Come have coffee with me in Buenos Aires...

Come have coffee with me in Buenos Aires...

Kalispell Performance

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On Saturday 9/16 I performed at a very cool fundraiser in Kalispell.

The idea behind it was Dancing with the Stars. In the tv show, a celebrity, who is a beginner at dance, pairs up with a professional ball room dancer, and competes. In this local version, sometimes a local 'celebrity', ( a community member, perhaps with a well known business in town,) will either pair up w/ their romantic partner (both beginners) or a local dancer. For the Kalispell version, both partners were beginners. This was *such* a great fundraiser idea, because it was so endearing to see these cute couples dance. Especially, when they were putting their 'soles' (and souls) on the line, for such a great cause.

The night earned around $78,000 for the Warming Center, a very important resource for the homeless, especially during the harsh Montana winters. I appreciated the individual stories of people they benefited, during the silent auction. You saw how theses challenges are often down to just luck. And I appreciated how the homeless were referred to as our community members and friends through out the night.

The silent auction had a delicious spread, and fun performances in the lobby, like aeralists and drummers. Such a clever way to keep the crowd engaged, and keep the arts going all night long.

Rob and I were part of the dance showcase in the end. We danced to Milonga del Ayer by Craig Einhorn, one of my favorites. It was such great experience to dance in front of so many people. Made me work with my nerves, as well as taje *big* steps to cover the stage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIy7afIh7jk Listen to the Music here

Thankful for this opportunity to contribute to a great cause.


Montana Tango Festival

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A Tangupdate!

I'm not a big FB person, so sometimes forget to post what I've been doing, but you may have noticed I 'have recentlyl been forwarding many posts from the Montana Tango Festival. Well, ***drum roll please***, I am actually one of the founding members, and have been working behind the scenes all year! (All while simultaneously bringing new leaders to the Montana tango scene.)

I am the person behind the marketing campaign, I hope you've enjoyed the Montana cartoons and humor. I was really happy to promote the artists; we wanted to create this fun atmosphere, where we celebrated and learned from unique voices of tango, and so I was happy to get the word out about all of our amazing guests.

As a New York transplant, now a Montanan, I too was amazed at the friendliness of this festival, as I have been heartened and amazed at the amazing sense of community since I arrived here. Was so glad to share that over the festival, to give that back, to friends old and new.

Some festival highlights for me: Taking my Dad out to Potomac, introducing him to so many tango friends new and old, having him see what I do. Private lessons with Adam and Marina - getting amazing milonga steps, and Hugo and Celina - you showed me not to be scared to show my passion on stage. I highly recommend private lessons as a way to learn. You get immediate feedback on your body, your issues; it is so worth the money!

Also, just all the hustle and bustle behind the scenes, from last minute grocery runs,, to trips to the airport, to frantic website work -- it makes you feel part of something, and then seeing the tango friendships blossom made it all worth while.

I hosted the Mixer on Friday night - informal tango games helped our guests to meet new people, so that those cabaceos aren't so intimidating at the milongas.

Friday night, The native Blackfeet Grassdance by Teague was so cool, and his flute music hauntingly beautiful, it was such a blessing to see and hear, thank you for providing a window into the original Montana culture.

Saturday morning - Meet the DJ event - Success! I had invisioned this event as a musical panel with muffins, and I was pleased to learn so many new things about tango music from our panel of 7 (seven!) unique experts. The performances on Saturday night were thrilling.

But best of all, was embracing some great old friends, in my new hometown, Dan and Giselle it was so great to see you!

And of course, showing off some of the newest montana tangueros....

Dad and me

Dan and me

Diego, giselle, ricardo, lindsey, celina, hugo, marina, adam, me, rob montango

hosting the mixer

with Charles and nora from the committee

I was emcee at the friday night milonga

Shoes! I came to the right place

with giselle bobolis, me, diego santana, and Ron Montango

a new take on tango; performance in Oregon

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https://www.salemreporter.com/2023/01/24/salem-symphonic-winds-and-rainbow-dance-theatre-partner-for-stunning-colorful-tango/

Salem Symphonic Winds and Rainbow Dance Theatre partner for stunning, colorful tango

by Abbey McDonald on January 24, 2023

Would love to have seen and heard this!

