Tango-L mailing list archive: Digest 7 Sep 2000 to 8 Sep 2000

The Tango-L mailing list archive

Digest from 7 Sep 2000 to 8 Sep 2000

Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> To: Recipients of TANGO-L digests <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 03:00:20 -0400 Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 7 Sep 2000 to 8 Sep 2000 (#2000-242)

There are 7 messages totalling 474 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. tango in Rome and elsewhere II 2. feet, summary of good advice 3. Lisa Ellison's new tango salon in Dallas 4. Daniela & Armando teaching in New York 5. San Francisco social tango dancing. 6. Do you need tango to tango? (2)

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 19:22:08 +0900 From: astrid <astrid @RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP> Subject: tango in Rome and elsewhere II Since some gremlin must have eaten version I on it's way to the list 2 days ago, I am sending this with a bit of delay.

Original Message ----- From: robin thomas <ic11788 @MAIL.INFOHOUSE.COM> Sent: Monday, September 04, 2000 6:26 AM Subject: tango in rome > I just came back from Rome. . I had got the impression from things I read > on this list that in Europe people danced more milonguero, in the > close embrace. This was the opposite of my experience. You get all styles. Many people can do both, adjusting their embrace to how much space there is. The close embrace on the crowded dance floor does not always deserve the name "milonguero",though, with some men it is not minimalist but minimum style. I'd rather dance fantasia than endless salidas and rocksteps without emotion. I had my best experience in Berlin dancing that simple though but the man was Argentine. I saw almost > no-one dancing as close as I usually do in New York. The better > dancers were dancing in a big open style doing lots of boleos and > ganchos and actually quite a few of them were Argentines resident in > Rome. Some people try to imitate the tango shows they saw. Or they may be students of stage dancers. In Berlin you will find a number of Argentines, especially in the milongas run by Debra and Emiliano (Soda club and Gruener Salon), and the tiny Trialarit, where you almost have to order your drinks in Spanish. They all dance different. > In New York you don't get that many bad or beginer dancers at > milongas because it can be very intimidating because the level of > dancing is so high. IMHO there are a lot of men in the milongas in Berlin as well as Tokyo, who think, there is such a majority of women, a man does not even need to know how to dance to be accepted by those on the sofas.. This is where we have gone to from the days of competition between the milongueros in Bs.As.. . Even with the high level dancers in Berlin, I met only one man who knew how to do a giro enrosque and he is Japanese ! Everyone else returns from the giro in a media luna, so I got led into one full molinete in 3 weeks. Chiche sais, it is a matter of "style" when I asked him. (He is the star teacher in Berlin, I have been told) It was surprising to see a lot of Italian men > pushing and pulling the women with there left hands. They knew the > steps but the way they were leading them looked awful to me, a lot of > arms pumping up and down in time to the music too. A lot of women who > I danced with seemed disoriented by how little I used my left arm. I would say, the arm pumping is left over from their dance school days. I have seen some advanced tango dancers who still cannot eliminate that waltz swing from their step, their dance is flamboyant but there is that constant elastic up-and-down, by which you can recognize the European ballroom room graduate. I came to the conclusion that a lot of the people I saw had been > dancing for a few years but had taken not that many lessonsl. Right! Three months will get you to the level where you can pick up a woman, so off to the milongas, they are cheaper, too. Italians are pretty stylish and so they tend to look good even if > they have no idea what there doing and they can fake it really well. Sigh. Can't say that for the Germans or the Japanese.. ; ) > I'd be very interested to hear any other observations people had as > tango tourists. >

