1027 Newsletter The TANGO Capital (February 2003)
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 13:47:18 -0300
From: Tango Partner in Buenos Aires
<tango_partner_buenos_aires@YAHOO.COM.AR>
Subject: Newsletter The TANGO Capital (February 2003)
The TANGO Capital Newsletter
Hola Tango Friends, Hello Tango Partners,
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires starts this February edition by sending each of you a warm embrace in the middle of our hot summertime here, perhaps a cold winter there. We think of each of you as a Tango Friend. We hope that some day we will be able to embrace you each personally here in one of the over 160 milongas per week of Buenos Aires.
December of 2002 was a month of many great events that were related in our last Newsletter. Thus ended a year of much work but also much joy because of the great amount of new friends we made.
We realized this by the many greetings we received at the end of the year.
An enormous quantity of new subscribers and visitors from all over the world who knew us only by our Newsletter and emails arrived in Buenos Aires and we entwined in one kindly embrace.
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires shared with many of them, not only milongas and classes, but also lunches and dinners. Happy welcomes and melancholy good-byes, although we continue to remain in permanent contact. We all know that the "doors of Buenos Aires" are always open for the entire world, especially for those who love tango. Also the hearts of our local and visiting Tango Friends are open to share the music born here over a century ago, with its dance and its customs that gave birth and made sense to the famous Argentine tango. Let s fulfill our souls with the vibrant energy of the music you have chosen to enjoy and enrich your lives that can only be found in Buenos Aires.
Again, it is important to thank each of you for continuing to read and send us your enthusiastic responses to our Newsletter The TANGO Capital.
February Newsletter contains:
Editorial "El Abrazo" (your enthusiastic answers and cooperation)
January Events (tango and other cultural events)
and Privacy Clause
Coming soon: Tango Partners in Buenos Aires Special Tour called:
"COUPLES EMBRACE IN BUENOS AIRES"
Contact tango_partner_buenos_aires@yahoo.com.ar
We reserve all rights of the information contained in this Newsletter and the trade marks Tango Partners in Buenos Aires (TM) and Newsletter The TANGO Capital (TM).
=================================================================
Editorial "El Abrazo" (your enthusiastic answers and cooperation)
We appreciate hearing from our Tango Friends. As we said in our introduction, we have been in contact not only with our Newsletter and emails but also and most importantly personally. People have different opinions about the embrace and about other comments. But everyone who is sensitive enough to share the energy in between a couple dancing tango agree that embrace is one of the most important issues not only in dance but also in life.
We received the following commentary on our editorial, The Embrace, from Richard: "The editorial on the embrace was so enjoyable that I felt that I had to subscribe to your newsletter. I ve read so many people s opinions about open style vs closed style (I prefer closed myself) that only addressed if it was "authentic". However, the letter that you published and the response you gave addressed more personal aspects of the embrace."
Thank you Richard. We appreciate what you have to say.
Another Tango Friend from Germany sent us the following comment: "Many people may not think of the tango embrace as personal, but only physical. The truth is that whenever we take someone in our arms for tango, we are placing our own bodies, minds and feelings, including our senses, close to another person, perhaps a stranger, for a relatively long period of time, perhaps three minutes. And we do indeed have an opportunity to share a positive and caring energy, a very personal message from ourselves to another person."
Thank you Petra.
Dan Boccia recently expressed in a posting on Tango-L: "Let s all dance together, let s embrace and celebrate our collective variety and diversity, and let s put some positive energy into the dance". We agree with this.
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires Editors think that the next V Annual Buenos Aires Tango Festival, which takes place during March from the 1st through the 9th, is a way in which people from here want to embrace tango lovers beyond Argentine with the Forum "Tango for the Whole World".
The organizers of this year s 5th Annual Tango Festival sponsored by the city of Buenos Aires are making great efforts to do just that. This year s festival demonstrates more organization with all activities geared to appreciating, understanding and celebrating the diversity, depths, and many possibilities of tango.
The festival is organized differently from last year in an effort to host not only all levels of dancers, but different styles of tango, different approaches to teaching. Amateur dancers of social salon tango and professional stage dancers are invited to share experiences all together. (See coming Events program below).
