Hola,
Our BBQ/Milonga on 9/30/05 at Margie's Secret Garden was a total success. We want to thank everyone sincerely for all your help in making this a successful event. The evening was lovely and we were all very happy, although somewhat tired, but it was all well worth it. We marinated the chicken all night long and I prepared the "cabrito" which B brought us, I used an exquisite recipe. By the way I had a request from several of our tangueros regarding this recipe, which I gladly gave to them. Friends, everything cpmes out delicious when you make it with lots of love and care, you literally "lick your fingers". Thanks to our dear friend Fiacro Salazar for bring us a bottle of Tequila Don Julio Reposado to share, he helped us the days before and after the Milonga. We cannot forget our handsome friend Rogelio Trejo, who was kind enough to come to Margie's home the night before and helped Cecilio decorate the patio with a huge beautiful pinata, papel picado decorations, Chinese lanterns, and torches spread throughout Margie's garden brick walkways, he also assembled chairs and tables throughout the backyard. Rogelio was also very generous bringing us a bottle of Tequila Corralejo  which was also consumed by the guests. When I say, thank you my FRIENDS, I really mean F R I E N D S ! I would also like to give my most sincere thanks to Sra. Margie Valdes-Shick, who worked very hard, in 105' temperature, watering, cleaning and fussing with her many flowers, hoping to make this an unforgettable evening, which undoubtedly it was, judging from the many aahs and oohs from all the admiring guests. I must not forget Sr. Cecilio Martinez who was there ready to help in any way we needed him. I thank God for giving me such true friends in San Antonio. I would also like to thank Virginia and Alvin for sitting at the entrance greeting all of our guests with a big smile and collecting tickets, etc. They are truly the best. Mil besos to Frank Huddleston who made time in his busy study schedule to help with the music. And finally, thanks to all of you who attended our BBQ Milonga helping us make this a very happy and successful event. Saturday, Oct. 8th was our Milonga at Jazzercise. There were very few Tangueras, but plenty of Tangueros. We, the few tangueras that were there, enjoyed dancing tango till 1:00 A.M. as there were plenty of Tangueros to dance with! The buffet table as usual was beautiful, decorated with a huge bouquet of gorgeous flowers from Margie's Secret Garden and illuminated with many little candles. And of course, our ever present bottle of Tequila, brought to us by Mr. Fiacro Salazar. I must say I had never tasted this particular tequila (and I have tasted many!). It was absolutely delicious, the name of it is BUSCADORES. Prepare your- selves tangueros! Well, I wait for you at our next Milonga for a toast with a good tequila shot. 
The Annual Halloween Bash was fun, this year it was a Circa 1900. Rita Rey won first place for the best costume and Judith Foster second... The prizes were tickets to the Posada Milonga, And by the way, have you got your tickets yet? Advance sales are till Dec. 1... you can save by buying now... contact me ASAP there is  only have seating for so many. So don't delay.

Hello again tangueros/as...
I got tired of trying to get my computer to publish .mp3 files to my website. It took me 6 hrs to make it work half-ass last month. So I decided to take a break from the Tango Music Chronicle and start something new: a Men’s Tango Technique Editorial. Why? Well, women have entire web-pages devoted to women’s technique/ embellishments and I noticed that although it usually takes a lot longer for a man to learn a tango figure than it does for a woman (well we have to lead, don’t we?), us guys don’t quite have the “web support group” we deserve. *
Given that I have already said a lot just to introduce the editorials and cover my derriere :-), this editorial will be a short one devoted to
voleos. First, the definition of voleo (taken from very informal dictionary of tango, VOLEO noun, pronounced BOLEO in English)   Argentine tango movement involving a pivot in one direction, followed by a pivot in the other direction (counter-pivot). The invention of this movement is credited to Carlos Alberto Estevéz (a.k.a. Petroleo).
The voleo can be done by the woman or by the man. You could even lead the woman to do a voleo, while doing one yourself. You can lead/do a front voleo (voleo adelante) or a back voleo (voleo atras) or any combination thereof. There is no such thing as a “line voleo” (in my opinion anyway) what many instructors try to “market” as a line voleo is actually nothing more than a kick (patada). There is nothing wrong with leading/ doing a patada as long as you have a hugh amount of room to do it, and you don't mind people frowning at you because it's not very social. The patada involves no pivot/counter-pivot combination, which means that it’s not a voleo. OK, I am burying myself in semantics now.
When doing/leading the voleo,the person who actually does the voleo (usually, but not necessarily the woman) may elect to raise the
free leg. That is optional and the height at which the leg is raised depends on the intensity of the lead, on the space available (please do not AX your dancing neighbor), on the music, and on the overall mood of the person doing the voleo. The free leg can be raised in a circular manner (with the free knee as the center of the circle) or along a straight line. Personally, I far prefer the circular voleo.
Since, the voleo is a pivot/counter -pivot combination; it does NOT involve a weight change for the woman after completion of the voleo (strictly speaking). Very often, women do a voleo on their right foot and then automatically switch their weight to their left foot just because they instinctively expect the next move to be a front ocho. Guys, remember to lead the weight change if your want her to do it. Don’t just expect that “she’ll know what to do”… because that weight change is simply not mandatory, it’s just widely taught. Dare to be different! Ladies, remember that weight changes are lead, you can embellish the tango all you want, but changing your weight BEFORE the lead for it comes is like dancing on your own.
One last thing, I did not mention WHERE the voleo is lead from. That was a voluntary omission. Since the voleo is nothing but a
pivot/counter-pivot combination, it follows that a voleo can be lead/ done at any moment during the tango. Remember this guys! You don't have to always lead the voleo from the back ocho, you can lead/do it anywhere and at any- time! Try it! It will greatly expand your tango figures arsenal with very little effort.

