This page contains: an editorial on Buenos Aires after my return in
September of 1998,
my thoughts on different tango instructors from Buenos Aires, my thoughts
about some milongas that I have frequented in Buenos Aires, a little
journal of what
I'm up to now in Buenos Aires, and some photos.
On Wed, 9 Sep 1998, Bill Alsup wrote:
> So...as a point of departure...perhaps you could elaborate on the
milongas
> in Buenos Aires...in particular the attendees, the music, the styles,
> improvisation, steps, the atmosphere, and anything else you care
to add
(like the differences between followers here in the States and Argentina).
Many milongas are held each night of the week in Buenos Aires. They
normally cost $5 for 6-7 hours of dancing (11pm-6am), but many times
there
are discounts such as "ladies' night" or free milongas. Some places
offer
live tango to bands such as Color Tango, Beba Pugliese's group, Sexteto
Sur, Sexteto Mayor, Derecho Viejo, and Las Mun~ecas, without charging
more than $5. The
reason for this is because of competition. If a new place
opens up and a few select names go there, an already existing milonga
will
go under unless they do something to promote their club such as drop
prices or have live music.
At most milongas the dance floor is crowded. I'm not talking
about Eagles Lodge (Portland) or even Broadway (San Francisco) on a
"crowded"
night. Buenos Aires "crowded" often means shoulder to shoulder, and
the
ability to create new steps within such tight constraints. The crowds
usually thin out a little around 3am, and there is a little more room
to
breathe.
At the milongas where there is a younger crowd, a more open style
is usually danced with some figures if there is space. The milongas
where
you find the older milongueros are the milongas where a more conservative,
close-embrace style is danced. I was told more than once that if a
follower were to "force-lead" a move, such as a foot-sweep or fancy
embellishment, the older milongueros would probably not dance with
them
again ever. It is my opinion however that the dance becomes more dynamic
when both lead and follow are listening intensely to the music and
are
creating an improvised conversation. But as with bad, non-musical leaders
leading embellishments, there are also followers who do the embellishment
just because they know how to do it, and not because the music calls
for
it. Both these types destroy the dynamic conversation. I would say
that
the younger crowd in Buenos Aires is more into sharing the dance, although
Fabian and Gustavo don't like it.
In terms of music played at the milongas in Buenos Aires, SETS of
3-8 songs of a particular orchestra (Pugliese, D'Arienzo, Vargas and
D'Agostino, Troilo, Canaro, etc.) are generally played. Vals and milongas
come in groups of at least three. When Pugliese is played (usually
after
a salsa/rock break) ocasionally the house lights will be dimmed, and
it is
said that you should dance with that special someone. Frequently
Argentine folk music will be played during the breaks near the end
of the
evening. The folk dance danced is in pairs, but separated, and
semi-choreographed (in the way that Flamenco is I suppose).
> > Also, your observations about the difference in tango terms between
Argentina and the States sounds interesting, as are your observations
about
> specific dancers and/or teachers. Perhaps you could say a few words
about
> Chicho and Claudia, about "breaking the code" (if you think that
would be
> appropriate).
I don't understand where much of the U.S. tango terminology originated.
In Buenos Aires the terminology is pretty much standardized: what is
called a molinete in the states is called a "giro" (pr. "hero")
from the verb girar (to turn) in Buenos Aires, also in BsAs an "amague"
is
a check-step, and what is usually called an amague in the states they
call a "voleo adelante", or forward voleo (pr. "boleo"). It's confusing
for me. I wish there would be some kind of standardization between
BsAs
terminology and terminology in the states.
Teachers range from the close-embrace style "La Academia" of Susanna
Miller, Ana Maria Schapira, and Cacho Dante to the filled-with-figures
open style (sometimes called tango fantasia) of the teachers at "La
Galeria" (Gustavo Naveira, Fabian Salas, and Chicho). Some teachers
claim
that the style that they are dancing is the only way to dance the tango.
Other teachers are not as arrogant and will tell you that if there
is
tango music in the background, and you are dancing with a person, then
it
is called tango no matter what it looks like. I like the latter
philosophy because tango has not been, and never will be standardized
like the
ballroom dances, which is one reason that it is such a creatively
improvised dance.
Almost every follower that I danced with in Buenos Aires always had
their
own balance, no matter how long they had been dancing or what style
they
were dancing. The follower I probably enjoyed dancing with the most
had
only danced the tango for four months and was an incredible dancer
who I
could try new moves with and use certain figures at any time when the
music called for it. If both lead and follow have the own balance on
every step, I think that it
liberates the two and allows each to comfortably enjoy the dance and
play with the
music. Also everyone in Buenos Aires has been listening to tangos all
their life, whether passionate about the music and dance or not. From
fertilization to death they are surrounded by the music in taxis, on
the
radio, on TV, ads on billboards and in the subways, movies,
concerts, etc. which in my opinion is what makes it difficult for
Americans to compete. But that's not to say that we aren't trying.
In
fact Argentinians have had a 90-or-so years head start on the new tango
scene that has been erupting in the U.S. In BsAs, a veteran tanguero
has
danced for at least 30 years. In the states a considered veteran
tanguero has danced for about four.
As regards to "breaking the code" my personal opinion is that all
art forms need to evolve to survive. Jazz has undergone a sort of
institutionalized death (the fact that there are classes on how to
improvise always strikes me as an oxymoron), and I would not like to
see
tango do the same by having only certain steps that are "legal". If
you
have any doubts, just go to a milonga in Buenos Aires and watch Chicho,
Fabian, or Gustavo dance socially, and you'll see them dance with great
musicality and continuously connected steps 3/4 of which you will probably
have never seen before.
I think it helps dancing all styles of tango to improve individual
styles. For example, before I went to BsAs I was dancing largely
close-embrace. While I was in BsAs I was dancing mostly more open and
learning figures and technique (while continuing to practice close-embrace
at the milongas). When I returned to the states I was dancing both
and
using ideas from both styles in whatever style I happened to be dancing.
What made me a better dancer in BsAs was practice. I was dancing
every day for about 8 hours, composing tangos, and even dreaming about
tango. Practice is really the only way to get better. You can take
once
a month private lessons with the world's greatest tangueros, but unless
you practice regularly (at least once or twice a week, minimum), familiarizing
yourself with the music and training your muscles, you won't improve
much.
1. Fabian Salas - Fabian has been dancing since he was a teenager (now
in his mid-thirties),
and has been dancing professionally for over 10 years now. He is part
of what is called the
"new generation" of tango dancers - meaning that he is breaking many
of the strict rules of
dance developed by the more conservative milongueros. This style is
also sometimes referred
to as "tango fantasia" which also has connotations with stage dancing
and choreography, though
nothing is choreographed in Fabian's repetoire of steps. As a dancer,
Fabian excels at
smoothness in execution of complicated open frame figures (ganchos,
sacadas, and lifts).
