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Mi
Tango !
One of my readers wrote:
Dear Norma: Where are you located? Batt Johnson - NY
Hola Batt... I spend
most of my tango time in San Antonio, Texas. Although I have a home in
the far southern part of the state, there
is no tango there yet! I do plan to remedy that
maybe next year. You should visit San Antonio... Dec 17th would
be a good time
as we are having a big milonga and the Riverwalk downtown is decorated beautiful for the holidays.
I'm still reeling from all the great dances I had at the Las Vegas
Tango. This young
man, Nick Jones is from Boulder, Colorado. Nick and his partner Tara Furtier
danced a beautiful exhibition at the Friday night milonga. Nick
confessed that it was his mother who had "made" him take tango
lessons. It has only been in the last few years
he has truly appreciated
moms efforts.
The Milonga at Jazzercise last Saturday Sept. 25, was a great
success. Everyone admired the Paris-like atmosphere, with the various
miniature Eiffel Towers, candles, flowers decorating the tables - the
lights were dimmed - we had French breads, wine, cheese, fruits on the
tables I was happy to see Josue,
Loreen, Maggie, Jose, Irene and Roy join us for this beautiful
evening of tango. A young tanguero from Saltillo, Coah., Mex., named
Luis Lobo attended also - he is a great dancer too.
I would also like to announce about a raffle we are holding. The ticket
price is $l0. each and the "prize" will be a beautiful $140.
pair of tango shoes made in Argentina. These shoes will be custom made -
the winner will choose the style, color of preference, etc. Please
contact me for details.
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Te`veo
en una milonga !
Norma |
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Milonga
Monday 8pm
live
music by
D. Monserrat
at Silo |
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Poem . . .
The Tango
By
Mathieu Bodifée
When I take you gently in my arms
and we softly sail away together
in this safe embrace of time
all my fear and doubt resolves
and we become together
one with the dance.
During this embrace of music
and movement are
we just for a fleeting moment
alone with each other.
The beauty of two spirits
joint together in this dance
mounts the vulgarity of life
in a exalted celebration of being.
Just for a moment
am I yours
and you mine
and are we together of the truth.
Not the leading is what counts,
but the listening to the truth.
Guided by the nostalgia
we give ourselves to each other,
for only a moment.
Eternally am I bound to the dance
and it will bind us together.
Enjoy more of Mathieu's
poetry at
www.poetry.com
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It is late September and under the bright light of a full moon I am driving south on Blanco
Ave., it is Saturday night and around 10 p.m. San Antonio in boots is already dancing cumbia, salsa, merengue, polka and anything else they play at the average
dance hall/bar. A herd of tourist at this moment walks up and down the river walk trying to find a place
to seat to alleviate tired feet, hunger and thirst. Warm, humid air carries Latin beats
everywhere. Yes, this surely is mariachi and cumbia country, a tired tourist
said while trying to clear a huge taco plate. You are right, another
replies, This San Antonio, is just a sleepy town that still lacks the status of a
cosmopolitan metropolis. Behind a bottle of Corona a third one
says, yah, nothing like Boston.
If a cosmopolitan city is defined by its culture, San Antonio already is among the
best. Nevertheless, at the parking lot where Blanco Ave. has taken me and now houses my car, far away in the distance I can hear the tunes of an old mambo, but below the surface nothing is what it seems and tonight a select group of us will gather together to dance to the passionate music of dos por cuatro. For over five years now under the hot sunrays and
bright light of the moon, dozens of people have discovered the culture and music from Rio de la
Plata and like wild mushrooms groups of Argentine tango have been formed. Before the doors that will take to another world, I make sure my shoes are shining, my necktie hangs loose and my coat is wrinkle free.
A soon as I walk in scenes of what paradise must be like develop before my eyes. Behold
a group of people who are immersed in the ocean of a passionate atmosphere,
true elegance. Dozens of talented milongueros who are constructing intriguing labyrinths are already drunk with the music of the orchestra of Carlos Di Sarli. Yes, this is a milonga in San Antonio and here red wine is served, beautiful ladies wear designer garments, French perfumes and glide on high heels. Men wear black ties and thin suede sole shoes and move to violin and piano tunes, thrilling one with the feeling of been in an enchanted place.
