Daniel Monserrat
moves us all with his music and charm and I had the privilege
and honor of interviewing the marvelous Latin singer and
performer. Monserrat expressed the tango is part of his life, it is
deeply embedded in his soul. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his
passion for singing tangos began at 9 yrs old. He first started
studying Argentine Folkloric and then proceeded to traditional tango music. He has participated in very well known
national events such as: Cosquin, Festival Nacional de Tango en
Villa Maria Cordoba. He has also performed on Television
Channels such as ATC Telefe. He has preformed in all providences
of Argentina and traveling to Vina Del Mar, Chile to share his
tangos there. Two years ago he arrived in the United States and has
now realized his dream, recording his 1st CD “Amor de Tango”.
The interview concluded with him revealing a series of his
favorites: Singer: Julio Sosa, Orchestra: Sexteto Mayor, Hobby:
Soccer, Color: Orange, Country: Argentina, Idol:
Jose de San Martin, Zodiac sign: Leo.
Last weekend found B and I on the road again. We started our
Halloween Tour on Friday October 29th at the Dallas
Opera Rehearsal Facility in Dallas. Saturday Oct 30th we were in
Austin at the Halloween Milonga. We were happy to see
"it's a girl: plastered on the front door of Learn to
Dance. For those of you who know Ricardo and Leticia Moncada the arrival of their beautiful 7 lb baby girl - the
tiniest tanguera of Austin was wonderful news. We send our warm congratulations to
the Moncada Family! The following day, Sunday Oct. 31st we
arrived back in San Antonio to continue our celebration of
Halloween with the our SA Tangueros. Click here to view photos of
the Halloween Tour 2004. Before I forget, I must mention
that on the Tuesday before we went to Dallas, I was crowned
Queen of the Halloween Milonga and Rogelio Trejo was crowned King at
Massimo's Milonga.. I took my Queen's Crown to Dallas so that I
could boast about it, of course.
This happy, very hermoso
milonguero is Roy Montejano.
I have a special thank you for him, as he has been my driver to
Austin classes.
I adore all my tanguero/a
friends.
Te`veo
en una milonga !
Norma
norma@lavidatango.com
Milongita
Monday 8pm
live music by
D. Monserrat
at Silo
Notice.
. .
Daniel has a
previous engagement and will not be at Silo November 8, a
DJ will spin for your tango pleasure ! He will be back the
following Monday.
Beautiful
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your invitation
December 17 LaVidaTango is
hosting a Posada
Milonga
at
the elegant
Granada Ballroom in
San Antonio TX
This will be the
” tango event” of the
holiday season.
Advance
tickets are on sale now. Find contact information on the web site right
click on
this
Dear
Maleva,
Here's a general question for you. I'm a follower and I
want to be asked to dance more. What's your advice?
Thanks, Sittin' Solo
Dear Sittin' Solo and ALL the Chicas out there.
Yes, it's true that
leaders want to dance with women who feel comfortable and
follow well (and of course it never hurts if you're
attractive and wearing something sexy) but besides these
givens, there is one small thing that any woman can do
that I think greatly improves the chances of getting asked
to dance more often: make sure there is an expression of
pure bliss on your face whenever you ARE dancing with
someone. If a leader see you happy and relaxed in someone
else's arms, he will be more likely to take you into his
own.
I have heard leaders say about women: "She's lovely
to dance with, but I see her dancing with other leaders
and she always has such a bored/pained/scared/cold
expression on her face. I don't want her looking like that
over my shoulder!"
SO, try not to hold
tension in your face. even if you are nervous. And never
EVER scan around the room with your eyes and watch other
dancers or people on the sidelines. Close your eyes if you
can and think about putting a tiny, mysterious smile on
your lips. This
is one instance where it's OK to fake it. Even if the guy
you are dancing with hasn't put you in the deepest,
sleepiest of tango trances....make sure you look like he
has, because other leaders are watching and they will
notice.
