PeekaBoo I see YOU

Gayle and I have decided to share this because it is so lovely - at least the moments you can see. Tiger is still in training and at present just cannot resist entering the forbidden zones - in this case - dancing out of camera range. This was our first public tango exhibition. We are dancing to Alma De Bohemio by Pedro Laurenz. March 21 2008 La Belle Epoque Milonga @ Ukranian Restaurant NYC


Lyrics courtesty of planet-tango.com

Peregrino y soñador,
cantar,
quiero mi fantasía
y la loca poesía
que hay en mi corazón!
Lleno de amor y de alegría,
volcaré mi pasion.

Siempre sentí
la dulce ilusión
de estar viviendo
mi pasión.

Si es que no vivo lo que sueño
Yo sueño todo lo que canto,
por eso mi encanto
es el amor.
Mi pobre alma de bohemio
quiero acariciar
y como una flor
perfumar.

Y en mis noches de dolor
a hablar
me voy con las estrellas,
y las cosas más bellas
despierto he de soñar.
Porque les confío a ellas
toda mi sed de amar.

Siempre sentí
la dulce ilusión
de estar viviendo
mi pasión.

Yo busco en los ojos celestes
y en renegridas cabelleras
pasiones sinceras,
dulce emoción.
Y en mi eterna vida errante
llena de ilusión,
yo quiero dar todo
mi corazón.

Traveler and dreamer,
to sing,
I want (to sing) my fantasy
and the mad poetry
that there is in my heart!
Filled with love and joy,
I'll empty out my passion.

I always felt
the sweet illusion
to be living
my passion.

If I don't live what I dream
I dream all that I sing,
that's why my charm
is love.
My poor bohemian soul
I want to caress
and like a flower
permeate with perfume.

And in my nights of pain
to speak
I go (to speak) with the stars,
and the most beautiful things
awake, I'm going to dream
Because I trust in them
all my thirst for love.

I always felt
the sweet illusion
to be living
my passion.

I look for in the light blue eyes
and in black long hairs;
sincere passions,
sweet emotion.
And in my eternal wandering life
filled with illusion,
I want to give all
my heart.

An additional note: While you are watching the empty stage, take notice of the lovely chandeliers. Although they shed light, they are rooted in "nights of pain". It is rumored they were purchased with gold teeth collected from murdered Jews in Ukranian concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Tango Dancer Wanted

Tiger is passing along this message from Maya:

I (MAYA) work with annette hollander (mezzo soprano) as her accompanist for classical part of repertoire and gokhan somel who accompanies her jazz singing. we are planning to add some tango songs too. so while two of them are performing a tango song i would like to dance.

i need a partner who is willing to practice 2-3 times a week and to perform 1 or 2 numbers in a show with us.

If you are interested please contact Maya @ mayagalt@gmail.com

Tango Police

Most of us are aware of the tango codas. I would like to discuss one in particular - that of dancing only one tanda per partner and then clearing the dance floor during the cortina. This is a wonderful rule that is widely practiced in Bs As and partially practiced here in NYC. By partially I mean that it is very rare for NYers to clear the dancefloor but for the most part they enjoy changing partners frequently. For many years, I observed both parts of this coda but these days I often prefer to dance deep into the night with the same partner(s). There are others who prefer to do the same. Not everyone wants to CHANGE PARTNERS at the drop of a cortina. I firmly believe that rules are made to be broken but my concern and frankly objection is that it has now come to my attention THE WAY in which this coda is being broken.
I have been informed that some men use tricks to hold a coveted female dancer during the cortina. By tricks, I mean the use of clever dialogue and repartee, the telling of an engaging story to distract the unsuspecting and polite fairer of the species until the next tanda begins and he immediately dances her away. I have even witnessed this technique myself first hand. It was practiced on my by a woman who also clasped my forearms and held my gaze while telling me a bit of compelling gossip during the cortina. I found myself trapped at the end and forced to continue dancing with her. By tricks, I mean handcuffing and sealing the partner in an oversized Leche Can filled with water and then locked inside a wooden chest. The poor woman, being no Houdini is forced to hold her breath until the announcements and exhibition signal her release. One should not have to be a good escape artist to end a dance. If the lady wants to leave your arms, you need to behave like a gentleman and let her go. You know how the saying goes: If you love to dance with her, set her free. If she looks for your cabeceo again , she's yours. If she doesn't, she never was.
I myself practice the estilo of making an inquiry at the start of each cortina to find out whether the lady would like to continue with me into the next tanda. I want to make sure she is having as good a time as I. I want the feeling to be mutual. Not forced. Or continued out of politeness.