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 14:07:38 +0900 From: astrid <astrid @RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP> Subject: feet, summary of good advice A while ago I asked everyone for advice for aching feet after dancing in high heels. I got so much helpful advice that I now have a special folder on "feet". Hereby I would like to thank everyone who wrote and share the best of it with the rest of you: Helaine wrote: I learned this: If you put some weight on your heels with almost every step, it not only relieves pressure from the balls of your feet and your toes, but improves your balance. Simply put, "Put your heels down!". If with the higher heel you have the problem of your feet sliding forward and cramping your toes into the tips of your shoes, try Dr. Scholl's high-heel shoe inserts; they're soft, not rigid or semi-rigid like orthotics, have a molded arch and a foam cushion at the ball of the foot that keeps your foot from sliding forward. (I use these in street shoes with high heels, but I haven't tried them for dancing since I use orthotics when I dance.) They're about $10 in the U.S. Nina wrote: I encourage my students and all serious dancers to take Martha Graham beginner modern classes because that technique is incredible for the tango and needs no separate interpretation to be incorporated into the tango. It builds the center and teaches dancers how to use their abdominals in tango so that their shoulders don't sink into the hips and hips don't sink into the knees, and the rest does not sink into the feet. The height of the shoes is important because, in my experience, the tango shoes need to be as high as possible so that they can be used as a tool, if necessry and make it possible for a dnacer to dance for hours. The higher the heel, the easier it is to keep the sorrect posture. Medium size heels are very damaging for people who are not trained to not hyperextend in their lower back. Natarajan wrote: The problem, for me, was that I got new shoes, ordinary ones, with narrow pointed toes and as the night progressed, it did not expand while my feet did(like a true milanguero wannabe I decided to have just one pair of shoes for everything and I persisted despite the pain for a while ;-) Later, I changed to capazios with higher heels but there was no problem. Charles wrote: one inexpensive solution is to buy a pair of massage sandals. Dr Scholl's may have them but there are also other brands usually sold at health foodstores. They often have a single strap over the toes but the important part is the sole which is comprised of many tiny fingers molded to the correct orthopedic contours of the bottom of the foot. When you walk the fingers vibrate and massage the bottoms of the feet. The ends of many of the nerves in our body are in the soles of the feet. Nina explained what pros do: Put your fingers from front first, then from the back inbetween your toes all the way in and move the foot circularly. Use a spiky ball or a footsie roller before you dance. Rotate your feet in the air in one direction and then in another direction before you go dancing to warm up the joints. Curve your toes one foot on the floor at a time as if you were standing on your toes, and then curve them in as if you were standing on the outside of your toes - one foot at a time! Helaine and I exchanged advice: > About the nights: I apply tiger balm all over my feet before I go to > sleep, that helps me recover. Hmmm. . . tiger balm! I'll try it. I sometimes use arnica cream at night when I dance marathon weekends. > The next morning I wear rubber studded massage > sandals while I make breakfast. I just saw the posting on the same topic. I should try a pair. > But there is nothing like a Chinese masseuse > rubbing your feet, if you can find one. Mmmm. Charles wrote: Capezio ( I think) makes a dance/practice sneaker that has very good arch support and cushion but doesn't grip the floor, so you can turn and pivot, but I haven't tried it yet. It wouldn't be appropriate for a milonga but is good for practicing and using in class. Sherrie wrote: i find the biggest problem is not height, but width of shoe. It seems that the more you do tango,the more the ball of the foot expands and shoes with narrow toe boxes cause undo pressure on the toes and nerves leading to toes. I have had absolutly excruciating nerve pain in my toes after a night in too narrow shoes, now i am very careful about width. Way to exercie it out, take you lotioned fingers and put one finger between each toe and get all four fingers betweens toes so that you actually fan toes out and gently press down to base of toes. this will cause some discomfort but it reallly stretches out those muscles between toes and attached to toes. I find I must spend 30 to 60 minutes stretching and massaging feet before and after a long milonga just to reduce the trauma and keep feet in good working order. ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________ This should help all of us (apparently not only the ladies suffer) to survive on the dance floor. Happy tangos Astrid