It has always been a controversy
about where Carlos Gardel was born; Uruguay claims that he was
born in "Tacuarembo" in 1893. Argentineans demands
that Carlos Gardel is not only Argentinean but he is also the
symbol of the Argentine Tango and his figure has reached popular
mystic proportions. France meanwhile keeps saying that Charles
Romuald Gardes was born in Toulouse in 1890. Being myself on
tour in Paris and even when I had several work-shops ahead I
found myself in Toulouse even when it was not in my itinerary, I
promised to Tango and to myself to visit the place where,
according to the experts, Carlos Gardel was born... and find out
once and for all... what was really the truth! Toulouse "La
Ville Rose" is south of Paris, almost at the border with
Spain and between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea, I was
here a couple years ago while on a teaching tour with "El
Indio Benavente" and Mariana Fresno (both excellent tango
dancers). Walking around the city I was very impressed by its
red brick houses and magnificent Renaissance mansions. I was
also fascinated by its dual personality: Industrialized in on
hand while, on the other, one of the most intellectual and
artistic centers of France.
The Rue de Cannon D' Arcole is located
close to downtown, is now a modern street with a lot of traffic,
the # 4 belongs to an old house, impressive and very well
preserved with a beautiful blue wood frame and stained-glass
doors, its walls brickwork lit up under the sun and a big bronze
plaque was at the left side of the front door.
The plaque text on the house located at # 4 Rue de
Canon D'Arcole,
Toulouse, FR, translated from French to English Reads: "It
is in this building that Charles Romuald Gardes was born
on Dec. 2, 1890 who would become a celebrity all over the world
under the name of CARLOS GARDEL". Photo of Carlos Gardel home by
Orlando Budini, 2004
I had to take my train back to Paris at 12
noon, so I knock at the door several times anxious and exited,
very much exited ... my pulse started to run faster.. After all
I was knocking at the door of the house that it was supposed to
be Carlos Gardel's house! Nobody answered and nobody shows up,
fortunately in my previous investigations my good friend and
local Tango organizer Pierre had given me instructions to
visit the Hospital "La Grave" on the other side of La
Garonne. It was already 12 noon when I finally, with my limited
French, could explain to the staff what I was looking for.
"La Grave" hospital's documents shows clearly that:
"Charles Romuald Gardes was born there December 2, 1890 at
2 am, the son of an unknown father and Berthe Gardes". I'
had already missed my train until the next day, so I went back
to # 4 Rue Cannon D' Arcole and... yes tangueras and
milongueros... that was the house of Berthe Gardes and her
little son was... the number 1, the founder, the great among the
greatest... He was... Carlos Gardel!
Pierre and other Toulouse friends and true milongueros
helped me to put all together that night in "Tango en el
Barrio", a nice milonga as good as any in Buenos
Aires. Inspired by "the beautiful music", discussing
and sharing the very same tango feelings about this, I was able
to accept it... yes, Carlos Gardel was born here, in Toulouse in
1890. He, supposedly, was migrated and registered in Uruguay in
1893 and later on, after some years living in Buenos Aires, he
becomes an Argentinean Citizen. So, whether France and Uruguay
likes it or not, Carlos Gardel, our Carlitos Gardel, was as well
as many other immigrants of that time, AN ARGENTINEAN BY CHOISE!
And becoming with time, the true symbol of the Argentinean
Tango music. His magnificent figure has been, for many years and
still is in Argentina, a popular cult in Itself reaching,
naturally, religious proportions. This is why, to all
Argentineans everywhere in the world, including myself, Carlos
Gardel "El Zorzal Criollo" ...CADA DIA...CANTA MEJOR!
"He sings every day better and better" Next month, My last "Tango in
Paris".
Contact Orlando at orlandobudini@metatango.com
Styles of Tango part one of an informative report
by Victor
Collins
Instructor/Choreographer/Dancer
With great pleasure, I will attempt to share with you the ideas
that have stayed with me through time. Experiences that I have been
fortunate to accumulate through family and friends as well as the
places I frequented in Buenos Aries. I studied there, blocks away from
where Carlos Gardel worked, allowing me to compile a lot of
information with respect to Tango. I absorbed much of this information
even when I was not looking for it. I want to share with you something
which has confused many about “how to dance Tango” and the many
different styles of Tango dancers.