Keep the questions coming, 
I love them! 
Hasta la proxima tanda,. . tango on friends!   
         Eric Lanoix

Email eric@tangotango.us with questions, visit www.tangotango.us

*Disclaimer ... Please note that in this and all future editorials, terms like man, guys, etc are used to denote the leader and woman,
ladies, etc designates the follower. I am in no way suggesting that only men should lead and only women should follow. I simply use such
terms to ease reading. I also want to remind everyone that in the learning stages, leading involves a certain degree of macho-ness traditionally associated with men, while following involves a certain degree of sensitivity traditionally associated with women. I actually encourage people to practice both roles to gain a deeper knowledge of tango. But when dancing at a milonga, men usually lead and women usually follow…

Ask Maleva! 
Dear Maleva, I'm a beginner, and recently went to Montreal to check out the milonga scene. I mostly just sat and watched, and enjoyed a semi-private lesson before the milonga at a practica with an excellent teacher. But, when people, really good dancers whose style I really admired did come and ask me to dance, I would say always yes, since I'm anything but shy, but I would ALWAYS warn them upfront that I'm a beginner. And, to my surprise, they would dance the way they normally dance and I felt that I was led into things that were above me, that I either (a) didn't understand (like ocho cortado, which I know now, since I subsequently learned it in a class or where the leader slides my foot over, then waits for me to slide his foot back) or (b) were badly led (like a *badly* led gancho, one that I couldn't feel with my thigh). I also felt that I would get moved too fast without enough warning, not enough signal for me to lean forward slightly in order to push off more with my supporting leg; and so I would often lose my balance. In sum, with these "one dance" guys it just didn't FEEL right, we didn't connect. This is my question: is this a question of me being a *bad* follower, or just a question of incompatibility or them being bad leads, i.e. not reading me, feeling where I am? Is an appropriate analogy here similar to the fact that I won't like everyone's personality, that I'll click better with some people than with others? Is it the same way with dancing? I'll like dancing with some people better than with others? One of my friends who dances a lot says that it's not my inability to do colgadas and more advanced moves and improvisation, but rather my posture, how I hold myself that's un- pleasant enough to a leader to only want one dance. Perhaps I'm too heavy, or not present enough? Perhaps I'm not relaxed enough? Any insights? 
Cheers, One Hit Wonder  