It is now well after midnight and Daniel Monserrat, Argentine born, song writer
and tango singer, begins to intone the passionate and romantic tango Y Todavia Te Quieroâ and with that I realize, San Antonio is not just your average cosmopolitan metropolis. With these groups of
Argentine tango lovers and a talented tango singer like Daniel Monserrat; San Antonio is now inside a sparkling bubble of a passionate atmosphere and far above any cosmopolitan metropolis.
By Josue Vazquez-Garca To
find out more about Josue's passion for tango in San Antonio
Texas, visit the Puro Tango at: www.purotangodesanantonio.com/
Puro Tango's milonga's are listed in La Vida
Tango'sCalendar. |
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"That’s
what tango is, life itself…"
Carlos
Gavito |
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Talking
to Gavito is an experience, in the literal sense of the word; it’s
knowing that you’re talking to an authority on Argentine sentiment, to a
person loved by the people, respected and above all, someone strong and
sensitive. A dancer with an impeccable professional career, who has traveled the
world over making our beloved tango known to all,. He was awarded a TONY
in 1991, for “Forever Tango”, the only musical with Argentine
performers on Broadway that has won an award. He is a milonguero (milonga dancer) familiar with the nightlife, an
observer of people, a great master. Gavito inspires admiration. The
intensity of his feelings can be felt when he speaks, he respects the
things he talks about, he’s proud of them and has an indescribable
passion for what he does; dancing, teaching, teaching and teaching, both
tango and life, because to him Tango is life; tango with all its colors,
Gavito is dedicated to dancing all those hues and when he dances, believe
me, life definitely changes colors with each beat. We hope you enjoy the
little chat we had with this master of dance and that through it you will
be able to connect with the true intensity of a person who is dedicated to
making our Argentine identity something beautiful and respected......
How did you start out as a lover of tango…?
-I’ve been involved with tango from a very early age. If I have to say
exactly since when, it sounds incredible even to me; I was only 7 years
old!
I studied the bandoneón (tango accordion) in my neighborhood of
Avellaneda and through this instrument met many different friends and
people who sang and danced.
I started out with tango not because of the dance itself, but because of
the music, which is what seduces us and makes us feel the tango; at one
point the dance began to mean a lot to me.
I decided to put the bandoneón aside. My mother asked me why I didn’t
keep it up, saying it was such a great and beautiful instrument, so I said
to her: - “I’m not studying bandoneón anymore because those who play
never dance”. So that was how my tango in this world got started, by
that time I was more or less twelve or thirteen years old.
And who is Gavito now?
-I am a man who has dedicated his life to promoting tango, trying to
take it to all corners of the globe, it’s what I’ve been doing for
thirty-something years, getting to know ninety six countries with all
their cities, I’ve worked everywhere, on the Ivory Coast, all over the
States, Australia, Egypt, Kenya!...Ninety six countries is a lot of ground
to cover!
Was it difficult to start out working with
tango?
-I was one of the forerunners along with Carlos Copes, Gloria and Eduardo,
who tried to introduce tango to the rest of the world.
At first it was something tough to do,
it was difficult as there was a lack of understanding about what we set
out to do and in a way, what we wanted to say, you see?
Nowadays, people dance tango all over the world; it is a social dance that
everyone enjoys. There
is sure to be a tango community in every city, all over the world.
We know most of them as we
travel to them and teach at all of them.
Tell me about tango...
-Each tango is
different and has different colors, it is the “moods” that are danced,
moods and states of mind change from day to day, from moment to moment,
always, no one moment is exactly like another, no one person is the same
as another, the chemistry between different people varies, which is why
the saying goes “tango is an affaire that lasts 3 minutes, if its longer
than three minutes it’s something else....(laughter).
So then colors represent moods to
you...
-Yes! Besides there is my spirit, the moment; the only thing my soul
says to me at that moment is a blend of different feelings, which give a
result that is one of a kind. It’s
something beautiful to be able to feel music, know what you are doing and
suddenly feel that it’s a parade of colors that are making you move this
way and that. Passion,
light red; light blue, peace softness; green...; those colors pass through
the music, you see all of those colors in each instrument. You
have to learn to do that yourself, it cannot be taught; everyone must find
their own color.
How do you teach people
to discover their own color?
-I teach them that true tango is found in the hues, the shades, just
as with life itself; such as the moments in
your life which are not all alike. That is why I don’t believe in
choreography, I believe in the moment and I believe in tango and to me
tango is what is in between each step...When you are putting on
a show, don’t you make up any choreography?
-Yes, yes, I create a main base routine, how we are going to come
together, the adagio pauses, the stops and starts.