To begin, let’s clarify that Tango is only “one” dance and
what varies is the style. The way one dances has more to do with the
statement and personality each one brings to the dance. We should
always remember that Tango is an emotion that you dance. That is why
it is not too important whether one really knows it or not. What
matters more is what one is feeling at that very moment and what one
transmits through the body to the partner. On another occasion I will
comment more with respect to the body, but now we will occupy
ourselves with the differing styles.
I will begin with a brief review of the “Tango Fantasy” style also
known as stage Tango. This is always choreographed and will include
acrobatic lifts and jumps, intricate steps and clever tricks. This
style gained strength and popularity when the dance company of
“Tango Argentino” and its members offered the world structured,
spectacular events with complicated choreographies. Breaking with the
rules of tradition these choreographies, with time, this line of work
has obtained its proper space and become quite rich. Yet Tango Fantasy
does not pretend to be a replacement to the original eternal Tango.
This needs to be taken into account, since so many people that dance
at the milongas attempt to implement those elements that are not
original Tango. This of course, adds to the confusion that dancer have
now days and continues to spread because most people really don’t
know what a true milonga is. Adding to the mix of confusion are the
instructors that teach with the objective of demonstrating their
acrobatic knowledge and ability, transmitting this to their students.
They fail to take under consideration the importance of communication
between the couple, the trust, solidarity and elegance necessary and
ultimately the respect required to the other dancers on the floor at a
milonga. One day I will elaborate further on this very important
point, “respect”. The “Tango Fantasy” or stage Tango has its
own proper domain, the theatres, where even the music is always
altered somehow for this type of event.
I hope my commentary will help you understand Tango a little
more.
Next issue I will discuss the concepts of “Tango Orillero” and its
variations.
Special thank you to Minita Leal for
translating Victors words to English.
DearTangoMan,
There is lady I like and we meet at milongas. We have been
dancing over a year. She may have grown too used to my style.
She anticipates my moves and goes just before my lead. How can I
tactfully correct what I think has become habit for her. Thank you... Denver Tanguero
Dear Denver Tanguero,
Presumably your partner is of age, so she
already has had all the corrections she may have needed from her
parents, teachers and spiritual guides while growing up. If she
wanted to dance with her daddy, she wouldn't be dancing with
you. There is nothing you can or should do to "correct"
tactfully or otherwise your dance partner. I will attribute this
paternal impulse of yours to the low density of the air way
up there in Denver and the effects it has on the normal
functioning of the brain. On the other hand, there are plenty of
things that you can do for yourself. Quickly, before she
decides to take matters into her own feet, find another woman to
dance with! Or, think about the possibilities available to you
equipped as most of us are with two legs and two directions to
head for, your left and your right using either leg. Then begin to change your navigational patterns by taking
charge, holding her gently but firmly against you when you
normally just have your hand on her back. Above all, make her
change directions at will (yours, not hers) when she steps
forward, backwards or laterally.
Allow for the time she needs to stabilize and acquire a new axis
after a change of direction. Don't rush her, take care of her
and the dance will take care of both. Tangazos, TangoMan
Ask
your questions and get answers from Alberto Paz, better
known as the TangoMan
Email tangoman@lavidatango.com
Learn more about TangoMan at Planet
Tango.
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Recently
I was asked by an American distributor of GoTan Project to review their latest album "Inspiracion-Espiracion". I gladly accepted, expecting another
masterpiece like "La Revancha del Tango".
Well, after a careful review of the album, I must admit
my mixed feelings about this double CD.
I completely and instantly fell in love with "Round
about Midnight" a sublime remix of an excellent
Chet Baker piece. It combines Baker's unmistakable
mastery of the trumpet with bandoneon accompaniment, and
an astronomer's description of the night sky (in "porteno"
Spanish, obviously) - simply perfect, I would not change
a note... that's the GoTan we love.
However, other recordings like Cite Tango, La Cumparsita,
and Tres y Dos totally left me down! First of all La
Cumparsita and Cite Tango are not remixes, they are
actual "textual" recordings that Phillippe
Cohen Solal took from Cerito and Piazzolla. I instantly recognized
the Piazzolla recording (I own a copy of it), and felt
totally down when the end of Cite Tango came and I
realized that he had
just "copied" the recording from Piazzolla
without a single alteration/remix... that is not a
remix! Tres y Dos features a pretty bad quality
recording of Troilo's work (I have actually heard
"cleaner" versions of it)
"sprinkled" with sounds of explosions at the
very beginning and a recording of Evita (I think) at the
end - but not much of a remix there either...