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 10:52:51 -0400 From: "A. Lester Buck III" <buck @COMPACT.COM> Subject: Lisa Ellison's new tango salon in Dallas [Lisa Ellison, former Houston tanguera and recently moved to Dallas, has a terrific new tango studio and apartment under construction in Dallas. It was written up last week in the Dallas Morning News. Go, Lisa!] http://dallasnews.com/entertainment/160920__TANGO02.html A step forward Woman envisions studio as Dallas' tango palace 09/02/2000 By Margaret Putnam / Special Contributor to the Dallas Morning News DANCE Outside it was 104. Inside the air conditioner struggled into life, electrical cords sprouted from the ceiling, and a sheetrock panel served as a makeshift door. But to Lisa Ellison, who had lured a teacher from Miami and about 20 students to her unfinished studio, the place was a tango palace. In real life, Ms. Ellison works at The Mansion on Turtle Creek as the assistant comptroller. The rest of her time, she pursues her passion, the tango. A few months ago, needing a place to live, she found herself driving down Greenville Avenue. She spotted a for-rent sign, and the idea of a tango palace suddenly sprang to life. The 2,400-square-foot space above a store provided ample room for two studios, restrooms and an apartment at the rear. "It sort of happened," Ms. Ellison says. "If I had set out to find a place, I wouldn't have." Her dream is to spur growth in the Dallas tango community, small but intense. "This could be one of the premier cities for tango in the U.S.," she says, "like San Francisco and Seattle. The level of dancing is quite good, especially considering there are few places to dance." (Tango Argentino Dallas sponsors a milonga, or dance party, the third Friday of every month at the Sammons Center for the Arts; there are also milongas the first Sunday at Monica's Aca Y Alla and the fourth Sunday at La Valentina de Mexico in Addison.) Besides places, teachers are needed. Two couples in Dallas teach Argentine tango, but full-time experts have to be imported. While the Greenville Avenue studio was still under renovation, Argentine native Daniel Lapadula flew in from Miami to teach what will be the first of many workshops. He'll return Sept. 14 for a second workshop. Florencia Tacceti arrives Sept. 28 to teach a third, followed by others in November, January and March. They will augment workshops sponsored by the nonprofit Tango Argentino Dallas. Though the walls are still unpainted, the tango palace already has a name: Salon Pavadita. (Pavadita is a tongue-in-check word meaning "little nothing.") "I want it to be Tango Central," Ms. Ellison says. "We could have a fantastic community here. It just needs someone to commit time and energy. With someone to oversee this, it will grow." Margaret Putnam writes about dance for The Dallas Morning News. DANCE INFORMATION To learn more about tango in Dallas, call Tango Argentino Dallas, 214-520-0244. Classes in Argentine tango are taught at I Dance 2 Studio, 5706 E. Greenville Ave., Tuesdays by Jeramy and Karen Bede and on Thursdays by Steve and Susan Brown. The Browns will move their class to Salon Pavadita, 2714 1/2 Greenville Ave., in late September. Call 972-234-0276 (the Bedes), 817-860-5673 (the Browns) or 214-559-2100 (Salon Pavadita) for information. (c) 2000 The Dallas Morning News

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 20:52:20 EDT From: Daniela Arcuri <DATango @AOL.COM> Subject: Daniela & Armando teaching in New York Daniela Arcuri & Armando Orzuza will be teaching in New York =E2=80=A6.. STARTING=20 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2000. Classes are.... SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 16, 23, 30,=20 & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 21, 28 & OCTOBER 5. SATURDAYS=20 3 PM =E2=80=93 4:30 PM TANGO ~ INTERMEDIATE 4:30 PM =E2=80=93 6 PM MILONGA SINCOPADA ~ ALL LEVELS At YOU SHOULD BE DANCING 412 8th Av., 4th floor, NYC @ 31 St. ph 244-0011 THURSDAYS=20 6 PM =E2=80=93 7:30 PM TANGO TECHNIQUE ~ ALL LEVELS 7:30 PM =E2=80=93 9 PM MILONGA SINCOPADA ~ ALL LEVELS At CHAMPIONS DANCE STUDIO 300 W. 43 ST., 3rd floor, NYC (between 8 & 9 Aves.) ph 307-7707 $20 / Single Class ~ $140 / 8 Classes Class sizes are limited so call in advance to enroll!=20 Private Lessons $75 ~ 1 Hour With Partner $100 ~ 1 Hour Without Partner $270 ~ 4 Hours With Partner $360 ~ 4 Hours Without Partner $600 ~ 10 Hours With Partner $800 ~ 10 Hours Without Partner 4 hours private lesson package must be completed within 4 weeks. 10 hours private lesson package must be completed within 8 weeks. 24 hour cancellation notice required for private lessons.=20 For more information please contact: LA ACADEMIA, NY Tango Dance Academy (646) 221-5474 or NYTangoDA @aol.com You can start at any time!=20 LA ACADEMIA, NY Tango Dance Academy, is part of Strictly Tango Productions,= =20 founded and directed by Daniela Arcuri & Armando Orzuza, professional=20 argentine tango dancers with 10 years of experience . It was created with=20 the goal of encouraging the continued growth and vitality of the Argentine=20 Tango in the new millennium with it=E2=80=99s eyes open to the world. The a= cademy=20 will offer various courses at different levels according to the focus and=20 degree of experience of the individual, from first class to serious study,=20 including private coaching, choreography and the development of the new=20 techniques within the tradition of authentic Argentine Tango. In addition w= e=20 provide training for professional dancers, instruction to those who are=20 interested in teaching, shows with live music, singing, theater performances= =20 and special preparation for the bride and groom=E2=80=99s first dance. =20 If you want to know about our special events, classes information, tango=20 nights, shows, festivals and tango-tours, please send your e-mail address at= =20 NYTangoDA @aol.com CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTABLE OR MAKE CHECK=20 PAYABLE TO STRICTLY TANGO PRODUCTIONS, INC. Don't miss it!!! Daniela Arcuri & Armando Orzuza