But he can also dance milonguero style extremely well making him a
versatile dancer at
either a crowded milonga, or a practica with lots of space. When he
dances he sometimes shares
the axis in either direction, which is unique. As a teacher, Fabian
can see the main
problem why a figure may not be working, and does not waste any time
in trying to figure
out what is wrong with the step. Problems always seem to narrow down
to a few universal
concepts that are unique to his and Gustavo Naveira's teaching method,
such as creating an
equilateral triangle if there are three feet on the floor and leaning
outward on all
turning moves. This "universal method" of teaching may not suit everyones'
physique, but
it is quite effective nonetheless. Fabian is the co-founder and organizer
of the Cosmo
Tango Congress in Buenos Aires around February or March every year.
(541)-1-4300-1937,
fabiansalas@hotmail.com
2. Rodolfo Monteleone - Rodolfo is an amiable guy. His instruction is
very clear and his
is articulate in his classes. He dances with a relatively open embrace,
closest to what may
be called "tango danza" style (open with figures, but not breaking
conservative codes of
dancing). His classes cater to beginning and intermediate dancers and
the people who
attended his classes were always friendly and welcoming. Rodolfo, or
"Rolo" as he is
known, has been dancing since he was a teenager (now in his mid-thirties)
and has been dancing
professionally for six years. I would recommend him for beginner/beginner
intermediate
dancers. He does not speak much English, but is approachable and knowledgeable.
His father, Pedro, got his name from dancing with Madonna in the movie
"Evita."
Pedro and Rodolfo teach during the week at different locations. (541)-1-4982-3128.
3. Damian Esell - Damian is one of the friendliest people I have met
in Buenos Aires. He
has been dancing for nine years and has been teaching professionally
for four years. He
dances closest to the "tango danza" style, but is open to breaking
codes, or dancing milonguero
style as well. In his classes he is articulate, and covers everything
from how to look
elegant walking to how to do lifts properly. He knows a little English
and is one of the
most approachable instructors I have ever taken a tango class with.
He usually teaches
with Nancy Louzan (a wonderful dancer and person) at a place called
La Florcita, Fridays
through Mondays from 9-11pm. La Florcita: (541)1-4865-8995.
4. Luciana Valle - One of the best followers I have ever danced with,
Luciana can dance any
style and knows just about every existing figure, making it difficult
to surprise her.
She is a light, yet grounded follower with exquisite balance and
long strides. She is
always lively and energetic both on and off the dance floor, making
her classes fun and
interesting. She too has the ability to find problems in her students'
dancing immediately.
When teaching, she caters closest to the "tango fantasia" style, trying
to get her students
dancing up to par with dancers who execute many complicated figures.
She speaks English
well and on top of that is approachable and extremely friendly. lucianavalle@hotmail.com
5. Olga Besio - Olga is a character. Don't go to one of her classes
expecting to learn
the basic, ochos, giros, or any steps for that matter. But I would
recommend her classes
to people interested in looking for ways to improve their dancing via
extra-tango means.
Her classes range from moving alone around the dance floor in the dark
to tango music,
to "acting" (actually dancing) out a scenario to a tango, to playing
footsies with your
partner. She dances professionally with Gustavo Naveira, but their
method of teaching is
extremely different. If you have never taken a class from Olga I recommend
that you try it out.
Very few tango instructors address issues not related to figures. It
is a nice break from
the norm. Olga is like a mother in her classes (as well as being a
real mother). Olga
and Gustavo run a practica on Mondays and Fridays starting at 9pm at
Cochabamba 444.
(541)1-4874-6550.
6. Mingo and Esther Pugliese - Mingo and Esther are very knowledgeable about the dance
and will offer their
opinion on anything from steps, to the history of the dance. They both
will break the dance
down into simple parts and can make any step look easy. They both have
very strict opinions
on what the dance was, and what it should be, so be aware that their
style of dancing is
just one way and that there are many others as well. Esther is very
approachable, and can
help you with anything regarding the dance. She is also a good dancer.
Mingo and Esther
run a practica at Cochabamaba 444 on Tuesdays, and Thursdays starting
at 9pm.
7. Susana Miller - Susana's school, a place called La Academia, focuses
on milonguero style
dancing with an emphasis on the connection between dancers. I have
been told that she
is one of the only female tango instructors that has been accepted
by the old milongueros.
She has a unique personality and gets right to the point when talking
about dancing or
anything. If you are looking for an instructor that will be 100% honest
about your
dancing (without for example complimenting your dancing in order to
get more business),
pick Susana. She will change your style of dancing for the better,
regardless of what
style you dance.
8. Cacho Dante - A teacher at La Academia, Cacho is an older milonguero
who has seen it
all. If you watch him dance,
or better yet if you
dance with him you will learn quite a bit.
9. Ana Maria Shapiro - The tallest member/teacher of La Academia, Ana
Maria has a very
kind soul, is a great teacher and dancer. While Susana covers more
the aspects concerning
the connection between dancers, Ana Maria concentrates more on individual
balance and
posture which she says needs to come before you go to take the embrace.
10. Gustavo Naveira - The father of tango fantasia. More than one follower
has told me that
dancing with Gustavo is like dancing with God. I can't really think
of a better compliment
for a dancer than that. He is extremely musical and very relaxed when
he dances. His
embrace is closer than most dancers who dance with many figures, and
he uses a "V frame"
embrace with his right shoulder connected to his partner's left shoulder
throughout most
of the dance. As a teacher Gustavo is quick to pick out problems, patient,
and articulate.
He has been dancing all his life (now in his late 40's or so). He tours
Europe quite a
bit, but rarely comes to the US. Gustavo has influenced many other teachers as well.
11. Chicho Frumboli - In my opinion Chicho has the best musicality of
any dancer in the world.
He dances in the style closest to tango fantasia or the new generation
with all kinds of
unique figures, many of which he invented. Chicho is very easy to spot
on the dance floor
at any milonga because his dancing is so unique, he wears a ring earring
in each ear, and
has multi-colored hair.. As a teacher, in Buenos Aires he teaches well,
though he is very
new to the dance (four years total, two years dancing professionally!).
If you take classes
from him in Buenos Aires you will get the full scoop on all his advanced
moves. However,
rumor has it that when he teaches abroad, his teaching is more conservative
and caters more
to the fundamental elements of the dance rather than its embellishments.
Chicho is less
approachable, but is very friendly once you get past his mean-looking
facade.
12. Eduardo "El Brujo" Capussi - I haven't actually taken a class from
Eduardo, but
last year he was one of the few leaders that was game to lead me. He
dances with more
punch which makes it great dancing with him to D'Arienzo or Biagi.