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires would like to personally invite you to join us as soon as you possibly can in Buenos Aires in order to experience the tango in the only place in the world where its raw cultural energy can be truly felt. It is one thing to get acquainted with the music and to learn a few steps to this dance we all love. Yet quite another to personally experience it s passion and energy in the streets and milongas where it originated with the culture and the people who brought it into existence and from which it sprang.
We reserve all rights of the information contained in this Newsletter and the trade marks Tango Partners in Buenos Aires TM and The TANGO Capital TM.
=================================================================
Tango Partner in Buenos Aires January 2003 Events
(Highlights of Tango and other cultural events)
Tuesday, the 7th
Porteqo Y Bailarmn
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires met with a large group of Tango Friends from Portland, Oregon, who came to Buenos Aires with their teacher Robert Hauk. With a choice of two dance floors, Porteqo y Bailarmn is almost like being at two milongas at the same time. Although our Tango Friends were new to experience the BA milonga scene they managed the floors as well as the experienced Argentine milongueros. They were able to achieve that because of the effort of Robert and several classes here from local teachers. Visitors can find in Buenos Aires a variety of dancing and teaching styles with tango masters such as Cacho Dante and Alicia Pons, Pablo Nievas and Valeria Zunino, and Julio Balmaceda and Corina de la Rosa.
Friday, the 10th
Parakultural, Milonga Canning
Other tango teachers whom we always enjoy are Pupy Castello and Tete (assisted by his dance partner Silvia). This Friday Tango Partners in Buenos Aires chose their classes at Canning for our Tango Friends (another group from Portland). Although Pupy and Tete have different styles (one of them teaching steps and "smoothness" and the other one focusing on musicality) they are awesome. After the classes we enjoyed the milonga. We also heard the orchestra "Las Muqecas".
La Viruta
After Canning we took in the milonga La Viruta. Our Tango Friends enjoyed the music and dancing of Argentine folkdance, La Chacarera. There is still a big crowd at La Viruta until 6:00 a.m. for the final tanda.
Saturday the 11th
El Arranque
The afternoon milonga at El Arranque is very famous, so we decided spend that very hot weather dancing and drinking beer in this air conditioned place. The afternoon milongas can be a more comfortable way to get an introduction to the Argentine milongas. Our friends knew that it s very important for the newcomers to get some help in choosing the milonga according to their skills. Their goals were to get good opportunity in Buenos Aires to dance with local dancers in less crowded floor than the evening milongas. They trust on us and the option was easy in this case. We like to help our Tango Friends acclimate while learning the customs of the BA milongas. Part of the Buenos Aires experience is learning the "cabeceo" which is using eye contact and a smile and nod of the head to ask for and to accept a dance. Once learned with a little practice everyone enjoys the advantages of this Argentine custom.
La Calesita
Tango Partners in Buenos received an invitation from Tete to celebrate his birthday with all of his friends at the outdoor milonga La Calestita. We took Tango Friends from Portland and San Francisco, and met with others visitors (US friends) to accompany Tete on such an important date. It was a beautiful night to dance outdoors. Tito Roca sang tangos for us. Also performing were Julio Balmaceda and Corina de la Rosa, Analma Vega and Marcelo Varela, Vilma Vega and Fernando Galera, and a milonga performance by Danny Garcia and his partner. We also enjoyed dance performances of waltz with Tete (his specialty) and Silvia. It was a very special evening under the Buenos Aires summer evening sky, dancing in the moonlight and our friends thanked us a lot for such a very great time.
Sunday the 12th
El Patio Practica and milonga
We had a very special Buenos Aires day with our Tango Friends starting first with our city tour including a visit to La Boca neighborhood, the most famous soccer stadium La Bombonera and the Pasaje Caminito. After purchasing mates and other souvenirs we headed over to El Patio in San Telmo for the guided practice with Graciela Gonzalez. After the practica and before the milonga at El Patio we took our friends for a "typical" dinner in an Argentine parilla (barbecue) in a nearby restaurant of San Telmo, famous for its steak, sausages, desserts and congenial atmosphere. After dinner we returned to El Patio for the milonga and show with orchestra.