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 18:01:12 -0700 From: Deborah Holm <deborah.holm @PRODIGY.NET> Subject: San Francisco social tango dancing. I want to explain that I have had some experience with some situations that have been the subject of certain emails on this list. I have come finally to realize that Linda Valentino did not mean to include San Francisco as a venue with bad social tango dancing. Although San Francisco is part of North America. And although I have had numerous classes and workshops with "the best" of them all, I have a different opinion on one of them. Orlando Paiva. I took workshops with him, classes with him, and danced in milongas with him when he was here in San Francisco. I danced in a couple of different milonga venues with him. I tend to be a very nervous dancer, never having a partner. In one venue, we were able to do a "calming" kind of dancing where he kept me calm by pressuring down with his hands on me so I focused on him. And the other venue, although more crowded, was so fine with him that I was actually able to dance with my eyes closed the entire dance. He watched for me. Of course, this meant I was pretty much part of his body during the entire dance and had only to pay much attention to the rhythm of the music. That I could do. I guess this experience is elementary to all the pros out there. During one of the workshops with Orlando, he made the dancers try to move within a very small space. Even though I am not a very small female, I was able to move in exactly the space alloted. It wasn't difficult. It has to do with moving. Not a problem. As I said before, I am not a pro. But I don't mind this kind of instruction. In the workshops with Orlando I kept getting the kind of guy who was the hotshot, who kept getting the move wrong and kept blaming me until Orlando would come over and straighten the guy out. I still adore Argentine Tango. Deborah San Francisco

Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 17:00:33 EDT From: Neal Goldman <nealg1 @HOTMAIL.COM> Subject: Do you need tango to tango? I had a question for the list. I was at a recent milonga in NC in our small but growing tango community, and I was commenting on the music choices. I mentioned that in Rochester NY they used to play all traditional tango, milonga, and waltz, but once every week they played a local favorite non tango which the community as a whole loved to tango to. It was a lorena McKennit (?) song with a strong slow pulsating and building rhythm. I mentioned that I enjoyed dancing to this piece. Well the person I was talking to immediately said he would never dance tango to non tango...in fact he then stated he refused to dance to tubatango because that wasn't a tango ... tango doesn't have tuba, and that even piazzola wasn't something he would dance to. He said this politely but with conviction. He wasn't trying to say that I shouldn't dance to non tango music, but rather that he didn't think it was right and he wouldn't. Well When metin came to give some workshops...before class started...he was warming up dancing to a turkish song...I loved wathcing it. It seemed right to me. I like tango...and I like music... and sometimes it just feels right to tango to something not written in argentina. So my question is....do other people feel tango only to argentine tango music? Neal Goldman Winston-Salem NC _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.

Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 15:28:10 +0900 From: astrid <astrid @RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP> Subject: Re: Do you need tango to tango? but once every > week they played a local favorite non tango which the community as a whole > loved to tango to. It was a lorena McKennit (?) song with a strong slow > pulsating and building rhythm. I mentioned that I enjoyed dancing to this > piece. Well the person I was talking to immediately said he would never > dance tango to non tango...in fact he then stated he refused to dance to > tubatango because that wasn't a tango ... tango doesn't have tuba, and that > even piazzola wasn't something he would dance to. > warming up dancing to a turkish song...I loved wathcing it. It seemed right > to me. > So my question is....do other people feel tango only to argentine tango > music? > Well, feeling tango is another matter but as far as dancing is concerned: I danced at the Windspieltheater in Berlin, and they played one tanda of music with some curious string instruments and a small drums sung in an incomprehensible language. The rhythm was different, too. When I asked my partner: "What on earth is this? Greek ?", he answered: "It must be Finnish tango." Later the owner of a dance shoe shop put on the same music when I came in and even danced with me to that in his shop, so I could try out the shoes (Yes, he did! www.zapatosdebaile.de). I was right, it was Greek, not Finnish. Whether it was "tango", I don't know but the Berliners seem to like it.

End of TANGO-L Digest - 7 Sep 2000 to 8 Sep 2000 (#2000-242) ************************************************************