I was also told
that in a video of his he says at the end that no matter what way you
choose to dance
the tango, do it with conviction, which makes me want to give the guy
a big hug.
13. Ruben - Ruben is an older milonguero who has been dancing his whole
life. He dances
milonguero style (chest to chest) and looks very smooth and relaxed
on the dance floor.
He says he learned to dance tango by first following for a year before
he even learned the
basic step as a leader. Rub‚n's specialty is definitely dancing to
milongas. His humorous
character and gentle playfulness make for wonderful demonstrations.
Whenever he does a
demonstration he will dance with almost any follower in the room, which
is both interesting
and reassuring at the same time. His demos highlight himself while
he keeps the follower
in either back steps or back ochos for almost the entire song. He doesn't
teach group
classes in Buenos Aires, only when he travels, but he does give private
lessons which are
fun, interesting and very informative. He has little games that he
plays in his lessons
which will help your dancing even though you may not realize it during
the class (for example
dancing with someone using only a beach ball in between for the lead
and follow). He
advertises himself as a teacher of tango, milonga, and canyengue (an
older style of
dancing tango). (541)1-4554-1374.
14. Norberto "La Gacela" (the gazelle) Iglesias - Norberto is from the
old school. His
parents danced with the legendary Cachafaz in the teens and twenties,
he has a picture to
prove it. He dances a little more open than the most of the older milongueros
and probably
comes close to the style of Sal¢n, a semi-open style with less
figures than tango danza,
but with very intricate foot work/foot play. He teaches before the
milongas where the older
milongueros go. As of 7/99 he was teaching at Sal¢n Pavadita,
a daytime conservative
milonga along Corrientes Avenue. He is knowledgeable about the history
of tango. Ask
him anything and he will give you his version of the story. He says
that the stylization
of walking in tango dancing came from how the compadritos of Rio de
la Plata used to walk
- slyly, like a cat, wearing a "funyi" (fedora) and a scarf around
the neck. He speaks a
little English and is friendly. His classes are very informal, taking
place in the corner
of the dance floor during a milonga, and he does not have very many
students. (541)15-4980-6976.
15. Gabriel Angio and Natalia Games - A younger couple that have a refined
style of dancing
filled with figures, and full of grace. They are the teachers of some
tango instructors in
BsAs. As teachers in the group class setting they seem to just be getting
the job done.
The class covers some figures in tango, milonga, and vals which is
nice because many classes
only cater to tango, and the other rhythms require additional attention.
They teach by
showing a figure three times and then put on a song for everyone to
practice to. If you
are a visual learner they are great teachers for you, but if you need
everything explained
then you will be left in the dust after an hour as the figures get
more and more complex
as the class goes on). They are one of the best deals in town though,
only charging $5
for a four hour class. Actually one of the very few couples that charges
less than $10
fora group class. Take a class from them, what can you lose?
1. La Estrella - This is where the younger dancers go on Fridays and
Saturdays. It is usually packed between 11pm
and 3am, and there are always at least a handful of bad navigators
on the floor. If you show up after 3am they will let
you in for free, which is great for the obsessed milonga-hopper. The
entrance is $5 otherwise. It is a good idea to call
ahead of time to reserve a table if you plan to go before midnight
(they will only reserve tables until then). For some
reason the better younger dancers will go to La Estrella, but infrequently
dance, preferring to hang around the bar to be
seen. Sometimes they will have demonstrations or live music, though
it's rare. Horacio Godoy is the DJ, and in my
opinion always keeps the place hoppin'. Armenia 1366. (541-1)4307-5357,
4823-3730.
2. Parakultural - Sundays is the day to be at Parakultural. The floor
isn't that great, but the space is nice and they play
good music. The crowd there tends toward the middle aged and younger
crowd. They often have discounts, mediocre
live music, and demonstrations. On their off nights (Wednesdays and
Thursdays) they are really off, sometimes only
three couples will be there with live music and free of charge - a
pitiful sight. Peru 571. (541-1)4302-8682.
3. Salon Pavadita - This milonga, along with La Ideal, constitute the
afternoon milongas in Buenos Aires, running from
3-8pm. They are also the most conservative milongas where you are unlikely
to find anyone under 60 years of age
unless they are a foreigner. Every man was wearing a suit all the times
that I went, and the women were dressed nicely
as well. Norberto "La Gacela" Iglesias teaches an informal class during
the milonga off in a corner. Entrance for the
class and milonga is $7. Corrientes 1218.
4. Club Almagro - Tuesdays and Thursdays are the nights to at Almagro.
The crowd is younger, the floor small but nice
(not too slippery or sticky), the music is not bad, and they dim the
lights when they play a tanda of Pugliese. Club
Almagro is connected with the all tango television station Solo Tango,
so if you see a couple at the milonga that you saw
do a demonstration on Solo Tango, don't be surprised. There is some
funny game playing between the two.
Medrano 522. (541-1)011-4774-7454.
5. La Catedral - One of my favorite milongas, and a must see for anyone
visiting Buenos Aires. If you took an old
warehouse, threw in 30 people that your mother would not like you to
be hanging around with, a bunch of random
paintings and sculptures that make the spaghetti sauce stains on my
white trousers look like high art, 10 twin sized
beds, 15 couches, a bar, stage and a handful of large random pieces
of junk (sculptures?), you would have La
Catedral. The floor is by far the worst in Buenos Aires, though at
least it is, or was, made of wood. 1000 spilt beers
earler it may have even been a little bit slippery. Entrance is $0-$5
depending on age, sex, height, zodiac sign and
whether you know the person who runs it. My thirty year old VW bug
has a better sound system than La Catedral,
but they do play good music if the DJ isn't drunk and singing along
to flamenco. On almost any night you will find at
least a handful of extraordinary dancers there. People are not interested
there if you show up black leather and chains
or if you dance tango fantasia, which is a relief from all the other
milongas in Buenos Aires where one may worry on
which side to part the hair. One night I was dancing there and a man
parlayed to me in a grand epiphanous manner,
"Tango is not a prophylactic, it is promiscuous." I'm still pondering.
Sarmiento 4006. (541-1)4302-8682.
6. Regin - No night is the best night for Regin. The speakers sound
like they are made of paper plates, though it's more
respectable than what La Catedral has. The music is ok, and the floor
was seemingly always crowded until you realized
that there was a huge pillar in the middle of the dance floor. The
floor is just now being renovated with more space to
dance, though the pillar is still there. Entrance is $5 and they will
never give you break no matter how much you whine.
When I was there a man fell asleep in his chair. Need I say more?
7. Gricel - On Fridays and Saturdays this place is jumpin'. It caters
to the middle aged, the floor is nice, and the music
halfway decent. People usually dress a little nicer when they come
here. La Rioja 1180. (541-1)4957-7157.
