This is an amazing art installation called "Tango Dérive, Williamsburg Bridge". The event is being organized by artist and tanguero Robert Lawrence. Here is the invitation as appears on Robert's website:

You are invited to a very special and unique Milonga.

On Sunday afternoon, September 16, a gathering of brave and spirited tangueros will dance across the East River on the Willamsburg Bridge. There is no charge and everyone is invited. I hope you can join us.

Let me put this in context. I am a tanguero, but I am also an artist by profession. I am working on a series of performances across the country that involve Argentine Tango. The project is called “Tango Intervention”. It involves dancing tango where tango is not expected. In the public realm this acts as a gentle intervention, a brief interruption in the normal business of life. It confuses and amuses people and generally leaves them with a smile. I ask for nothing from the public, and the only thing I give (other than the joy of tango) is the web address (www.tangointervention.org). On the web the performance is re-contextualized in a framework relative to the history/sociology of the specific geographic place where the dance took place, and also related to the history/sociology of tango. In this way the project has two very different sides, one on the street and one on the web. It is multifaceted – like tango.

I have done 5 tango interventions so far, in Tampa, Chicago, and Seattle. They all went very well and were great fun for the participants and for the public. Now I’m doing a Tango Intervention in my old hometown and I would love to have you participate.

The Tango Intervention in New York will be from 12noon to 2pm. It is an official part of Conflux, a performance art festival that the Village Voice called a “network of maverick artists and unorthodox urban investigators…making fresh, if underground, contributions to pedestrian life in New York City, and upping the ante on today’s fight for the soul of high-density metropolises.”

The Tango Intervention for Conflux will consist of a band of tangueuros dancing from the Tenement Museum on the lower East Side across the Williamsburg Bridge to Conflux headquarters at Luna Lounge in Williamsburg - where I will be buying the first round of drinks.

On the web site the action will be contextualized within the history of immigrant re-migration from the crowded tenements of Manhattan to the green fields of Brooklyn when the bridge opened in 1903. The web site will also make a nod to the migration of artists and others from Manhattan to Brooklyn in more recent times. Like tango itself, this project asks questions about ‘place’ and belonging and longing and fulfillment. On the street (or the bridge) however, it will basically be a crazy mobile milonga moving through the air above the East River.

If you are at all interested I invite to explore this website. If you would like to participate or just want more information please click here for more details. If you still have questions please email me at tangointervention@gmail.com, or call me at 813 843 4921.

Having danced often in New York, I know there are a lot of great dancers in this city who also happen to be just crazy enough to enjoy something like this. I look forward to hearing from you and dancing with you!

Embrazos,
Robert

Tiger is so excited to be participating in this amazing event! Please check out the Tango Intervention website and Tangueros, join us for a mobile milonga across the East River on Sunday September 16th.
Your participation is requested! Click here for more info.

The site says that Volunteers are also needed!
So if you are interested in this project but are not an Argentine Tango dancer, you can still be involved. Please contact: tangointervention@gmail.com

Nos vemos at this very special milonga!

Miercoles Mudo #12

photo: Sergio Reyes


wordless wednesday

Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!

Argentines Win Salon in Tango Contest - washingtonpost.com

Argentines Win Salon in Tango Contest - washingtonpost.com

TangoStars Sep/Oct 2007

Feliz Cumpleaños Virgo y Libra
If life is a dance then your next two tandas – I mean months – will be glorious! Your combined skills of detail and connection will make you the prize of the milonga. The Virgin will have many suitors for dance and romance. The Scales must weigh the pros and cons of a partnership to make a serious commitment in both love and tango.

Virgo
The old milonguero Saturn will enter your sign on Sep 2 and will have his eye on you and all you do. Take his corrections and devote yourself to perfecting your dance. There is hard work ahead but know that you are preparing for the exhibition of your life!
Best milonga dates:
Sep 10/11, 20/21, 24
Oct 7/8, 18/19, 22

Libra
When the criticizing voice in your head becomes too loud, stop thinking and feel the heartbeat of your partner. Remember that a tanda lasts only around 9 minutes so stop flirting with others in that time and make a full commitment to the one you’re with.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 12-14, 22/23, 26
Oct 11/12, 20, 24/25

Scorpio
You have many partners to choose from and many different reasons why. Will you dance with the one you love or the one you intend to court for classes or business? Choose wisely as there may not be time to dance with them all.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 15/16, 24/25, 29
Oct 12/13, 22/23, 25


Sagittarius
You will now trust enough to stop focusing on technique and just fall into the music and your partner. The difference this leap of faith makes is sheer perfection. Your tango is very sexy below the waist and full of feeling above.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 3/4, 18/19, 26
Oct 1, 15/16, 24/25

Capricorn
Travel opportunities present themselves. Maybe you only take a calculated walk across the room in the milonga. Perhaps you will glide across the dance floor and it is entirely possible that you fly all the way to Bs As. In any case, you will find several good partners in all circumstances.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 2, 6, 20/21, 29
Oct 3, 18/19, 25, 30


Aquarius
You will need to move to another venue to find what you are looking for. Search outside your own comfort zone and domain and be ready to embrace a different sort of partner. Or take your partner into another dance that is more challenging for both of you.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 3, 7/8, 22/23, 30
Oct 1, 5/6, 20, 21, 28


Pisces
Love is in the air and in your dance. You will pass many tandas in the arms of one and then you will take matters to another level and replace la pisa with la cama. In this case, the vertical will definitely translate in the horizontal.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 5//6, 10/11, 24
Oct 3, 7, 22/23, 30/31

Aries
Your tango is all work and very little play. On the Harvest Moon (26 Sep) you will reap your rewards. Now you can relax and traspie with a special partner who shares both domestic and business success.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 1, 7/8, 12, 26/27
Oct 5/6, 10/11, 24

Taurus
Your tango is flirtatious and fun and you dance with many partners with ease. In October you buckle down and work hard on developing a relationship and a solid repertoire with one special partner.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 2, 11, 16, 28/29
Oct 7/8, 12, 25-27

Gemini
Focus on home and work matters keeps you away from the milongas but don’t pull a complete disappearing act, as others are too dependent on you now. In October, you’ll return to a full time social butterfly.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 3/4, 12/13, 19, 30
Oct 1, 10/11, 15, 28/29

Cancer
You discover a new milonga in your barrio and the best partners are there. Now you can easily bring one of them home. For practica purposes only!!! To be lucky in love, you’ll need to go far from home!
Best milonga dates:
Sep 6, 15-17, 21
Oct 2/3, 12/13, 19, 30

Leo
Your tango will make you money now so do not hesitate to spread the word about your show or classes or milonga. Advertising and socializing are the keys to your success.
Best milonga dates:
Sep 7/8, 18/19, 23
Oct 5/6, 15/16, 21

Winners Mundial Tango Salon Championship 2007

Award-winning 'Tango Makes Three' tops annual list of challenged books

Award-winning 'Tango Makes Three' tops annual list of challenged books