Tango Traffic Jams! - September 24th Class in Helena

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Hi Tango Friends!

I’ve been busy teaching tango in Montana, and thought I’d share some of the highlights with you here.

On September 24th, I taught a fun workshop with Jeff Blend, on Tango Transitions, at TangoHelena! Check out more Helena tango events here: https://tangohelena.com/

The purpose of this class was avoiding “traffic jams” on the dance floor. Sometimes these occur, due to poor floor craft, and we wanted to give some methods on dealing with the situation.

But first, you don’t want to cause the traffic jam! For that, here are some etiquette guidelines, or ‘codigos’:

  • When entering the dance floor, the leader entering should nod towards the leader he/she is cutting in front of

  • Only pass on the left! Like in real traffic

  • Don’t be the one stuck in the middle doing something flashy. Respect the other dances, and flow of dance

Move 1 - Vaivens!

  • Vaivens are a fun move, with a lilting quality, that fits in great with waltz’s 3 time.

  • The benefit is that you can progress slightly forward, but also do a larger step diagonally, so you don’t run into the person in front of you.

  • The musical benefit is that the larger step is on the stronger beat of the waltz (vals)

  • The term comes from the Spanish, ‘to go and to come’

  • A great move for the followers to practice in a workshop too, since they can practice their listening skills: how big of a step is the leader taking, on each part of the sequence?

  • Leaders increease their skills by experimenting with different energy levels, step sizes, etc.

Move 2 - Ocho Cortado and Media Vuelta

  • This sequence is perfect for traffic jams, because its fun and intricate, while moving around each other, more than moving a great distance

Move 3 - Walking to Close the Gap

  • Now sometimes, instead of a jam in front of you, you will suddenly have a large distance to cover

  • This is a great time for some large, dramatic tango steps

  • A great skill to practice in a workshop; the partners both have to have good listening skills, and match each others’ bodies and energies, to not step on each others’ toes or get separated

I hope these ideas will help for your next tango traffic jam! Feel free to use these ideas for your next workshop.

Rosamel

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I like the beginning notes of Di Sarli's Rosamel, because it reminds me of "I know you," from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty.

Rosamel is an unusal name, but I was intrigued because it reminded me of both rosemary and honey. 1940

Lyrics : Héctor Marcó (Héctor Domingo Marcolongo)
Music : Carlos Di Sarli
Singer: Roberto Rufino

In this recording, he only sings the first verse, but I put the rest on just because.

Often, when I do these translations, they sound so dark. It's only when you listen to the music, that you realize the nice melody and upbeat orchestration make it a much happier tone. That is typical of tango though; these dark themes, off set by a happier music. Like sugar making coffee taste less bitter. Hopefully this time, the pictures convey the tone.

Rosamel
My little house sleeps in its flowering hills
in the peace the moons paints itself in a sky of love.
You're missing...
and my imagination runs crazily
that for my secret suffering, my hours of torment
a god will fault you...

I would like to be a condor,
with a penetrating gaze and daring feathers
to take you to the sky
on top of my wings...
And there, in the white peaks of my illusions
to raise my nest,
so far from the forgetting
that you can't return

If you hear this voice
have faith in me
it is the voice of my pain, that returns to you..
and if your height breaks your bitterness
its that my love is only for you!

Rosamel
my sad little street again fell asleep
but now, because of you, the honeysuckle on its hill has died.
Return to me
I can't reconcile sleep without your love
Come, that even the moon, in a reproach
to make my night even worse
hides itself, from pain

Spanish Lyrics: https://www.el-recodo.com/music?id=2484&lang=en

Si el corazon supiera - If the heart knew

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I was exploring the music of Fresedo, and of the singer Carlos Mayel, when I came by this song. Fresedo's music is always so sweet, which, as often in tango, belies the sadder or darker themes. 1940.