8. Re-Fa-Si - This place has a new afternoon milonga on Sundays from
2:30pm to 8pm as well as milongas at night on
Mondays and Wednesdays. The place lacks a bit of ambiance for me, but
the dancers that frequent the place more
than make up for it. Pupi and Claudio Castello teach there (Wednesday
and Monday nights respectively). If you are
concerned about lung cancer from second-hand smoke, Re-Fa-Si is not
the place for you. Poor ventilation makes it
seem like the chef is burning the empanadas. You'll have to do your
laundry more frequently as well as the smell of
smoke that clothes absorbs makes it unbearable for others who are not
used to it.
Humberto 1o 1783. (541-1)4305-6978.
Some people have asked that I keep a journal with my thoughts and philosophy
about tango while I am in Buenos Aires (6/99-?) this time around. So
here it is.
Right now I'm in San Francisco, where I believe has the best Argentine
tango
in the U.S. Florencia Tacceti is in town along with Fabian. There is
also an
older milonguero from BsAs by the name of Ruben, who dances incredible
milongas.
My departure date for the mecca is June 25th, so I'll try to put up
weekly entries
once I get there. You can e-mail me at: akrebs@reed.edu
6/29/99 - I've been to a number of milongas and classes since last Friday.
La Estrella,
La Florcita, Plaza Barrancas, Torquato Tasso, Salon Pavadita, Almagro,
and La Catedral. I am
adding two sections to this home page. One which covers all the Argentine
tango instructors from
Buenos Aires that I have taken classes with, and my opinion of each
of them. The other section
covers all of the milongas that I have been to on this trip so far.
Milongas change frequently,
so these descriptions may be out of date in a year, though hopefully
I can return here once
a year to "work" (improve my dancing by dancing) and update all the
information as I go.
If anyone has questions about a milonga or a certain teacher from Buenos
Aires, don't hesitate
to e-mail me (akrebs@reed.edu) and ask me about them. If I haven't
been to a particular
milonga, I would be happy to go there, check it out and post my opinion
of it. Likewise,
if there is an instructor down here that anyone has questions about
I would be happy to take
several classes from them and offer my opinion.
I'm finally starting to get good at asking for dances just with a glance.
It seems to me
though that at milongas where the younger dancers go it is more difficult
to ask someone to
dance by using the eyes only, whereas at milongas where the older crowd
hangs out it is
quite simple and straightforward. I went to Salon Pavadita today (an
afternoon milonga
from 3pm-8pm) where there was an older crowd and I had a great time.
Everyone was friendly
to me. There also seemed to be less pressure in the air to show how
good a dancer you
are here as opposed to the milongas where the younger crowd hangs out
(La Estrella for example).
People are just interested in dancing and enjoying themselves and could
care less about precision
of steps. On the other hand however I felt underdressed as everyone
was wearing a suit
except me. I also didn't try very many fancy open style steps, hesistant
to offend the
tradition that they may or may not be defending.
I also bought new shoes over the weekend at a place called Fattomano
(finally!). I will
soon be shipping my old shoes from Flabella to Megan.
7/5/99 Last night, down a desolate alley in San Telmo, with streets
bearing the cool mist of
the onset of winter, I entered a small door bearing no name. A series
of curtains then led
way into a smoke-filled room overflowing with people. What were they
all there for? Besides
the free entrance into this milonga, called Torquato Tasso, everyone
was waiting for the
famous maestro tango singer, Alberto Castillo, to sing. I suspect half
the people attending
were not there to dance but to witness this legendary singer perform
what many were claiming
may have been his last concert. Castillos most famous recordings were
with Tanturi's
orchestra, which included the famous recording of the theme "Asi se
baila tango". The
dance floor was crowded, but strangely there was more room on the dance
floor than off it.
Many tango instructors were there, and the crowd was a good mix between
young and old.
While I was dancing to a tanda of a recording of Tanturi, Alberto Castillo
took the stage
to check the sound levels of the microphone. Before he reached the
top of the stairs the
music was drowned out and eventually shut off due to the uproar of
applause. Castillo must
be in his 80's I imagine. When he started to speak everyone was silent,
to catch every
word that Castillo was saying. The quality of his voice was aged, but
he spoke with
unmatched conviction. "He's quite a character" I said to my friend,
after Castillo had
cracked some jokes about visiting Frank Sinatra's house during his
recent travels abroad.
"Yes," my friend replied, "and he always has been a character." He
started off his set with
a valse, then several tangos including "Asi se baila tango". Afterwards
he sang some candombe
themes. Candombe is African in its origins, with a fast steady 2/4
beat sounding something like
a mix between milonga and cumbia. Candombe was brought to Argentina
and Montevideo (Uruguay)
around the same time as tango, but over the years interest in this
style in Argentina began to
fade, and now this popular music is really only popular in Montevideo.
Castillo was singing with the group led by Jorge Dragon. Dragon's group
is made up of two bandoneons,
two violins, a keyboard, and an electric bass. They are older musicians,
but don't skimp on the
energy required for many tangos, like perhaps Sexteto Mayor who have
seen tango through the ages,
play with virtuosity, but sometimes lack a strong energy when needed.
It was a strange feeling seeing Castillo sing. I am usually a bit removed,
or unaccustomed to
hearing live music from someone from La Guardia Vieja. I see his picture
with Tanturi on CD covers
and never realized that he was still alive and could sing. Perhaps
I feel the same way when I go
see Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, or McCoy Tyner play a jazz concert
- I associate these legendary
musicians with times past (I was born in 1977), from a Golden Age of
some sort, the good old days.
It was also a long night for me. I went dancing first at 6pm to Plaza
Barrancas, which is an
open-air milonga, then to Torquato Tasso to dance and see Alberto Castillo,
then to a milonga
called Megafon just around the corner from Tasso. The entrance to Megafon
is free, it has a concrete
floor, a nice ambiance, and they play decent music there. One person
I was dancing with also said
that Megafon is a notorious place for people to cheat on their partners.
During the week I've been going to a practica organized by Mauricio
who is one of Fabian Salas' best
students. There is plenty of room to practice whatever figures you
want. Also he plays mostly
Piazolla, which I have found is wonderful music to practice open-style
figures to. It has a
a constant intensity that makes interpreting it through wild figures
easier than for example the
music of Miguel Calo which is beautiful and tranquil.
7/12/99 - Last Sunday at Torquato Tasso an older tango pianist named
Jose Conangelo played
a live show. He spoke of the history of tango through his experience
playing with
Troilo's orchestra for 8 years between each song, and played with such
conviction and
enthusiasm that one forgot that night how difficult it is to play many
tangos. He face
bears a striking resemblance to that of Richard Nixon's - even some
of his gestures were
convincing enough to argue that they are related. The entrance was
free, and Conangelo
and his group played for a few hours. They started with an instrumental
set with songs
by Piazzolla and Salgan, and then encouraged everyone to stop watching
and start dancing.