So, now these dirty tricks have been exposed. Please discontinue the practice of them. It will be better to spend your time with more simple virtues like developing the connection and musicality of your dance - for only then will she beg to stay in your arms.

The Home Advantage

There's nothing like dancing tango in your own hometown. You've got the edge. You've got the home court advantage. Milonga One of Tango Sutra and I've all but given up. Relocated down the hall to the computers of Trinity College. Don't get me wrong. It's a wonderful milonga full of swirling couples, a beautiful hall, one of the best dj's I've heard in a while. I think her name is Julia. She's Russian. That's actually why I had to step out. My most cherished Di Sarli tango was played and I couldn't find a partner. Not being able to dance to it was just killing me. So I stepped out of the ballroom. I danced two tandas earlier with a woman I knew from years ago. She and another friend used to come to NY alot when D.C. didn't have much of a scene. They were beautiful tandas. I could have danced with her all night but I had to let her go.

I'm in a bad mood. An extremely bad mood. I haven't had this bad a milonga experience since the dreaded beginner days as a follower back in 1996. It's also parralleling my second time in Bs As which was a total nightmare. Listen, there are a lot of great men dancing tonight. Serious competition. And I don't know anyone. And I'm not clear about how they are making the arrangements to dance. It's not through cabacceo. It's not verbal. Something's going on but I can't quite catch the drift. I think my hunting muscles are soft to be honest. I am spoiled by NY and my home court advantage. Also my mind is kind of twisted up right now and I am convinced that these women do not really want to dance with another woman. They want to dance with men. As convinced of this as I am, utterly convinced, so convinced that I put it in writing put it in blog - a woman approaches me - Zoe. She asks if I am studying here. She wants to know if I am writing my dissertation or some sort of studies and on my breaks I come in and dance. I think this is kind of funny because I am nothing more than a criminal - illegally using the computers here because I am pissed off in the milonga. I tell Zoe that I am visiting and I don't know anyone here. Well that's not true. I know several people here but I am in a funk and I have given up on getting dances. Zoe tells me that she has seen what a wonderful leader I am and she would be happy to dance with me when I return to the milonga. So there we have it - my theory shot to hell! A woman wants to dance with me. She lets me know. Perhaps I am too used to having the women approach me for dance in NY. This happens alot. I am lazy and stupidly shy tonight. I am also pissed off that they don't have TANGO SUTRA TSHIRTS this year. That was one of the main reasons I came to this festival. Other than that, I guess I can't really complain. The weekend has just begun. There's a crowded room around the corner and Zoe waiting for a dance. Now that I've blown off some steam, maybe my energy and my tango luck will change. I will end on this note - for me - NYC and Roma have been the best cities for me to dance in as a leader. So D.C. I challange you to prove me wrong!

Quiero La Nacional

because it is the milonga most like one in Bs As. I also love that I can come home and wake my girlfriend up in the middle of the night to tell her about all the great women I danced with. Not even Bill in Big Love gets to do that. This tango life is a dream.

A Shift in Tango Consciousness

Last month marked my twelve year anniversary dancing Argentine tango. After over a dozen years of dancing with strangers, I have moved into dancing almost exclusively with one. This is because my dance partner and I are practicing for the competition. Of course, we take some breaks to dance with others so that we don't alienate our favorite and regular partners during this process.

I always used to have some kind of an attitude about couples that danced exclusively with each other. I thought they were anti social and didn't want to mix with the crowd. What I failed to realize, and am beginning to understand now - is that you can go much deeper with one partner. It's amazing how united we are becoming the more we dance together. It is anything but boring. In fact, it's the most interesting tango experience I have had in years. At the same time, I am going deeper with my life partner in a way that I have never been able to with the relationships that came before. Funny how tango runs parallel to real life.
Last week, a fellow complained to me that lately guys are hogging partners. They are not breaking apart in the cortinas but rather dancing multiple tandas with the same woman. He was annoyed and seemed to think this was a forced situation. He could not see the obvious mutuality in the choice. I looked up to see a specific couple (or shall I say culprits) he had pointed out. Ah, years ago I would have been right there commiserating with him but last week, when I looked up, I felt their connection and responded only with a deep and knowing smile.