2998 Random observations from Fandango tango festival in Austin
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 02:36:58 +0000
From: Oleh Kovalchuke <oleh_k@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Random observations from Fandango tango festival in Austin
The city is overgrown Madison except instead of a lake in the middle of
downtown Colorado river runs through it. Palm trees, bamboo and runners are
in abundance along the river. There are several excellent beaches.
Unfortunately they are flooded this week. So hot tub in the hotel is the
only dip-in option for me. I tried to find some funky cafes, in vain. Then
again I have not explored University area all that well.
It's a smallish festival so far (Wednesday and Thursday) - there are as many
people as at the usual well attended milonga at Merc in Denver (about
hundred). Yet, some good dancers are in attendance, mostly from New Mexico,
even though all regions of US are represented (Seattle, North and South CA,
New York, Boston, North Carolina, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Arizona, a dozen
or so dancers from Colorado). I expect more people will show up for Friday
milonga. According to organizers about 150 have registered for the classes.
Indeed more people have attended the Friday milonga. Talking of which, table
placement was most unfortunate - all bunched at one side of the floor.
Nearly impossible to attempt cabeseo or simply to watch dancers from second
or third row.
Music. Robin (NY) DJed at Thursday evening s minimilonga and deservedly got
applause from the dancers after he was done. Obviously he knows more than
just alternative tango. The rest of DJing was unremarkable except for some
reason all of DJs played some not overly danceable modern bands toward the
end of milongas. For dancing? Hard core Pugliese in the beginning of one
milonga? No cortinas on Wednesday? On Friday two people have DJed for two
hours each. Why?
People wandering around lobby wondering if there is any space to practice
steps. Practica time would be nice. Well, after I wrote this I have joined
the wandering people, who happened to be from Dallas, at the hotel s bar
where we had danced for uninterrupted two hours to our own tango CDs.
Definitely a highlight of this particular festival.
About classes. You have to buy entire day worth of classes at this festival,
cannot buy one class at the time. This goes completely against the grain of
how I take classes - one or two per day or per entire festival (my feeble
mind cannot hold more material than that). So I have not taken any. However
it gets even worse than that. If you do not take classes on Thursday you
cannot get into the evening mini-milonga. Considering that this is
Thanksgiving and pretty much everything is closed, all you are left with is
books, internet and TV for entire day. Not very friendly if you ask me.
Fortunately they have changed this particular policy, but a few people did
not know that, got quite pissed off.
The perennial question of floorcraft. It was adequate for the room. The
large size of the room in other words was the saving grace of the craft. I
noticed that the savvier of the dancers tended to stay in the safe, outside
lane. I tried to make myself look savvy and danced in the outside lane too -
this way you have to worry about getting bumped from one side only, the left
one.
After classes are done the lobby of the hotel is invaded by people with
laptops - it has free wireless hotspot. Some listen to soccer games straight
from Buenos Aires. Others write to Tango-L.
If you are in Austin and have a car at your disposal drive 35 minute south
to exit 191 and find small tourist trap called Gruene
https://www.touringtexas.com/gruene/. Have a steak and watch sunset at the
restaurant perched on top of high river bank, then go to one of the oldest
dance halls in Texas and dance some tango to country music. That should make
your stay in Austin much more memorable and certainly different.
Overall mixed feelings about this festival. On one hand it s always exciting
to discover new and fun partners. On the other foot DJing, class schedule
and floor layout clearly could be more inviting.
Off to Saturday, overnight milonga.
Cheers, Oleh K.
https://TangoSpring.com