I kept on watching the choreography of his fingers on the keyboard
which were themselves
dancing, interpreting. The group played around quite a bit as well
- quoting other tangos
during a song. They started off "La Cumparsita" with Piazzolla's "Verano
Porteno", with
excursions through at least two other tangos. For me I saw the same
thing happening in that
moment as what happens in jazz all the time. Tango, as music, is living
today in arrangements
of existing tangos and improvisation. Jazz as well is living largely
through the past in
arrangements of old standards and improvisation. 7/19 - Last Saturday
I took my first Argentine folk dancing class. I learned the basic
rhythm, and the choreography to what is called a "chacarera." Many
times during the breaks
at the milongas the DJ's will play chacareras. I had always wanted
to learn the dance
because the music to me is beautiful and soulful. After the class I
stuck around a while
for the "pen~a" which is the folk dancing equivalent to a milonga for
tango dancing.
The food that was served was "tipica" and included empanadas and locro
(a kind of bean and meat)
stew), with red wine (yum yum).
Afterwards I headed to the milonga "La Estrella" where a tango group
by the name
of Los Reyes de Tango (The Tango Kings) were to perform. I had asked
people if they were any
good, also asking how they compared to the strong energy with which
the group Color Tango play
Almost everyone I spoke with said that Los Reyes were in a different
league and played with
a hundred times more conviction and energy than any tango orchestra
in Buenos Aires. People
also said that every member of the band had either played with D'Arienzo's
or Canaro's
orchestra at one point in their life. I had to go. So I showed up around
2am, right as the
band was taking stage. As soon as they had played the opening bars
of their first piece
"Este es el Rey" I knew that I was in for a treat. I was also lucky
enough to get a seat
right on the stage - I was in touching distance of the bandoneons.
The group consists of
four bandoneons, 3 violins, upright bass and keyboard. They played
D'Arienzo's arrangements
of all the tangos they played including D'Arienzo's famous arrangement
of "La Cumparsita"
with all of its rich pauses. La Estrella was packed. I had tried to
reserve a table a day
in advanced, but apparently all tables had been reserved for the last
four days. It worked
out better though because I was right where the action was. Los Reyes
de Tango are, in my
opinion, the best tango band that I have ever heard by a longshot.
For me they have no
competition.
When they ended after three encores I spoke with one of the bandoneon
players.
I asked him with which orchestra(s) he had played in his life. He said
many, but that
the most memorable was playing with D'Arienzo's orchestra for 26 years
(!). He said that
right now he is 82 years old, but that he still has the energy to play
tangos at four in
the morning. What a treat.
An interesting scene happened last night with me at the milonga Parakultural.
I had
called up Damian and Nancy (tango teachers, wonderful people, and good
friends of mine) to
ask where they were going to dance. They said Parakultural, so I decided
to meet them there
when I arrived I asked Nancy to dance after chatting for a bit, but
she had a huge blister
on the bottom of her right foot from practicing all day. So Damian
asked me if I wanted
to dance a few. I said yes, and told him that he was one of the few
men that would dance with
another man in Buenos Aires. He said that it was unfortunate, and we
started dancing.
Three-quarters of the way through a guy by the name of "El Tano" came
up to us on the
dance floor and said at first no,no,no that we were being unfair to
women who wanted to dance.
Damian said that we would only dance a few and that we enjoyed dancing
together and if there
was anything wrong with that. Then "El Tano" backed off. We started
dancing the next song
and again El Tano came up to us and this time physically separated
us saying that what we
were doing was not tango, unjust to tango, and just plain wrong. Damian
asked him why in a
non-confrontational manner, but El Tano never gave a reason. It's wrong,
no, no, no. Damian
told me that he didn't want to make a scene, so we left the dance floor.
I felt sorry for
Buenos Aires at that moment - and dancers like Damian who enjoy dancing
tango only for
the enjoyment of dancing, but have to live in such a machisto society.
Later Damian told me that he had informed the manager of Parakultural
of El Tano's behavior,
and that the manager had confronted El Tano about it telling him that
what people do in
Parakultural is their business and that people who have qualms about
other people's actions
should leave. That was the end of the story, and I enjoyed the rest
of my evening.
7/28/99 - I've been continuing with Argentine folk dancing lessons once
a week at Torquato
Tasso which has folk dancing lessons every Saturday at 8pm for $7.
A week ago I danced
during the folk music break at the milonga "La Estrella." Rita and
I danced together.
When we took the flor we thought that the music they were playing was
a Chacarera Simple,
but it turned out to be a Chacarera Doble, which we weren't too familiar
with. Needless to
say we were a "quilombo" (a mess) on the dance floor, and Rita felt
especially embarassed
because we were dancing next to Miguel Angel Zotto's ex-girlfriend/partner
who is the queen
of folk dancing at the milongas. The folk dance is basically a choreography,
and when many couples
dance it at the same time you get something to the effect of synchonized
swimming. So you can
imagine how we felt being the unsynchonous black sheep. Since then
we've learned the Chacarera
Doble, and danced both Chacareras at the Matadero fair, a less touristy
fair on the outskirts
of town with live music all day, great food, gauchos in full regalia,
and plenty of leather, knives
beef, and arts and crafts.
The El Tano saga has continued as well. Last Friday at Torquato Tasso
he greeted me by shaking my
hand and then saying "Perdon, pero tenia razon" (Sorry, but I was right),
regarding the incident
at Parakultural the Sunday before. Then last Sunday at Torquato Tasso
he said hello to me, and
then said in an extra loud voice "...and don't go dancing with guys
anymore." I asked him if was
going to Parakultural after Torquato Tasso (Parakultural is open later,
so many people start at Torquato
Tasso, and then head over to Parakultural which is near by). He said
maybe later, so I told him not to
worry, that I would dance with the guys before he arrived. Then he
said if he every caught me
dancing with a guy again he would throw me out the window! He said
it in what I interpreted (and what
I hope) was in a joking manner.
Florencia just got back in town. I spoke with her at the milonga Re-Fa-Si
Monday night. She looks
great, and is in good health. I accompanied her on the bus back to
Palermo where she lives, and
within walking distance to where I live, and she told me a cute saga
about how this older retired
milonguero by the name of Petarca proposed to her while they were dancing.
Apparently he tried to
use logic by saying that he has a $3000/month military pension, and
since she was a dancer she
would no longer have to worry about money for the rest of her life.