 

Glowing like a spring sun I found you
I went through life without feeling my heart
Then you lit it, and I threw it in your arms, with the promise of your love.
Who could imagine that the mouth that kissed
The cross of a promise, talking like that,
I drowned in the secret of its forgetting, where later, I lost myself.

 

If the heart knew...
that your kisses are not mine,
Better to die, I think
than to kiss your cold lips;
If the heart knew..
That from death you've hurt me,
Destroyed, and without rancor
I would only know to how weep with love.

 
 

Your eyes carry luminous desires to live...
Your lips, a caprice of the moment, well I know!
I carry the insupportable sadness of premonition

Of your steps walking away.
Come closer an instant, what deliriousness, if you are not here
My poor heart, don't be cruel, reanimate it!
In my heart, I'm asking you,
Once more, trick me for its sake.

Spanish Lyrics https://www.el-recodo.com/music?id=6129&lang=es

Here the music here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-BM3o81LOw

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay
Image by Selling of my photos with StockAgencies is not permitted from Pixabay

Así se baila el tango - This is how you dance tango

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What do they know, that upper crust, so classy and elite,
What do they know of tango, what do they know of rhythm?
Here is the elegance, what a look, what a silhouette!
What comportment, what arrogance, what class, for dancing!

This is how you dance tango, while I draw the figure eight
With those filigrees, I'm like a painter
And now a run, a turn, a seat,
That's how you dance tango, the tango of my youth!

This is how you dance tango!
Feeling the blood rising in your face at each beat
While the arm like a serpent, coils around the waist, as if it would break

This is how you dance tango!
Our breaths mixing
Closing the eyes to listen better,
How the violins tell the bellows
why, since that night, Malena no longer sang.

[Lyrics from Adriana Varela’s version ]
Will it be woman or reed when a break is made
Will she have a spring or cord, to move the feet?
The truth is that my outfit is better than nothing,
Dancing is a wild thing that makes me go crazy.

Sometimes I ask myself if it wouldn't be my shadow
That always pursues me, or some being without will.
But it was born this way, for the milonga
And like me, is dying to dance.

These tango lyrics of Así Se Baila el Tango nostalgically describe how to dance tango, and different moves, in a way that propels us to dance. This song has the connotation that the upper-class is trying to dance tango, but they don’t really know how to tango. The first line of this song, "Qué saben los pitucos, lamidos y shushetas," has a lot of lunfardo, which is the word to describe Argentinian slang, especially Argentinian slang of the golden era. When I have a song like this is I compare the different translations of each word in conjunction with the other words, to find the combination that makes the most sense. Similarly, in the last line that Adriana Varela sings in her version, the word “prenda” was confusing.

 

Repost: Tango Shalom - Interview with Lainie Kazan

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“It’s a film on tolerance. Everybody has their own path, and they are entitled to it, and they can observe.” - Lainie Kazan

“This is the first time that a rabbi, a Muslim, and a priest come together to work in a film together. It’s lovely and a great film about a man that wanted to dance the tango but couldn’t do that because he has to touch a woman,” - Lainie Kazan

https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/interview-lainie-kazan-talks-about-tango-shalom-movies-and-my-big-fat-greek-wedding-films/article Article by Markos Papadatos, ENTERTAINMENTInterview: Lainie Kazan talks about ‘Tango Shalom’ movie, and ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ films

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/interview-lainie-kazan-talks-about-tango-shalom-movies-and-my-big-fat-greek-wedding-films/article#ixzz75hvUIKag

Repost: My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: Grant Avenue and Green Street

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by Camille Cusumano

Where dancing feet meet a San Francisco beat at American Bites

https://thebolditalic.com/my-favorite-corner-of-san-francisco-grant-avenue-and-green-street-a7b3dfca26e6

I left my tango shoes in San Francisco! Next time you’re in the bay area, check out this restaurant for your next milongadventure.