And the ending?
- To me the ending of a tango is sad, so there is no such thing as
that exuberant, harsh move “tan tan!” No. I say that whoever wants to
show me tango should do so while they’re dancing, not when they’re
finishing.
So
then, the beginning...the adagios...and….
-Yes, the beginning and the outline.
| You obviously have to add
a little bit of choreography into the show, you have to add
something..., look, there is a tango Carlitos Morel
composed for me called “Milonga para Gavito” (Milonga for
Gavito), which defines this idea very well; the words say I make
up “clay choreographies” because they are pliable and they
bend in my hands.
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Any recommendations to someone who
wishes to start dancing tango?
-I would recommend that they be dedicated, that they go to several
well-known tango centers, that they avoid going to places on account of
cheaper prices. Don’t be stingy, pay teachers who know, teachers who are
known. It’s an easy thing to find out, use a phone book, ask at a tango
dance club.
What places do you suggest?
-I would recommend El Beso, La Ideal…, well, there are several more
to keep in mind.
I would also recommend that they sit at a table and watch others dance and
not go out on the floor dancing that “aeronautical” “astronautical”
tango or that “Valentino” tango. Valentino
was a character churned out by the immense machine that is Hollywood, but
in actual fact that was all a lie from the very beginning. Those who dance
tango never used spurs nor bombachas (typical gaucho trousers) or any of
that. Tango is
Argentine folklore from the City of Buenos Aires, not from the
countryside. The utterly delightful folklore from the countryside is
different and possesses a charm of its own; the malambo for example.
And what tango fashion is used today?
There is no specific costume, one must dress according to today’s
society, there is no need to sport the ultimate shoes, or for women to
wear slit-skirts… quite the opposite, elegance is advised. Fashion
changes constantly and people around the world adapt to it with their own
personalities.
What do you feel when you are in
another country dancing or giving lessons and you see Argentine tango
being danced?
I am thrilled to see that our popular music has reached the whole
world. People from over the world appreciate and dance tango
And how does someone who has never been
to Argentina know what is and isn’t ridiculous?
-By going to dances and watching people dance.
And if they never come to Argentina?.
-Well, they should come! (Laughter)
Or they should go to one of the
many centers where Argentine tango is taught in their own country; there
are many of them and very good ones. Tango
is everywhere, in Australia, in the USA, in Turkey, in China, in Russia
etc... I’ve
just returned from Moscow and St. Petersburg where delightful tango is
danced, that’s our tango. They are also creating tango music there.
Are they writing tango in Russian?
-Yes, beautiful tangos, sung with words.
And what do you feel when you hear those
tangos?
-I feel exactly what is said about tango, that it is a feeling of
sadness that is danced, and also sung. The language doesn’t matter; it’s
the emotion that is danced.
Why do people tend to draw towards
tango’s feelings of sadness?
There is a reason; I believe that since 1935, 1936 when tango began
being part of the immigrants, who suffered through so many years of war or
because they had to leave their home countries for a number of reasons,
they found their own sad feelings about what they had lived through
reflected in the tango; although many don’t understand the language,
tango has its hidden pain and it magically transmits all its melancholy,
sadness and all those feeling that I illustrate with colors.
Is there any happiness in tango for you
at any time?
-There is happiness, yes. It’s an ethereal happiness. A
tremendous internal happiness, of the spirit that embodies struggle, of
getting up every day and going off to work, to live life, to struggle
through life, yes. That
struggling spirit lets us know that we’re alive, because even when we’re
suffering we sometimes realize that we’re alive, and that in itself is
happiness. That’s
what tango is, its life itself, a description of our own lives, which
shaped the Argentine identity, through the immigrants who formed our
society.!
Are you teaching tango Gavito?
-Yes, whenever I’m in Argentina I give tango lessons at different
places in town. I
just opened my first Tango school in Argentina. I
love teaching, I really do, I think is the only way that we have to keep
the tradition of tango alive. This
is beautiful school with a very unique philosophy, , as if it were my own
house, where there is enough space to really study tango in all its
aspects, not just the steps which is very important.
Would you please leave a message to the
people coming to visit our country?
-Firstly, welcome to the capital city of Argentine Tango,
I personally
hope you enjoy it with all its colors, they’re truly marvelous!
Carlos, thank you very much! . . .
Thank you, Palacious.