He also said that he would
wash her "bombachas" (underwear), and buy her new lingerie, "So why
not?" he asked. Apparently he
used the same lines on a married woman the same night! Aah, Buenos
Aires...
8/10/99 - Just returned yesterday from a trip to the north of Argentina
with Rita.
We visited Tucuman, Tafi del Valle, Amaicha, Cafayate, Salta, Jujuy,
and Humahuaca
near the Bolivian border. It was my vacation from my vacation - we
only found one
"tangueria" (milonga) in Salta. We were just walking down the street
when we heard
D'Arienzo pouring out of a window. We entered, dirty from travelling
and smelling
like the semi-truck that gave us a ride three hours from Cafayate to
Salta. They invited
us to stay and dance for free. Rita and I danced one song - I feeling
strange, and Rita
perhaps a bit nervous, and at the end we received applause from the
few watching. Everyone
was very friendly and hospitable, coming up to us and chatting with
us. I asked someone
to dance, and they accepted. We danced well even though I think we
were both a bit nervous.
Then I asked someone else to dance and for the entire song, Pugliese
no less, she would
stop, laugh at the fact that we weren't communicating well, and then
procede to tell
me all the things that I was doing wrong. She asked me if I had only
been dancing mostly
with Rita. I told her no, and asked her why she asked. She said that
sometimes if you
dance with only one person it is difficult to dance with others. Very
interesting...
The entire time I was trying different methods of leading, including
trying to use my
hands with a little bit of force thinking that maybe that was the correct
way to lead
in this island of tango. Meanwhile Rita had been dancing with someone
else, and she
said that the same thing happened to her with the man that she was
dancing with. Rita
is a fighter, but she chose not to say anything, keeping her mouth
shut while this guy
was giving her the "verbal lead." Near the end of the song he thought
that maybe she was
a foreigner, and asked her if she knew how to speak Spanish! She said
yes, and that she
was from Argentina as well. He said nothing. What can you do...
The countryside is beautiful. I recommend to anyone with the travel
bug to put the
Argentine provinces outside of Buenos Aires on their travel list. From
the city of Buenos
Aires (which also lies in the province of the same name) to Tucuman
rolling hills filled
with greenery dominate the landscape. From Tucuman to Tafi del Valle
their is an ascent
through the narrow gorge of Rio de las Sosas with a dense tropical
jungle which makes you
think that the bus has taken a wrong turn through the Amazons because
of how quickly the
scenery changes. This is the jungle where in the 1970's the Argentine
army killed all the
members of the Ejercito Revolucionario (ERP - the revolutionaries)
who planned to emulate
Fidel Castro's success in the Sierra Maestra of Cuba.
There wasnt'e much in Tucuman for me except seeing the moon (there is
a famous
Argentine folk song called "Luna Tucumana" (Tucuman Moon) that I learned
last year).
In Tafi del Valle Rita wanted to go horseback riding. $21 for three
hours with a guide
to lead us to the mysterious Menhir rock sculptures. I went horseback
riding only a few
times before in the states, and to be honest am not totally comfortable
mounting an
animal, with free will as all animals have, four times my size. Perhaps
my horse
had difficulty understanding me with my gringo accent, but it seemed
to be leading me.
I thought I would be able to control the beast a little better, remembering
what one
tanguero had told me in San Francisco that if you have ridden a horse
for some time that
it would be easier to lead in tango (although the analogy always struck
me as odd -
why are tango followers often metphorized as livestock?). Anyway, this
caballo and I
were obviously not communicating. I was galloping (it's a great feeling
for me, almost
like flying) and my horse didn't want to go on the road or something
and decided to take
a route where she could fit through but I couldn't. I pulled on the
reigns to try to
stop that crazy thing, and luckily for me the horse only succeeded
in dismounting my cap
amongst some birch branches. Another time this beast of habit took
a wrong turn towards
the house of its owner, and I could do nothing - imagine driving along
and all of the
sudden your steering wheel, gas, shift and front windshield disappear.
This is what it
felt like for me. When we returned after three hours I was walking
the streets like an
old man, and had to use a pillow wherever I sat like I had just given
birth. We rode
these horses some 8 days ago, and I'm still sore...
In and north of Tucuman the majority of the men chew coca leaves, for
the altitude
(around there most cities lie at least at 6000 feet, some at 12,000)
for working long
hours with little pay, for helping with digestion, and allowing one
to drink more than
their limit without suffering the following day. In Amaicha Rita and
I saw a sign that
advertised "coca y bica." We thought maybe it was a new soft drink,
or a different way
of preparing beef, but later realized that they were selling coca leaves
and bicabonato
(sodium bicarbonate) to catalyze the chemicals in the coca leaves so
that they would have
an effect (though one line of cocaine, I am told, is made by processing
many many kilos
of coca leaves). I'll stick with my yerba mate...
From Cafayate to Salta there lies a stretch of incredible rock formations
called
the Quebrada de Cafayate. Each formation bears the name of the thing
it resembles, and
the names range from "the frog" to "the devil's throat." All of it
is beautiful. If I
pass through there again I'll probably do it by foot and camp out in
the formations and
caves that litter the route.
I fell in love with the city of Salta. The people are friendly, there
is plenty of
live folk music at the local "pen~as", and the empanadas are both more
delicious and less
expensive than anywhere else that I have been. We went to several local
pen~as which
were filled with more musicans than tourists or people dining. My kind
of gathering...
I have also become fascinated, especially with this trip, in Argentine
folk music and
popular traditions. One such tradition is to interupt a musician in
the middle of a song
or just as the song has finished and say out loud "Aro, aro, aro" ("stop,
stop, stop")
whence commences a\n exchange of humorous expressions which usually
play with the
double meaning of certain words. One of my favorites Rita told me:
"Ayer pase por tu casa,
y me tiraste con una puerta...menos mal que estaba abierta." - translating
roughly into
"Yesterday I passed by your house and you threw a door at me...at least
it was open."
Many begin the same way with "Ayer pase por tu casa..." or "En aquel
punta del cerro..."
We stayed in Salta for three days in a youth hostel that could have
been an
apartment or house for us for $9 a night. Then we went to Humahuaca
because Rita remembered
a song that she was taght in elementary school that sang about a cow
going to school in
Humahuaca (La vaca de Humahuaca). So we took a bus for three hours,
stopped in Humahuaca
for two hours, and returned back three hours to Jujuy without finding
the vaca from Humahuaca.
Rita and I are also learning some card games that are played here in
Argentina. The most
famous one is called Truco ("trick") where the better you are at lying
the more you will win.