Dear One Hit Wonder,
I would say that the biggest things that make a follower nice to dance with are being relaxed and having good balance. Of course, these things are interrelated with other qualities, for instance you must have nice posture in order to be on balance and a comfortable embrace will make you feel more relaxed. Sometimes when I dance with a beginner in a class and she is very relaxed I will forget myself and try to lead a turn or ochos before she knows how. It is easy for someone to feel more advanced than they are if they are very relaxed. Try not to tense up and remember to breathe. For balance, I think that practicing ochos is one of the very best exercises. When I was learning, I would go into the stairwell at my office whenever I got bored (which was often) and holding onto the banister in the landing I would practice ochos with 180 degree pivots, forward, then back. I must have done thousands of ochos in that spot; there's probably a figure 8 burned into the floor there! The biggest things that make a follower not-as-nice to dance with are being heavy, off balance, and hard to 'steer'. If you are guilty of any or God forbid, all of these things you just may hear 'thank you' after 1 dance. I think that most likely you are just inexperienced and therefore missed a lot of leads and the guys didn't have the patience for this. (Although if you warned them you were a beginner they should have been sensitive to this and not led ganchos etc. on you.) Lots of practice and more lessons will take care of this. And yes, there will always be people you find more compatible and the funny thing is that the more you dance, the people you once had a hard time connecting with will suddenly become your favorite dancers and the people you once loved dancing with may suddenly seem hard to dance with. It always changes. Also, from your description, it sounds like you might have to take care that you don't wind up falling into the 'heavy' category. Being heavy has absolutely nothing with your actual weight. Some of the biggest ladies are the lightest. There are a couple of ways to feel heavy to your partner: a. Pressing forward into your partner with your muscles to give him 'resistance' and a feeling of connection. Make sure your connection or compression, is totally relaxed and a result of surrendering a fraction of your weight towards your partner (not so much you are off your axis). Do not press into the floor with your legs or feet to get this slight pressure. As one of my first tango teachers would say, 'Ladies, release the brakes!' b. Taking too long to prepare for the steps or interpret his leads. You must be very light on your feet and react without thinking. You shouldn't have to take time to make an adjustment before taking the step. Try to step at the same time as him instead of lagging behind him, and don't let his chest get away from you, especially in turns. Don't make him drag you with his arms, you should be right there with him. c. Failing to push off your standing leg to get yourself to your own axis. If you make the leader push you on top of your own leg you are making him do the work for two, and you will also have less control over your balance. You know best where your axis is, so put yourself there. d. Waiting for the leader to put you onto the beat instead of stepping there yourself. You are listening to the music too and if you step on the beat yourself you will feel like you are dancing with him, not slightly behind him. This is also a big factor in feeling 'musical' to the leader. e. Not having good balance so the leader has to literally catch you and hold you up after almost every step. f. Pulling down with either or both arms, i.e. hanging around his neck like a weight or not supporting the weight of your own right arm. Dancing with a 'heavy' follower is uncomfortable by the end of 1 song and literally painful by the end of a tanda, so many leaders will choose to end the tanda early.