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Note: Interview by Luna
Palacios Article
published in Argentine Traveler’s Guide July 2004. The Author, Luna
Palacios, expresses her permission to La Vida Tango E-zine to publish this material including the provided images in
its on line edition. More about Carlos and his new school. http://www.carlosgavito.com
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LITTLE CARVER
INTIMATE SERIES
Friday, November 5,
2004
Viva Tango
Orchestra "Cantos y Palabras"
The Viva Tango Orchestra,
an unusual blend of musicians from different disciplines teams up with
opera singer Janis De Lara and playwright, actor and vocalist Jose
Ruben De Leon for an evening of words and song. The program consists
of selections from classical Spanish song, operatic arias, tango and
intense poetic readings that will leave you fulfilled and energized.
226 N. Hackberry SA
8:00PM ~ Tickets: $15 |
New La
Vida Tango Classified Ads
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Tango Music
Chronicles
by
Eric
Lanoix
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How to
Buy
the CD
You Really Want !
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Have
you ever gone to a record store to buy a tango CD and then returned home
only to realize that what you thought was going to be
a great tango album was actually the most boring thing on Earth? I know
I have... Fortunately, you do not have to make the same
mistake. Here is how...
1. Listen to what you buy!
If you shop in a record store and the sales rep's don't let you listen
to a CD before you buy it, then just leave the store. There are many stores
that let customers listen to their merchandise before they buy, so why
settle for less? Even the best tango orchestras go through" phases"
where they record music of "questionable" quality. So don't
take any risk, listen to it before you buy it. If you live
in Austin or
San Antonio, I highly recommend Waterloo Records (no, they are not
paying me to write this). They are located at 600A, North Lamar in
Austin and yes, they let you listen to their merchandise before
you buy. The Virgin store in Dallas also has good tango CDs. If you live
in Houston, well you are sort of out of luck. I have yet to find a good
Tango CD store in my hometown. If
you know of one, let me know. If you are in Buenos Aires, you have to go to Zival's
. This place is simply the best tango CD store in the world. They have
600-1000 different tango CDs available in store at any one time. They
also have the cheapest prices (usually 8$US to 11$US);and no, Zival's is
not paying me to write this either... They also have a great selection
of Tango-related books and videos.
2. Use the web.
Thank God for the web! You can get the best CDs
and the cheapest prices by going to Zival's
website. They are reliable (I tried their services myself). Their site
is in English and Spanish, so no worries there either. Finally, you can
listen to excerpts of each of the songs on most of their CDs... swanky no?
Next time, I will talk about one of the greatest and most under-rated
Tango orchestras, Miguel Calo y su Orquesta Tipica.
Hasta la proxima tanda...
Eric Lanoix
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La
VidaTango
Book Review
. . .
David C. Turner's
"A Passion
for Tango"
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When a passionate, art- iculate man meets a dance such as Tango, you might
expect something extra-ordinary to result. And you would be right. Tango is an addictive dance; an old method of body language communication,
where a man and a woman improvise as they are moved by the unique rhythm of the music, their relationship and the moment. The ancient purpose of Tango-
that of
court -ship and the intimate relationship of two people - lives on after more than
100 years. Indeed, Tango has not merely survived; it is finding new devotees
every day, all over the world.
In this fascinating book David seeks to share with the reader not only his
love of the dance but the ideas and insights he has derived from several
teachers who have liberated him to be able to enjoy Tango to the full. Reading
"A Passion for Tango"
is a little like being able to pick the brains of an older brother, a year or
so up the school ladder. This book has much to say about the learning of Tango,
seen from a learner's point of view. David is thought-provoking and often
irreverent, therefore "A Passion for Tango" is
unique.
He not only explains the back- ground, the history, the steps, the
techniques, but does it in a way that makes me want to get up and dance
immediately! "
A Passion for Tango" a cohesive critique of
the dance. It shows not only 'what' and 'how' but 'why' one dances Tango - and
the love that David himself has of this art form shines through with every
word. (What also shines through are the lovely shots, of real people dancing
real tango and loving it!) Lastly, this is an enjoyable book to read. Although it could be used as a
'How-to-Tango manual', it's not written like one. It's funny, enter- taining and
moving in turns - a good read in fact even if you are only marginally
interested in Tango. I believe everyone, no matter what level of dance,
will be fascinated by the end of Chapter One! “
tu hermana tango
Tango at Sea
There is still time for you to be enjoying
yourself too.
Call Rita
210-764-1114
Are you on our mailing
lists?
Contact
Rita
or B
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