The cards used to play these games are called "naipes", or spanish
cards which resemble
poker cards except that instead of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clovers,
they have
swords (espadas), cups (copas), gold (oros), and sticks (bastos). If
you listen carefully
to the lyrics of some tangos you will hear the word "naipe" which was
an important part
of the life (and death) of the compadritos (shady tangueros/gangsters)
in the early stages
of tango in La Boca and Buenos Aires. One tango is called "De Puro
Guapo" which speaks
of the love of a woman and of playing cards - "and in the end if I
win the game [and you
accuse me of cheating and pull a knife on me], I have a courageous
facon (knife) in my
hand to keep my valor." So far we are only decent at playing "chin-chon"
which is a card
game that resembles Rummy.
We returned yesterday, and in the evening went to Damian and Nancy's
class at La
Casa del Tango. Afterwards I went to the milonga at Re-Fa-Si. I didn't
know many people
there - milongas are like that here after two weeks the crowd changes.
I was also surprised
that there were so many tango instructors there - the whole place at
one moment seemed
to be filled with tourists and famous instructors, including Osvaldo
Zotto, Tete and Sylvia,
Pupi (the infamous Pupi)and Claudio Castello, and Luis and Marta among
others.
At around 4am I had just finished a Fresedo tanda when I noticed that
there were a
group of people gathered by the entrance of the milonga. I asked someone
what happened
and they told me that someone had just come in and tried to rob the
place. Apparently
the perpetrator tried to pass of his finger under his shirt as a gun
and asked the
person collecting at the entrance to hand over all the money. A couple
of courageous
tangueros including "el tigre" grabbed the guy and took him outside
while the police were
called to take him away. Many porten~os (people from Buenos Aires)
say that this is the
worst time that Buenos Aires has ever seen in terms of unemployment,
violence, and robbery.
Fortunately I have not run into any problems both last year and this
year, probably with the
help of remaining cautious in the midst of good luck.
Ten days away from dancing tango has not improved my dancing, just
the opposite. It is
taking me a little while to find the right feeling of the dance and
vocabulary of steps to
interpret the music.
I have added a section offering my opinion of several milongas that
I have frequently
attended in Buenos Aires. The section lies before this journal and
after the list of
tango instructors from Buenos Aires.
It turns out that at the Confiteria Ideal was closed down for a while
because it failed
to pass federal standards of hygene and safety. The owners were informed
in mid-July
that the place needed to be put up to standards or it would close.
The owners made some
renovations, but the following inspection didn't pass as well, so the
government shut the
place down. After some more renovations the place finally passed the
test of safety and hygene
and the famous Ideal is once again up and running.
8/14/99 - 10 days away from tango (from the trip to the north) and I
could feel that my
dancing was not up to par. Just last night I started to get the groove
back. I went
to Gustavo and Giselle's class at Nino Bien for advanced dancers. He
is probably charging
the most money of any tango instructor here for group classes - $15
for one and a half hours.
But the class was filled - maybe 50 or 60 people. I went with a friend
of mine because
you had to go with a partner, probably easier that way. There were
a lot of people that
I hadn't seen in a long time taking the class - Florencia Taccetti,
Luciana Valle, Milo,
Claudia, Tioma, and others. The class had a really good energy - everyone
was having a good
time. The class cnsisted of Gustavo showing two sequences/figures,
nothing else. In my
opinion paying the $15 was more paying an homage to one of the fathers
of the new tango, or
out of respect rather than actually learning totally new concepts or
doing exercises to
help with certain basic units of the dance. Afterwards Luciana, Milo,
another Brazilian
woman, and an Italian guy and I headed over to Gustavo and Olga's practica
at Cochabamba 444.
What I witnessed there was amazing. Chicho was there after on tour
in Europe and the states,
Fabian was there, Gustavo was there, Luciana was there, Lucia was there,
Mauricio was
there. It was like watching the fountain of tango pour out onto the
dance floor with such creativity,
wow! This group was both using, respecting, and paying homage to the
fundamental traditional
roots of tango from times past and at the same time evolving it, destroying
it, ripping it
up into tiny shreds of incomprehensible matter and putting it back
together again only to
resolve, 6, 7, 8, the 8 count basic that perhaps they learned 10, 15,
20 years ago.
Like I mentioned above, all art forms need to evolve to survive. Last
night at
Cochabamba I knew that tango was alive and well.
Afterwards, at around 2am, we headed over to the milonga Torquato Tasso.
Damian
and Nancy were supposed to do a show and had invited me to come as
their guest, but Damian
apparently was so ill that he could barely get out of bed. We arrived
after the band, Quinteto
Canaro, had performed and most of the crowd had left so there was space
to play.
Right now it is freezing cold here in Buenos Aires, and I can only think
and be
envious of those in California and Oregon who are sipping their iced
tea on their patio
in the shade of the blazing sun (or is it raining in Portland?).
8/16/99 - Went to Rita's family's house ate an asado, learned another
type
of Argentine folk dancing called Chamame, a cheerful and playful polka-ish
type of dance.
Rita's father also taught me how to play Truco (a card game) and all
the subtleties that
the Argentine campos have added to it over the years. In the evening
I headed over
to Salon Canning where Gabriel Angio and Natalia Games were teaching
a class (3.5 hours
for $5 - a bargain nowadays here in BsAs). It was decent - covering
tango, milonga and
vals, but the entire class consisted of Gabriel showing one step three
times and then
having everyone do it without really explaining the dynamics of the
step. The class had
a really good energy though which is becoming more and more important
to me. I learn better
when I am having a good time. Also the energy or conviction of the
instructor(s) plays
a large role in how much I gain from the class. If the instructors
don't show conviction
they don't nourish thoughtfulness, they don't make me want to go out
and practice.
I have also made the decision to cut down on milonga hours and increase
class and
practice time. For the ast several weeks I have sort of had the feeling
that I really
wasn't learning much at the milongas, they cost money (something which
I'm starting to
run short of), and I end up waking up when the sun sets (though arguably
maybe this is not
a bad thing).
8/19 - Tuesday I went downtown to the underground shopping mall where
there is a big stand
8/21 - Woke up at 5pm today, did some more writing and composing. Tonight
I'm headed to
Whoops! Showed up at 8pm and it turns out the class was from 6-8pm.
It was worth the
This evening, after waking up as the sun was setting, I headed over
to Plaza Barrancas, the
8/25/99 - Last Monday I probably had the best night yet at Gustavo's
practica at Cochabamba.
I ended up practicing mostly with Maria and Claudia (a Brazilian now
living in Paris)
that sells tango CD's, posters, postcards, books, videos, t-shirts,
records (!) - pretty
much everything except shoes, though at tourists' rate. It is like
an archive of tango
in the golden age (1920's through 50's). I picked up a few CD's along
with some flowers for
Rita. Then I headed to Cochabamba 444 for Mingo Pugliese's practica,
but not much was happening
there so I decided to leave with this guy called "Gaston" over to La
Galeria for Fabian
Salas' class. It was 10:20, and the class at La Galeria started at
10:30. In the midst
of our rush I forgot to pay Mingo the $3 for his practica. After walking
half a block
from Cochabamba 444 Mingo called out to me "Che, no pagaste!" (Hey,
you didn't pay!") waving
his arms in the air. I felt really bad, apologized, and payed him,
though he seemed to be
unconvinced that I did not do it purposefully.