Monday the 13th
Zapatos Rojos in La Trastienda
We scheduled for this Monday a magic night at Zapatos Rojos. There was a class followed by a milonga and a show. We reserved front row seats to watch the spectacular performances of Javier and Geraldine. Also performing were La Turca Maria del Carmen and Jorge Dispari as well as Italian students of Javier and Geraldine, Patrizia and Mateo. As we were next to the performer s table we were able to congratulate, embrace and talk with them. Patrizia and Mateo were glad to meet Tango Partners Buenos Aires because they are readers of our Newsletter The TANGO Capital. The evening was delightful because our special Buenos Aires Tango Friends, Enrique Aguirre and Gioconda were present. We enjoy the young spirit of this mature over 80 couple who are not timid in their own particular style of tango, very energetic milonga and swing dance as well. We enjoyed their impromptu swing performance with everyone clapping in rhythm. Their energy is contagious and we were glad they were out that night to share it with us.
Tuesday the 14th
La Catedral, Porteqo y Bailarmn
Visitors to Buenos Aires always enjoy taking in the milonga La Catedral because of its unique atmosphere but it is not so easy to locate. The entrance may scare you when you come for the first time, so we recommend that you go accompanied by someone who knows the place. We decided to start the evening there with several friends and many others joined us later. We later continued dancing on the double dance floors of Porteqo y Bailarmn. It was a hot summer night and the air conditioning was welcomed there. We were anxious because we had a surprise for a very special Tango Friend. At midnight we celebrated her birthday with her husband and a chocolate mousse cake and champagne.
Wednesday the 15th
La Milonga de los Consagrados
The Milonga de los Consagrados, also known by many as the milonga Lo De Celia is another good choice for afternoon tango with excellent music and dance space. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. Our Portland Tango Friends enjoyed sharing tangos with the local Buenos Aires dancers here. Preceding the milonga you can take in a class as well.
Milonga Shusheta at Dandi
For the night Tango Partners in Buenos Aires recommended that our Tango Friends spend the evening at the Milonga Shusheta at Dandi Salon in San Telmo. Dancers start showing up for this milonga around 10:30 11:00. Dandy is a smaller but very fancy venue. This is one of the places which includes a tanda of folkdance, most of the times Chacarera, another happy music of the culture of this multifaceted country.
Thursday the 16th
El Arranque
Our friends and us decided to go to El Arranque because we all agree with the fact that having a second opportunity to visit a milonga is valuable so that the local dancers can get to know you. This milonga offers to the visitors a large dance floor and always a wonderful selection of the best dance music by DJ Mario Orlando.
Niqo Bien
The best option for Thursday evening is still Niqo Bien. There are several reasons for this. Excellent music, very good dancers, a large space for tables and dance floor, with the most important being, the hospitality of our friend Luis. Tango Partners in Buenos Aires took our Portland Tango Friends for their first visit to this popular Thursday night milonga.
Friday the 17th
La Milonga Ideal
One of the most popular afternoon milongas is Milonga in the Confiterma Ideal. The old building is full of antique tango souls since it was built in the early 1900. Unfortunately this building is in bad state (see below). You do not want to miss a visit to this classic confiterma (confectioner s shop) and dance space.
Gricel La Rioja
With one of the most beautiful wood dance floors in Buenos Aires, the milonga Gricel La Rioja is very popular. Tango Partners in Buenos Aires spent the Friday milonga together with our Tango Friends from Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California.
Saturday the 18th
Estancia (Argentine Ranch)
A day out of the city to visit an estancia (ranch) is a wonderful opportunity to get a feel for the countryside of Argentina. When half of the population of Argentina lives in Buenos Aires, that leaves plenty of countryside for the rest of its inhabitants. Our Tango Friends wanted this experience. We visited an estancia that gave us an opportunity to enjoy many cultural aspects of Argentina. After a tour of the ranch and open-air museum of antiques we enjoyed many typical Argentine activities. Such as horsemanship from the Guacho s point of view (and an opportunity for horseback riding), typical Argentine meals with excellent asado and homemade sausages "chorizo", folkdance (including a lesson and a chance to dance as well), and singing. Following lunch and enjoying the traditional entertainment in their beautiful (air-conditioned) out building we were entertained by horseback games and competitions. We won t forget Julio out in the field trying to stir up some of the local native birds for our guests who wer
e admiring the many different Argentine species they were noticing. After an interesting and eventful day we were able to lounge by the pool and swim, relax and soak up some sun before returning to the city for more tango.