	Advance Ticket Sales   for the  3rd Annual  Posada Milonga   are on sale now! Contact Norma, Margie or B for tickets. For information go to : http://www.lavidatango.com/pm.htm
MUST ALL THE CHAMPIONS BE ARGENTINEANS EVERY YEAR?    by Orlando Budini First I would like to extend many thanks to: Carolina Simon, Alicia Pons, Valeria Zunino, Pablo Nievas and Carlos Furman.  Chapter Two:  When you start walking along calle Corrientes from the Obelisco up, you will find this experience sincerely fascinating. Once you see those new lights and wider side walks full of little cafes no one just like to the other (not like we are used to seeing in Texas), book-stores and marquesines, theaters and famous restaurants the least you can do is to admire this avenida which in its best years of splendor, was called "The street that never sleeps" because today she is desperely fighting ...with the big help of EL TANGO... to go back to those years after a "long and pain full time of sleeping". Buenos Aires had just finished the "III Tango Dance World Championship" and I need it to talk to the General Production Manager at the Festival's production office "Teatro San Martin" in calle Corrientes. For the third consecutive year from its inauguration, once again two couples of Argentines dancers won the two titles (Salon Tango and Stage Tango) of Tango World's Champions. Photo courtesy of Carlos Furman  Once I entered the elevator to the eight floor I could not help to remember the first time I was here 2 years before when I decided that tangueros from Texas and USA deserved, as well as any other tango dancers, the opportunity to be participants in the 2004 edition of the world wide championship at that time, so I presented myself to Carolina Simon, a lovely and typical muchacha portena, and I asked her for the Festival’s Production Director: "I’m the Festival Production Director" she replies!  After that we start working with her firm support to select the first couple to represent Texas and the USA in the "II World Tango Dance Championship" event that took place under my direction in Houston/Texas in April 2004 with participants from all over Texas, Mexico and Arizona. George and Jairelby Furlong from Dallas were the final champions who represented us, with not very much luck in Buenos Aires in August of that year (Jorge Firpo and Aurora Lubiz, jurors at the World Championship in Buenos Aires, were also our jurors in this Metatango event). I finally got to the 8th floor, Carolina open the door with a smile on hers face, she was lunching and had a very busy schedule so I started my interview on the spot: Carolina 2 couples of Argentines won the titles of Champions again: Did we won because we are the best in tango... or because we are Argentineans? "Orlando she replied "I’m not a jury so I can not answer that, but let me tell you that registrations of Argentines dancers were a lot higher that foreign dancers. Besides that, the local dancers have a lot of more chances for training themselves and also in Buenos Aires there are more than 70 milongas so they have a lot more opportunity to practice too. Add to this the fact that tango is an Argentinean dance and you may have the answer". Do you think Carolina that the Jury being totally Argentinean is a disadvantage for the foreign dancers? "Sincerely Orlando she responded, we really want foreign jurors to be part of this, in fact Junior Cervilla (one of the panelist) is from Brazil" Carolina, some tango peoples from Argentina and abroad think that the Festival has become a business. For example, the Italian newspaper "Il Corriere della Sera" under the title of "The Tango Business: the way Buenos Aires fight the crisis" reported during those days: "Buenos Aires took in it's hands the Tango business". Do you think that Tango has become a big business rather than a big cultural event like used to be at the beginning? "Again Orlando, the Festival is not a business is a Tango celebration and is also an artistic cultural event. The city has made some arrangement with "La Academia del Tango" and they manage directly and through an union, any other business matters, if they are". When I asked to Pablo Nievas and Valeria Zunino (2 of the jurors in Cordoba) in between packing for a professional Tango tour to Europe, if they think that we "won because we are the best or because we are Argentineans", Valeria toll me: "Orlando Argentines always may dance better than anybody else because there is all an history of tango behind us, but not necessarily because we are the best ones" Pablo getting in the conversation with a pair of socks in his hands answer to another question: Pablito do you think that foreign dancers are in disadvantage if the jury is all from Argentina? "I think Orlando, that if Tango was born in Argentina, there is all a culture behind that very hard to understand and very hard to transmit, consequently an Argentine jury is more prepared to do a better judgment than any other (like a Colombian is better prepared to judge Salsa)" In the meantime I asked to Alicia Pons. a very well known, popular and experienced teacher: Alicia what do you think about the world tango championship? "Well Orlando I can not think anything because I do not take part and I do not go to the events" There is a personal reason for that Alicia? "I have been invited she replied, for the city but I enjoy Tango differently, I love for instance "la semana del tango" when all tangueros got together in el "Obelisco" and dance and dance until the morning, this is a real tango celebration and homage to our cultural heritage" *Last question Alicia: What do you think about the winners, were they good enough to be champions? "Again Orlando, I do not think anything because I' never saw them dancing and I do not even know them!" On the other hand Junior Cervilla (the foreign juror) who, answering to Carolina's previous assessment, was born in Brazil but has been living and dancing in Buenos Aires for over 10 years, stated at an interview: All the jury, unanimously decided for the selection of the champions not for their rehearsed steps or nationality, but for their embrace and their way of dancing. I can see thought out all my interviews and questions that there are many tangueros from Buenos Aires that do not take part of the championship (there is a group in and a group out). I could not help to remember either my own experience as producer of the first World Tango Dance Championship in Texas when I asked the question " has Tango become a big business instead a cultural event" the day when a guy named E. Marmonti from a company called "Mundial de Tango SA" asked me for the "not very much Cultural" amount of U.S. $ 5.000 (five thousand dollars) per year as an annual fee to continue to do the Tango Dance Festival selection in Texas. On the other answers to my questions and as an old worldwide tanguero, I will accept the fact that Argentineans  won the championships because we have a lot more participants enrolled. It makes a lot of sense, but I will not accept that we won because we are better prepared, we have more milongas or because we have a history of tango. Our best teachers and milongueros have been introducing, teaching and training these foreign guys all over the world for the last 15 years or more, not only in steps or styles but even in history and culture of tango, some of those participants may even know more than we do! The Championship is over, foreign dancers had gone back to their countries, the streets and milongas of Buenos Aires are missing the noise and enthusiasm of thousand of tangueros speaking Italian, English, Japanese, French or Russian. Many questions had been asked and many of them had been answered, however there is still a remaining of doubts and uncertainties around. Of course to lose has never been easy for the losers but I worry myself as an Argentine, about that very fine line that exist in between being fare and being protective! Had we, without even thinking about it, tilted the scale to the wrong side? Let's review this with all our Argentine and tangueros heart... for the good of EL TANGO! Until next time, Orlando Contact Orlando Budini at orlandobudini@yahoo.com  Visit his web site http://metatango.com/index.html *If you missed Chapter One check the link at the top of the page for  La Vida Tango Archives and find the  October 2005 issue listed in the directory.

