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Digest from 2 Dec 1999 to 3 Dec 1999





Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango          <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Date:     Fri, 3 Dec 1999 03:00:10 -0500
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango          <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject:  TANGO-L Digest - 2 Dec 1999 to 3 Dec 1999 (#1999-79)

There are 7 messages totalling 254 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. New Years Eve (2) 2. New Year's Eve Milonga @ Los Altos, CA, USA 3. The Source of Pain? 4. The lady leaning "heavy" on the man 5. Oswaldo Zotto/Lorena Ermocida workshops 6. Definitions of Caminata and Cierre


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 11:43:50 EST From: Donna Sotiropoulos <VERGAD @AOL.COM> Subject: New Years Eve Sorry List, This event is being held in Palo Alto Ca. @ the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Forever Tango will be in San Francisco at the same time. So wherever your coming from you will be able to start the millinnim with non stop tango in the Bay Area. Fo more info go to http://inscenes.com/tango.shtml?tango See you there!!! Ciao Donna


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 12:51:54 EST From: Richard deSousa <M1APORT @AOL.COM> Subject: Re: New Years Eve Dear Donna and List Members: The actual web URL is: http://www.inscenes.com/tango.shtml?tango rdesousa In a message dated 12/2/99 9:03:42 AM Pacific Standard Time, VERGAD @AOL.COM writes: << Sorry List, This event is being held in Palo Alto Ca. @ the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Forever Tango will be in San Francisco at the same time. So wherever your coming from you will be able to start the millennium with non stop tango in the Bay Area. For more info go to http://inscenes.com/tango.shtml?tango See you there!!! Ciao Donna >>


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 14:36:18 -0800 From: Ruddy Zelaya <ruddy.zelaya @ENG.SUN.COM> Subject: New Year's Eve Milonga @ Los Altos, CA, USA Hi folks, I've received several private mails asking whether this is the same as the so called "Tangothon/Salsathon". To clarify the confusion that may have been created by the recent rash of announcements on this forum, the answer is no. The Los Altos milonga is a well established milonga that has been held at the same location (Los Altos American Legion Hall) every Friday (except the 4th) of the month for the last 3+ years and has a strong following in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. It boasts a large rectangular wooden dance floor (2400+ sq.ft.), a 4 speaker system pumping out 1200 watts of glorious tango music, and a well stocked hors d'oeuvres table. To celebrate the dawn of the new millennium, the Los Altos Milonga will be open from 8:00PM-2:AM on New Year's Eve, December 31st. It is a true milonga, i.e., 99% of the music will be tango, valses, and milongas, with a small salsa break and a swing break to spice up the evening. Everyone is invited to join us (80+ at last count) for a truly magical evening of great Tango music on a great sound system surrounded by great tango people on the last night of the 20th. century. The cost is a modest $20.00 and it includes party favors, hors d'oeuvres, champagne, wine and soft drinks. For directions, point your browser to http://www.milongas.com Regards,


ruddy P.S.: Yes. I know. The 31st is the end of the year but not the end of the decade, nor of the century, and certainly not the millennium. But since the whole world is saying so AND the birth of Christ is + or - 4 years off anyway... quit your belly aching 'n' get on with the program!! ;-)


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 16:46:06 -0600 From: Stephen P Brown <Stephen.P.Brown @DAL.FRB.ORG> Subject: The Source of Pain? In a recent posting, Jean-Francois Bouchard lamented that a dance partner with whom he had previously enjoyed dancing had adopted a technique that he found painful. She leaned on him with her right arm and used heaviness to dictate the rhythm at which they danced. If we generally agree that this technique is not helpful, even to share the musical interpretation, a question arises as to where such a technique originated. One possibility is experimentation. During the time that I have danced tango, I have tried many different ideas-- incorporating some and rejecting others (sometimes too slowly). I have seen many others do the same. Unfortunately, another possibility is instruction. Several well-known instructors encourage the woman to lean heavily on the man with her right arm (and otherwise), and the women who teach this technique practice what they teach. --Steve de Tejas