The tenth track is an interesting tango-rap, I am still
trying to make up my mind on whether I like it or not...
The album also features four remixed versions of tracks
from La Revancha del tango (El Capitalismo Foraneo,
Triptico, Santa Maria, La del Ruso). Unfortunately, only
one of these tracks (Triptico) sounds better on the
second album than on the first one... The remix of Santa
Maria disappointed me because most of that mix features
some "industrial beat" that muffles the
bandoneon most of the time...
The Bonus CD features an excellent track (La Cruz Del
Sur). Why did they not put it on the main CD? The 2nd CD
also features a video which did not impress me much.
I give it album a 6/10, I like Solal's tango remixing
recipe much more on La Revancha del Tango than on this
album. And by the way, I like his work on tracks 3, 4,
11 much more than that of his collaborators tracks 5, 6,
and 10.
Email
Eric with
questions and visit tangotango.us
for archives on previous articles.To
listen to a selection of the CD and see a video visit
this site www.xlrecordings.com/
Tango at
Sea There is still
time for you to be enjoying
yourself too.
Call Rita
210-764-1114
Letter
to a Friend
Help Your Tango Community, Help Yourself All Tango communities
have a strong core of great people. Unfortunately, there is
usually no common direction, no communication on Tango events or
Tango education. I understand how one has a passion for this
dance and wants to contribute to the growth of the community,
however, one
should not forget what brought you to the dance and the
community.
If you have any interest in your tango community you MUST
understand what it takes to have success in any endeavor, from
business to family, in a word Communication......HELLO!???
Communication!!! That means all of you that want to sponsor
events or hosts outside instructors should be able to
communicate with the other sponsors in order to prevent
duplication of efforts or conflicts in dates. It takes a lot of
work to host a dance, plan a trip or bring in instructors. If
you have taken on the role of a community builder, it has to be
the entire community, not just your event. It also is important
for instructors that first discovered the passion of Tango to
understand that there are different people with different ideas
that can make a contribution with- out conflicting with your
interests or your goals. Everyone has that connection to Tango,
however, without the communication and understanding by all
contributors, the community is weaken. If you have a weak
foundation, you will never build a solid community.
If you do not support each other, you will be dancing by
yourselves. If you do not invite other you will not grow.
"Tango is about sharing.
Friendships are about forgiveness.
Leadership is about leading...by example."
If you want to build Tango in your community, begin by looking
inside. Think about what is important. Know that the MOST
important thing is people. We are all have good hearts
and we all want the same things, to feel welcomed, valued and to
have friends to share our experiences and passions. If you are a
dancer and you want the community to grow, go to as many events
as you can, invite a friend and support practicas.
If you have taken on a leadership role in this community, then
lead!
Communicate with the other organizers. Give value to what each
has to offer. Repair all relationships and work together to
provide great tango events in the community that everyone can
support and enjoy. Each person needs to look inside and
determine what they would like to get from Tango and what are
you willing to put into it. If you are
not happy with the many leads and many levels you have, or you
do not think there are enough leads, learn to lead, encourage
new leads or go out and find a wayward man that needs direction
in life. It is well documented that men need a good woman to
tell them what
they need in life. I see nothing wrong with inviting males to a
Tango event. Take "lead" out of the equation. Think
back and remember when you first learned of tango. If you
weren't exposed to tango you would not be dancing tango now.
Smile and tell someone that you are happy to see them.
Look forward, not back!
Tango
Photograph
of the Month
Eric and Susana CLICK HERE
LaVidaTango Mission
Statement:
Our mission is to provide a virtual home
where all tangueros, from beginners to advanced, can
access the rich culture of tango
and the many and varied resources available to
them. Remain inclusive and impartial with regard to
styles, theories and organizations.
Strive to help individuals to raise their level and
understanding of the dance. Inspire tango lovers to have
fun and enjoy their tango.
Our Advice:
VAYA PRONTO A UNA
MILONGA !
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Archives
The plaque text on the house located at # 4 Rue de
Canon D'Arcole,