Ney Melo on Etiquette . . . Do's and Don'ts of Inviting : Part Two

 Introduction: I have been thinking about writing this article for a long time, after having experienced many humorous and not-so-humorous episodes at the milonga. Many of us get caught up in learning the steps of the tango and then we get to the milonga and we don't know that there are certain unwritten rules about inviting and accepting or declining dances. While the 'cabeceo' - or inviting people to dance with eye contact and a nod - is alive and well in Buenos Aires, we live in North America and as such our customs have to adapt. (It would be great if the cabeceo were used here because it empowers both men and especially women to dance with the partners they most want to dance with. But the thing is, the cabeceo only works when everyone does it.) Therefore, I've put together a list of "rules" that, if somewhat adhered to, will make the milonga enjoyable for men and ladies alike. continued from last week... 
6) THE TANDA  DJ will usually play 3 or 4 songs of the same orchestra or style followed by a one minute cortina. This "set" is called a tanda. It is only when we want to stop dancing with our partner that we say "thank you". Do not make the mistake of saying "thank you" after every tango. Try to wait until the end of the tanda. If we do not wait until the end, then we are conveying a message. Here is a quick breakdown of the "messages": We danced 4 songs: That was nice/ I enjoyed it/ Let's do it again in the near future, etc. etc. We danced 3 songs: It was ok/ Sorry, my feet hurt/ Yikes! My ride home is leaving, gotta go! We danced 2 songs: I've humored you long enough/ You need to take more lessons/ I thought the first bad tango was my fault, but now I see that its your fault We danced 1 song: It's just not happening/ Maybe you should just sit and watch for a while/ Please don't ask me to dance at this milonga again I truly believe that when women start using their power of declining dances and sending messages, then that is when the leaders will start working to improve their dance. It has to be a system of checks and balances. If we allow mediocre leaders to dance with amazing followers and vice versa, then why would they want to get better? I remember an argument that a friend and I had a long time ago. She was upset because a horrible leader basically manhandled her for a whole tanda and made her look and feel bad. I witnessed the whole thing and I didn't like what this leader did, but I also didn't like that my friend was too nice not to end the carnage early!! Ladies, please use your power to say "no" to bad dances. It is better to sit all night, enjoy the music, and have a good conversation than to be dragged around the milonga floor like Hector was by Achilles after being slain in the movie "Troy". There were many times in my tango infancy that I was rejected by good followers. I never took it personally. It only served to make me better. I'm not saying you shouldn't dance with beginners. Everyone should do a dance or two with beginners at the milonga and look at it as 'community service' and make them feel welcome. But there is a difference between a beginner, and a bad dancer who just never 'gets it'. There are a number of guys at any given milonga who have been dancing for a long time, they maul the ladies, and they never have any incentive to get better because they get all the dances they want anyway. 
7) BE NICE Rejection is tough to accept. Feeling can be easily hurt. Please take this into consideration when rejecting someone. It might help to approach it as though you are going to break up with someone, making sure not to hurt their feelings but yet not giving them hope for a reunion. For example: "Sorry, its not you its me" "Look, I am not in a good place right now, I want to just be alone for a while" "I just want you to be happy" "You deserve better" "I know we danced last night, but that was then, this is now" For the rejected just accept it and move on. It doesn't help to reply: "But why?" "Just tell me why" "Give me one good reason" "I can change" "Look, I'll be right here. Let me know if things change" "But I thought we meant something" "You suck"
8) TRADING This is when leaders or followers end the tanda early and then finish it off with someone else. This is bad business. What makes it worse is that in order to facilitate this trade, one usually has to make eye contact and cut a deal with the new partner while still on the dance floor with the original partner! I've seen this happen at the milonga and all I can say is that this is "shady, shady, shady". Like I mentioned in rule # 5: Invitations to dance should happen during the cortinas (the minute of ambient music that is played between the tandas). 