So we headed to La Galeria in a bus, talked a little bit about different
authors
and especially about north American authors (which he had studied),
then he went off on
on a machista tangent until we arrived. The class went well, though
I seem to frequently
get paired up with a foreigner who is not familiar with Gustavo's style,
and we end up
spending some time on tangents (tangent is my word for the day).
Last night I went to Re Fa Si. Pupy Castello's class was a blast. For
learning
technique, figures, or dynaics, Pupy is not the person, but to enjoy
dancing, and to
learn to enjoy dancing slower, calmer, Pupy is the man. Women be warned
- Pupy is
definitely a machista porteno and flirts while dancing at will. He
has a sense of
humor though which makes his classes fun. I have never laughed so hard
in any class before.
I stayed for the milonga because Chicho and Lucia were to dance an
exhibition. Chicho
was sporting a bright blue suit with an extra long jacket resembling
something like a
revolutionary soldier from the US 200 years ago. Lucia was her usual
beautiful self. They
started off dancing two Puliese tangos which seemed to be the warm-up
for the third song
which was a milonga. I don't think I have ever seen a milonga danced
with more figures
than that night. Wow, sacadas, ganchos, voleos, and steps which yet
remain to be named.
Chicho in my opinion is a playful and creative dancer who shines with
the more up-tempo
stuff.
Fabian's class (as a follower). The class was great for me. Fabian,
Chicho and Gustavo just
have a way of teaching figures and dynamic that is mind-opening. I
always leave their classes
with tons of information of what figures to put in between others,
and how the dynamic of a
certain basic step should feel which makes it possible for me to dance
more fluidly.
Luciana is organizing a milonga tonight near my house which is sponsored
by the city of
Buenos Aires, and therefore free.
Luciana & Co. said they would be there around 9:30-10pm, so I figured
on arriving
at 10pm. I arrived at the Centro Cultural Lola Mora and no one was
dancing. There were
only a handful of people as well, and I knew none of them. The space
is actually an elementary
school which doubles as a "Centro Cultural," or place where cultural
activities take place.
A woman named Dina Emed was also organizing this milonga. She also
teaches free tango classes
there on Tuesday nights from 7:30pm to 9pm and comes highly rated by
Luciana and Gillian.
So I sat in a small uncomfortable chair for small kids, at a table
in which my legs did not fit
through one hour of DArienzo and another hour of Troilo (two of my
favorite orchestras).
Finally Javier and Maria showed up around 11:30pm and Luciana around
midnight - I should
have known better not to try to be the stereotypical punctual gringo
and show up on time.
I had a great time. Give me two great followers (Luciana and Maria),
and some decent tangos
and I'm in seventh heaven. Whenever I dance with Luciana she makes
me look good - large steps,
perfect balance, and super-musical adornments. A friend of a friend
came up to me and said
that he was just starting to dance and that I gave him hope that if
a gringo can dance like
that then he has a chance, a comment which contained both a compliment
to me and an insult
to my upbringing/skin color. I didn't really know what to say so I
just smiled and nodded
as I often do when I'm not in the mood to pursue an issue with someone.
This is not the first time that someone has made a comment like this.
I think this
mentality comes out of a feeling of extreme patriotism represented
through an object - in this case
tango dancing.
Damian and Nancy's advanced class at La Casa del Tango, and then maybe
to La Estrella after
3:30am when it's free to get in.
trip though because this German guy, Ralf, is leaving Monday, so he
rented out Cochabamba 444
for the night and threw a little tango party. He invited me even though
he didn't know me
too well. It costs $300 to rent the space with all you can eat empanadas,
wine, beer, sodas
and cake which makes it worth the trouble organizing if you can get
50 people each paying $7
to get in. Ralf charged $5 and it was well worth it because one after
another the following
people showed up: Damian and Nancy, Mingo Pugliese, Gustavo Naveira
and Giselle Anne,
and Chicho and Lucia. We messed around until about 3 in the morning
when the owners slowly
started to kick us out. I thought I'd top off the night with a little
dancing at La
Estrella before heading to bed. There were all my favorite dancers,
great music, and
a little space to move around so again I was in seventh heaven (eighth
heaven?).
open-air milonga in Belgrano, and then headed to Torquato Tasso to
listen to Color Tango
and watch Osvaldo Zotto and Lorena Emorcida do a demonstration - for
free!
I love the older CD's that Color Tango has recorded, but something
is different about the
way they play - something seems to be missing - though I'm being a
spoiled picky little brat.
The demonstration was great. Lorena has redefined the word sexy for
me when she dances.
The way she was looking, and not looking, at her partner while dancing.
And the outfit,
Dios mio! Any less material and she would have... caught a cold outside.
The place was packed.
I had a few decent dances, but it wasn't really worth the energy and
frustration to keep
dodging people all night. During one song a guy ran his partner into
me from behind. I
turned around and he complained and told me to keep moving, that I
was holding up traffic,
though to me the entire floor looked like I5 rush hour in L.A. Oh well...
There were all kinds of wonderful dancers, but also space to try anything
and everything.
Norberto "El Pulpo" ("The Octopus") happened to be in town and was
playing around with Chicho
and Fabian. His nickname comes from his unique ability to put a gancho,
leg wrap, or series
and combinations of each in the middle of any figure with fluidity.
He's an approachable guy
with a similar type of humor as Fabian. I talked with him and his partner,
Luisa, for a while
and as it turns out Luisa took her first Argentine tango lesson from
Clay in Portland! Now
she's dancing professionally with El Pulpo and says that he is her
"third and last" tango teacher.
The two of them will be touring all over the US in October and November
and will be stopping
off in Portland in early October and again for the TangoFest in late
October. Fabian commented
to me that he doesn't really know how to walk while dancing tango,
but his ganchoing ability
is worth several classes and a peek at one of his demos.
for the entire four hours of the practica. They are wonderful dancers
for trying and inventing
new steps because they don't anticipate the lead and will not move
a hair if the leader is
not sending any signals. For three pesos I learned more that night
than any here.
Afterwards the whole crew and I went to the milonga at Re Fa Si. Claudio
Castello,
(Pupy's son) was celebrating his 40th birthday, so the place was packed.
We arrived just in
time (2am) to give a toast to Claudio and watch a few demos (El Pulpo,
Claudio himself, and
an older milonguero named Tommy).