Salsn La Argentina
Our Tango Friends wanted to listen to a live orchestra, so we guided them to the milonga Salsn La Argentina to listen Los Solistas de D Arienzo. We danced with the live and recorded music.
Puerto Madero
After dancing we visited Puerto Madero and the Frigata Sarmiento. Puerto Madero was the original shipping port of Buenos Aires. No longer used for shipping, many of its original buildings have been remodeled for other uses and new buildings and apartments are appearing to bring new life to this historic old neighborhood. As well, the world s largest city park and reserve is located from Puerto Madero and offers an easy and close escape from the city when the mood strikes. You can stroll or bike on paths along the riverside of Rmo de la Plata and several lakes and lagoons to enjoy a totally natural setting one step away from the rush of city life.
Sunday the 19th
Milonga de Paula y Carlos
Some of our Tango Friends who were leaving Buenos Aires wanted one last milonga before ending their tango tour. So after a farewell lunch at Chiquilmn we enjoyed this afternoon milonga at Confiterma Ideal. We met new Tango Friends from Los Angeles, California. Never mind that it was raining. Our spirits couldn t be dampened in this nostalgic and historic atmosphere as we danced to tangos of past eras. It would be a true work of love to restore this wonderful example of bygone elegance, and it would truly be a sin not to restore it. All who visit the Ideal agree with us on this.
Mate Recipe, Practica and Ceremony: Our Tango Friends wanted to know how to prepare mate (Angentine tea), its secrets and ceremony. We were glad to teach them as much as we know and we shared a lovely "five o clock mate time".
Wednesday the 22nd
Milonga de los Consagrados
Also known as the milonga Lo de Celia, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays are good opportunities for afternoon dancing. And good opportunities for those new to the Buenos Aires milonga to get their "feet wet" so to speak. Often not extremely crowded, it offers a friendly relaxed atmosphere and good dancers.
Saturday the 25th
Sunderland Club
Several Tango Friends from Los Angeles, San Francisco as well as Buenos Aires companions of our tango classes decided to join us at Saturday milonga Sunderland in the Urquiza neighborhood. We were invited to share the table with tango professors and their students. Javier and Geraldine danced several encores, making their premier performance at Sunderland. This milonga has a long history dating back to the 1940 s. Although it is a large basketball court, dancers have room enough, the atmosphere is relaxed and it is popular with many of the best dancers of Buenos Aires.
Monday the 27th
Parakultural Milonga Canning
Several of our Tango Friends wanted to listen to the performance of the orchestra Los Cosos de al Lao. So Tango Partners in Buenos Aires enjoyed the evening accompanying them dancing to the music with Tango Friends from San Francisco, Denver, Spain and Buenos Aires.
Wednesday the 29th
La Nacional
It was a special night at La Nacional because a very special friend of ours was celebrating her birthday. Many milongueros, tango teachers and professional dancers turned out to accompany Alejandra Arrui to celebrate her birthday. Alejandra presented her six children proudly saying that they are the reason for her living. Alejandra and her husband, Sergio Natario, danced for us (tango and milonga) as well as Dani and Elina (milonga and candombe). The last couple that performed was Javier and Geraldine in a very emotional night.
Friday the 31st
Viejo Correo
Viejo Correo holds a milonga every night of the week. This Friday was a very different night because we joined a group of Universidad del Tango who were having a farewell party for a friend of ours. She was traveling to Belgium. We also met some Tango Friends from San Francisco, Paris and New Orleans. It now has new organizers as well (Miguel Romero and Marisa Sanchez).