9) THE "DANCE WITH ME NOW" CARD Every now and then I will be invited by a lady to dance and I will politely refuse because I will be in the process of doing something that prevents me from dancing with her at the moment (getting a drink, taking a rest, on my way to the bathroom to change shirts, etc. etc.) This is when the lady will sometimes pull out the "dance with me now" card by saying "But I'm leaving the milonga in 5 minutes". This makes me uncomfortable because now I feel pressured to dance with her right then and there. What makes matters worse is when I do succumb to the pressure, I dance with the person, and the person DOES NOT LEAVE THE MILONGA! I think a lot of people agree with me when I say that if you are going to use the "dance with me now" card by claiming that you are about to leave, then I better not see you at the coat rack at the same time as me at the end of the night. Also, resist the urge to use excessive force when asking for a dance, ie grabbing your target and dragging him or her to the floor while exclaiming "Let's dance! Let's dance!" You should give the other person a choice of whether or not to dance with you, being polite and civilized about it. Bottom line: The dance is not enjoyable if the inviter (male or female) pressures the invitee. People want to dance out of pleasure, not duty. 
10) THE BARE FOOT "WHITE FLAG" Because rejection can be hard to take, one method devised by some ladies of communicating to the men that they are not accepting invitations at the moment is to take their shoes off. This serves as 'proof' that they really are taking a break, should anyone ask them. All they have to do is raise up the bare foot 'white flag'. They can rest the balls of their feet from those 4 inch heels and not get hassled by potential dance partners. (On the flip side, they can also make a guy feel great if they do decide to dance when asked and say 'let me put my shoes back on for you'.) 
11) BE PERCEPTIVE Pay attention to your potential partner's body language when you are getting ready to ask them for a dance. There are non-verbal signals that you should try to clue in to. Gentlemen, if you are headed towards a woman and she sees you and quickly turns away, reaches down to fiddle with her shoe strap, digs in her purse endlessly - it means she DOESN'T WANT TO DANCE. If she even jumps up and heads for the ladies room, don't pursue her and grab her shoulder as she flees thinking 'maybe she didn't see me'. If she notices you and maintains eye contact, or smiles, or waves, or in general looks pleased that you are headed her way, then by all means ask her! If you are not sure, go over and say hello, and judge by her reaction whether she wants to dance. You can look around the room as well and guess which people are wanting to dance. If they are sitting or standing right by the dance floor, looking intently and wistfully at the dancers, looking around to catch the attention of potential partners, etc, then they are most certainly available. If they are sitting with all their attention focused on their companion, deep in conversation, eating, enjoying a drink and looking otherwise very comfortable where they are, approach with caution. See if you can catch their eye. If they look away, then save your invitation for later. Yes, this is a version of the cabeceo. If someone is in the midst of an animated conversation, do not hang around in the periphery of their vision, tapping your foot, waiting for the split-second when they pause for breath to interject your invitation. Ask someone else. 
12) ASK PERMISSION Maybe some people will think this is very old-fashioned but I think it is nice: When you approach a couple who are dating or married and they are sitting together, it is nice to 'ask permission' of the other when you want to ask one of them to dance. Often it is the man asking the other man for 'permission' to dance with his lady. This is not because the man 'owns' the woman or because the woman needs her date's permission. It is simply showing the courtesy of acknowledging the other human at the table when you come to take their companion away. I think it is rude to come up to a couple and ask one person without even saying 'hello' or 'excuse me' or 'may I?' to the other. This rule of course only applies if the couple is actually seated together. And this rule also applies to women asking permission of another woman to dance with her man. Ladies, if a gentleman is standing with his arm around his significant other and you come up and ask him, make sure to greet both people, don't just grab him and drag him away. Yes, this happens, and yes it is rude. 
Most of these rules may seem like they shouldn't need to be laid out, but you would be surprised. Anytime someone violates these rules, its because they are letting their ego get the best of them. In the end, we are all tango music lovers and we all love to dance, and we all must learn to get along at the milonga. Being aware of, sensitive to, and in tune with another person are what partner dancing is all about. Use these skills off the dance floor as well as on.

Click here to visit http://www.NeyMelo.com

*If you missed Part One check the link at the of the page for  La Vida Tango Archives and find the  October 2005 issue listed in the directory.

