1194  Tribute to Daniel Trenner

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:13:42 GMT
From: michael <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Tribute to Daniel Trenner

Last Saturday I received my "Bridge to the Tango" catalogue. At least I thought it was "Bridge to the Tango." It has a new name. I open it up and see that there has been a change in management. Without typing the entire message, Daniel Trenner wrote:

"I was the victim of an unprovoked gang attack, was severely beaten, and spent ... undergoing emergency surgery... As a consequence of my lengthy but miraculous recovery I have decided to create more space for me in my life."

"Tango is now safely established and thriving in the world outside of Buenos Aires. My tango mission has been a successful one. I am very happy about that."

Daniel has definitely been an important force bringing Argentine Tango to the States. I've been lucky to take some workshops from him in Washington, DC and Montreal. He always gave me something to think about. "Don't cheat on the back step of the molinete or you become a burden to your partner." "When a man tells a woman to push on his left arm, he is advertising how bad a dancer he is." I don't remember all the wisdom he passed onto me at the moment but it was signficant. He was a proponent of same sex partners in classes and students should learn the other half, i.e. men learn how to follow and women learn to lead. I admit I thought this was dumb, until I found out it isn't as easy to follow as I thought. I also found out what "wait for the woman means."
If I move before the woman, the woman will be pulled or pushed into her step, not lead into her step.

I remember a tribute to Daniel at last year's New York Tango Festival (which is scheduled for July 24-27 this year. He danced with Rebecca Shulman.

Thank you Daniel for helping me become a better dancer. To paraphrase Jimmy Durante (I'm really dating myself): "Good night Daniel Trenner, wherever you are."

Michael Ditkoff
Washington, DC








I'd rather be dancing argentine tango

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 15:58:58 -0600
From: Nina Pesochinsky <nina@EARTHNET.NET>
Subject: Re: Tribute to Daniel Trenner

Hello, Dancers,

Michael, thank you for this post!

Daniel Trenner deserves many tributes. He is THE person who brought
Argentine Tango to North America. For many years, he taught 100 person
classes to rank beginners, starting dance communities where there were
none. He brought us the music, the dance and the profound understanding of
the unique culture that had created our beloved tango. He made it possible
for us to find and learn beautiful tango music when it was impossible to
buy it any place else. He encouraged everyone to dance, regardless of each
person's dance background. There has never been anyone like Daniel who
could link the North American and Argentine cultures in this way, opening a
world of possibilities and self-discovery.

Daniel, you opened a new universe for me and I will always be grateful to
you. You gave me the freedom in dance that forever changed my life.
Wherever you are, I hope you are well. I know that we will see you soon,
some place in the mysterious universe of the Tango.

With deepest gratitude,

Nina Pesochinsky
Tango Maverick Ent.
720/434-4342

Nina




At 09:13 PM 4/24/2003 +0000, you wrote:

>Last Saturday I received my "Bridge to the Tango" catalogue. At least I
>thought it was "Bridge to the Tango." It has a new name. I open it up and
>see that there has been a change in management. Without typing the entire
>message, Daniel Trenner wrote:
>
>"I was the victim of an unprovoked gang attack, was severely beaten, and
>spent ... undergoing emergency surgery... As a consequence of my lengthy
>but miraculous recovery I have decided to create more space for me in my life."
>
>"Tango is now safely established and thriving in the world outside of
>Buenos Aires. My tango mission has been a successful one. I am very happy
>about that."
>
>Thank you Daniel for helping me become a better dancer. To paraphrase
>Jimmy Durante (I'm really dating myself): "Good night Daniel Trenner,
>wherever you are."
>
>Michael Ditkoff
>Washington, DC
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>I'd rather be dancing argentine tango
>

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 17:13:29 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tribute to Daniel Trenner

Daniel Trenner has made significant contributions to the development of
Argentine tango in North America. He was one of several pioneers, and he
made a great contribution by sharing his knowledge of the structure of
tango which he learned from Gustavo Naveira and Mingo Pugliese. As Nina
said, Daniel bridged the two cultures. He brought a great understanding
of the structure of tango to his students.

Other pioneers included Orlando Paiva, Danel & Maria, Michael & Luren,
Raul and Nora Dinzelbacher and all of us who learned from them back in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.

By the way, I did not read Daniel's remarks as an indication that he will
stop teaching or dancing tango or organizing tango events.

With best regards,
Steve

Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 10:13:44 -0600
From: Brian Dunn <Brian@DANCEOFTHEHEART.COM>
Subject: Re: Tribute to Daniel Trenner

Nina wrote:

>>>

For many years, he taught 100 person classes to rank beginners, starting
dance communities where there were none. He brought us the music, the dance
and the profound understanding of the unique culture that had created our
beloved tango. He made it possible for us to find and learn beautiful tango
music when it was impossible to buy it any place else. He encouraged
everyone to dance, regardless of each
person's dance background.
<<<
Reading Nina's post takes me back to the summer of 1997, when the small but
vital Boulder tango scene I'd just joined was abuzz with the cry, "Daniel is
coming! Daniel is coming!" Starting in September of that year, Daniel's
twelve-week tango intensive changed my life, and many of the lives around
me.

Daniel has often been called the Pied Piper of Tango, but the image that
makes more sense to me is that of Johnny Appleseed. Rather than vengefully
luring us to our fate like rats to the river, leaving heartache and loss
behind him, he cast seeds on fertile, welcoming ground, and left a new tango
world blooming in his wake.

Thousands of dancers and dozens of teachers owe their start in tango to
Daniel. Many of Daniel's nuggets of teaching wisdom surface in the work of
the second (and third!) generations of tango teachers he has inspired:
"Teach beginners to move big - later, it's easier to make big smaller than
to make small bigger."
"Teach mechanics first, style elements later - and be alert to the
difference."
"Who in this crowd can drive a car? Driving a car is MUCH more complicated
than dancing tango."
"Men are trucks, women are sports cars - let men lead and follow their
beginner mistakes with each other, and the women will appreciate it later."
"Don't strive so much for the perfect execution of a move - aim for being
able to execute a continuum of possibilities AROUND the ideal, and you will
discover new things."

Nina further said:

>>>

Daniel, you opened a new universe for me and I will always be grateful to
you. You gave me the freedom in dance that forever changed my life. Wherever
you are, I hope you are well.
<<<
Amen.

Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
1(303)938-0716
https://www.danceoftheheart.com