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 21:42:54 -0500 From: SERGIO <SERGIO @NCINTER.NET> Subject: The lady leaning "heavy" on the man Steve de Tejas wrote: "In a recent posting, Jean-Francois Bouchard lamented that a dance partner with whom he had previously enjoyed dancing had adopted a technique that he found painful. She leaned on him with her right arm and used heaviness to dictate the rhythm at which they danced. If we generally agree that this technique is not helpful, even to share the musical interpretation, a question arises as to where such a technique originated. One possibility is experimentation. During the time that I have danced tango, I have tried many different ideas-- incorporating some and rejecting others (sometimes too slowly). I have seen many others do the same. Unfortunately, another possibility is instruction. Several well-known instructors encourage the woman to lean heavily on the man with her right arm (and otherwise), and the women who teach this technique practice what they teach." I think that the most probable reason for this problem comes from instruction. The lady is taught from the very beginning, (correctly), to have a firm frame "as if your shoulders and elbows were in a cast". She is also encouraged to lean forward " the weight on the fore foot"; otherwise the distance between the feet of both partners is lost, resulting in contact from the waist down and crowding of the feet. From then on the lady weights down on the man as she dances, mostly as she turns around the leader and even worst when she performs amagues and boleos. Fairly soon this habit is established and very difficult to correct. This is also in part accentuated by the instruction "do not anticipate, wait for the lead". The good instructor aware of this problem should prevent this from happening by teaching the lady to keep her axis, carry her own weight through the hole range of her movements and even to exert an upward, or lifting action on her partner; this upward motion should be exerted with her upper chest and both her hands. As to not anticipating; this causes, in some women, to dance always somewhat "late" with respect to the beat. Since the man is on the beat when he indicates his lead, she waits to long and is a fraction of a second "slow". This gives the man the sensation that he is pushing a truck uphill. The follower should be instructed not to anticipate, but to move freely and readily on the beat as soon as she receives the lead. The man should naturally transmit his lead at the right time, slightly before he starts moving. The students of some instructors have a tendency to dance "heavy" because these problems were never considered. Those ladies become other wise excellent dancers. Remember firm frame and slightly leaning forward yes, pushing down no.


Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 02:19:40 EST From: Charles Roques <Crrtango @AOL.COM> Subject: Oswaldo Zotto/Lorena Ermocida workshops First my apologies for posting this here but I have forgotten the address for posting events. I have some very good late-breaking news for those in the New York City area or those planning to be here the weekend of Fri. Dec. 10 - Sun. Dec.12. Danel & Maria will be sponsoring workshops by Oswaldo Zotto and Lorena Ermocida on Friday and Saturday nights, Dec 10 and 11. For those of you who are growing a little tired of the "nuevo tango" acrobatics this is a chance to see classic performance tango with precision and elegance. Oswaldo and his brother Miguel are considered by many to be the greatest living male tango dancers and Maria says that Oswaldo and Lorena are evolving into one of the great tango couples. They are in town on a promotion tour for Julio Iglesias' Tango album at a private function at Lincoln Center and have agreed to do some workshops while here. This is a great opportunity and a bargain as well. On Friday Dec. 10 they will be at the Mt Vernon West train station in Westchester County (there is a dance hall upstairs), 20 minutes from Grand Central Station. Intermediate Workshop - 7:30 - 9:30 with a practice after. Please call 718-325-6579 for more info and prices. But the real bargain is on Saturday Dec.11. They will be giving workshops at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center, 20 Cooper Sq. near E. 5th St. and Astor Place. 6:00 - 6:55 Beg/Int Tango 7:00 - 7:55 Int/Adv Tango 8:00 - 8:55 Int/Adv Waltz One workshop -$20. Two workshops - $35. Three workshops - $45. Afterwards they will perform at Danel & Maria's "Bailemos Tango" Milonga (same location)- 9:30 PM - 2:00 AM or later which will also feature live music by Raul Jaurena and the New York Tango Trio for $15. (Coat and tie) No videos please. The total package would be $60. well spent. There are also a lot of very good tango dancers at their milongas. Please come and join us. I have no financial interest in this affair, I'm just very excited and pleased to inform you about it. Please call Sandra Cameron Dance Center at 212-674-0505 to register or 718-325 -6579 for more information. Also please feel free to contact me with any questions. Sorry to post this at the last minute but they only called Danel & Maria yesterday to tell them they would be in town. Hope to see some of you there. Cheers, Charles Roques


Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 13:41:38 -0500 From: ross1sb <ross1sb @MAIL.CMICH.EDU> Subject: Definitions of Caminata and Cierre My name is Stephanie and I am doing some research on the Tango for my dance History class. I have comme across the words Caminata and Cierre but cannot figure out what they refer to. Could anyone please send me an explanation of these terms? Thank you! Stephanie ross1sb @cmich.edu


End of TANGO-L Digest - 2 Dec 1999 to 3 Dec 1999 (#1999-79) ***********************************************************