Hola Tangueros,
How has everyone been? Have you been learning new steps, refining old ones, and brushing up on techniques in preparation for the upcoming Fandango happening in Austin, Texas during the Thanksgiving holidays? Well if not it’s not too late to get started. 
On them party scene, Norma Valdez, one of San Antonio’s biggest supporters of tango, just had her annual Halloween Tango Celebration at the fabulous Circa 1900, located at 1900 San Pedro here in San Antonio, Texas. Any ghoul who was a ghoul appeared and disappeared at this yearly festivity. If you weren’t there you missed a really fantastic occasion. The event had great music provided by our own Daniel Monserrat who seldom fails to amaze the tango crowd with his selection of music that he plays for their auditory senses. Of course, Circa1900 provides appetizing food and fine wines for any one needing refreshment. It was great fun to see some of the tango dancers you know come dressed in Halloween garb. Some of the costumes were interesting, some risqué and some just unusual, but it all added up to an exciting  evening where people allowed themselves to be creative and have a magical moment. The night was haunted by Rene, the ghost of memories past, but in general a wonderful time was had by all even the lonely ghouls. 
Until next time keep the tango fever alive,

BUENOS AIRES CULTURE ON THE WEB  

Demoliendo Tangos: Constructing from rupture

Federico Mizrahi and Luis Longhi propose a new style which recalls the Café Concert with humour, the influences of Piazzolla and Argentine rock musician Charly García, and poems, this Friday at Gandhi, and next summer, with new shows
By Alejandra Rodríguez

Like many other Argentines, they discovered tango after their 30s'; "it is natural", they assert. Previously, the composer and piano player Federico Mizrahi and the actor and bandoneon player Luis Longhi enjoyed their artistic passions on the stage: the former, writing music for plays and café concert' shows; the latter traveled to Paris after graduating from La Plata's drama school (his birthplace) to take lessons with Jorge Lavelli at the Comedie Française. Therefore, it can be said that the Lighten City saw them being born as a tango duet.

Mizrahi contributed with his musical and scenic background which comprises musical direction for Brecht's, Dolina's and Gambartes' plays; music composition for the Argentine playwright Villanueva Cosse and the Spanish movie director Pilar Távora. Longhi added up bandoneon lessons with master Rodolfo Mederos to his acting experience and took part of the tango quintet Tangata Rea during six years. Together, they created Demoliendo Tangos in 1999, a café concert's show which became their first CD in 2001 and has being performed at Buenos Aires' stages for the last three years. Besides, this year they produced a new show, Tangoservicio Tararira, along with dancer and bandoneon player Julio Zurita. And they already plan a second CD, at the moment titled Carne Argenta, which they hope to release next March, after summer performances at The Cavern (Paseo La Plaza), every Saturday, since January 17.

They look just as they sound: hyperactive, enthusiastic, creative, tireless. Demoliendo Tangos show was born during their spare time when they were working separately in Paris, and it became the name of a duet that has been working together for the last four years. They put together Mizrahi's new tangos and Longhi's texts to recreate the café concert's old spirit.

They were both born in the 60s', when Café Concert was in vogue, and were musically influenced by Charly García (Argentine rock musician) and Piazzola's rupture. The show goes from humor to poetry, and Tango, which sometimes demonstrates certain rock influence. Like the "foundational" theme Demoliendo Tangos, a title that unfailing and premeditatedly recalls Garcia's Demoliendo hoteles. According to Longhi, the texts' author, Demoliendo Tangos is "dedicated to Piazzolla, the great demolisher, who destroyed every obstacle in his way to construct his own path using the bricks he could rescue from his own demolition. And at the same time, we grew up listening to Charly (García)."

Music gives rise to the words through monologues, humorous dialogues and poems, but "respectfully, we do without a singer", Longhi comments. "Assembling and taking apart -he says-, constructing with two or three tangos at a time, as in a collage, like our version of El Marne, with an introduction of Garcia's notes, for example." A collage that is also present in the designs of CD covers, posters, and website; as if they were a rock band.

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  Book Review 

Interesting and and informative for all who want to take or teach any form of dance. A boon for physiologist, physical therapist, massage therapists, spiritual healers and all types of dance instructors who wish to learn about body language. It is fun to read other about other peoples body language on and off the dance floor. Carlos helps you understand what you are saying to others with your body language. 
Carlos has taught and performed ballroom dance in over 20 countries around the world He has studied Psychology, is a Reiki Master. and has practiced healing and spiritual counseling for the past 20 years.

Purchase book or ask Carlos questions at: weareall.1@comcast.net

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