Coming Events and Festivals in Buenos Aires
March 1-9, 2003 - V Festival Buenos Aires
Sponsored by the city of Buenos Aires, this festival offers daily free classes taught by maestros of tango, milongas, practicas, and exhibitions. Concerts and shows will be presented every night, and as well, the Tango Dance World Championship in the two categories of salon tango strictly for amateurs and stage tango.
The festival s organization is interesting because of its efforts to cover so many different aspects of tango such as:
Classes not only for beginners taking their first steps, but classes for intermediate and advanced levels on a variety of subjects with a variety of teachers as well.
Classes free and for a fee.
Classes requiring pre-registration and others not.
Classes with limited admission as well as efforts to do gender balance.
Classes to explore and learn different methods of teaching tango in the different styles of Milonguero, Salsn, Fantasia, and Stage Tango.
Classes especially interesting will couple the talents of master dancers from the milongas with professional teachers in a series to "pass on and together decode the tricks of tango dance" in the subjects of Milonga, Giros and Enrosques in Waltz, Caminata and Elegance, and Needles and Enrosques.
Classes and practicas to learn and appreciate the diversity of orchestral styles including Di Sarli, Cals, Pugliese, and Troilo.
Class with the live orchestra of Escuela de Tango (School of Tango Orchestra) where masters will demonstrate and offer assistance in how to tango to many different styles of music including Piazzolla.
A week of free milongas which will highlight a different live orchestra each night.
Pre-festival between February 15th and the 28th will feature free classes in at least 3 different milongas each night.
Of course, the festival is open to tango dancers all around the world. This year s annual V Buenos Aires Tango Festival embraces the diversity of tango and celebrates the energy of dancers of all styles, levels of experience and methods of teaching.
"Top Gun Tango" or "Mission Impossible in Buenos Aires Milongas
New Tom Cruise projected movie set in the milongas of Buenos Aires.
Tom Cruise and his associate Paula Wagner have acquired the rights to produce a move whose setting is in the tango environment of Buenos Aires. The movie they intend to produce is based on the novel by Stuart Cohen entitled "17 Stone Angels". It is the story of a detective ready to retire who finds himself involved in solving the murder of a writer in the city of Buenos Aires. Stuart Cohen is said to be obsessed with tango (know anyone else with this obsession?) and has made 15 trips to Argentina to enjoy listening to and dancing tango. Cohen says that for him tango is like the blues but only more sophisticated and more melancholic.
=================================================================
Privacy Clause
We are in contact with you in order to communicate that Tango Partners in Buenos Aires would like to use the internet as a means of communication in order to put at your disposal, in the form most easily accessible, all types of information relevant to Buenos Aires and Tango here.
Tango Partners in Buenos Aires is committed to the guarantee of privacy of all data and information of our users, and for this reason we desire to make known to you certain aspects about the new law.
In accordance with the new Law of Services of the Society of Electronic Information and Commerce (the LSSI-CE) we are obligated to communicate to you that your email address is entered in our users data base with the object of continuing to offer to you regularly all types of information that may be of interest to you.
Generally, we do not send more than 1 mail each month; however, if you do not wish to continue receiving notices from Tango Partners in Buenos Aires you need only to send a message to tango_partner_buenos_aires@yahoo.com.ar writing "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If we do not receive an email from you in 10 days, we understand that you accept, and that you give us your consent and express authorization for future electronic mailings.
If you would like to share our Newsletter The TANGO Capital with your Tango Friends you may forward it to them (so they may subscribe) or you may send us their email address and we will do it for you.
If you have received our Newsletter The TANGO Capital from a Tango Friend you may subscribe by emailing us with subject "Subscribe" and "first & last name" at tango_partner_buenos_aires@yahoo.com.ar.
Thank you for trusting us.
PS: Karen Corriea and Julio Corazza reserve the right of all information contained in this Newsletter and its trade marks Tango Partners in Buenos Aires TM and The TANGO Capital TM.
Karen Corriea & Julio Corazza
- Your Tango Partners in Buenos Aires -
tango_partner_buenos_aires@yahoo.com.ar
(5411) 4371-0435 or 4753-3460 or 4752-0213
