accesstango » Travel

Cabaceo – People are talking, I mean nodding, winking, etc….

Daniela — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:51:34 +0000

I promised I would bring back some of my experience from the Women’s Retreat where I commented a week back about the class I was going to teach that centered on the pelvis and its function in alignment in tango.

Well, the Women’s Retreat was a wonderful way for me to connect with other women in tango. There were varied levels of experience in tango amongst us. There were some great conversations and insights into our shared interest of leading and following. I was delighted that a few older women commented on their excitement about the younger generation interest in tango. “Who is going to carry on when we’re gone?” I remember hearing this from some older students of mine as well.

I was inspired by sharing conversations with one lovely Hannah from the Portland area – an articulate brilliant young woman exploring and finding her way in tango. I was impressed by so many things she had to share but particularly by her interest in keeping the “cabaceo” alive and kicking. In her community – she says that people know already that she uses the cabaceo and she encourages her students to use it.

What is the “cabaceo”? There are many writings on this art of asking someone to dance but in a nutshell it is a word that comes from Spanish or specifically castellano (Argentine Spanish) cabeza which means head. The cabaceo is the invitation to dance: a lock of the eyes, a simple subtle nod of the head, and typically from a distance. It is an invitation that no one else needs to know about. It is an invitation that can also be rejected without embarrassment, ideally. This means, for example, if someone catches my eye from across the dance floor and I choose not to dance with him then I do not lock eyes with them or nod my head in agreement. That leader may then move on looking for his next follower without “losing face”, so to speak.

Some of us use it strongly in our communities others not as much. But it seemed that there was a general consensus that the cabaceo works and is good for tango. The leader or a follower can ask for a dance through the use of the cabaceo and also be rejected from a dance by not acknowledging it. It was also remarked that the rejection needs to not necessarily be taken so personally. Someone mentioned that if you are “cabaceoing” someone all night and they have not caught your eye – then maybe they are trying to tell you something. This is sometimes hard to accept especially in smaller communities where everyone tends to know each other. I think the cabaceo works well in all circumstances actually. We also spoke about cabaceoing another follower to dance with. This dynamic doesn’t seem to have been worked out completely yet… but I think in communities where followers know that other followers are leading the cabaceo works the same.

Upon my return from the retreat and back to the classroom for the final days of classes at ASU I was struck by 1 of my more enthusiastic beginners’ interest in discussing the cabaceo and how he had spent time researching it online. He too has decided that the cabaceo is worth keeping and using and was encouraging the rest of the class to try it out.

SO I think the cabaceo is still alive and well even in Tempe, AZ. I know many members of the community enjoy using it and you’ll be seeing more of my students trying it out!

How’s your cabaceo?

Women’s Tango Retreat and the Pelvis

Daniela — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:13:30 +0000

So many things have been happening as of late and I’m trying to catch up with my blogging. There was my father’s 70th surprise party (and he was surprised!) and Thanksgiving, came and went, grading papers (its the end of semester again) and now I’m off to Breitenbush Hot Spring Retreat Center in the mountains of Oregon to teach a workshop.

I was asked to teach a “playshop” for this women- in- tango retreat. After much thought as to what to share with a group of women who know both leading and following roles I decided upon an exploration of a center of driving force in our lives, our pelvis.

The pelvis and tango? Think about it – where do those legs that take you walking originate from? and what about that torso?

The bones of the pelvis.

Can you identify this as being a part of your body?

It has been my experience, both as a modern dancer and in my studies of Mindful Movement (SM), that even an awareness of some of the boney landmarks of the pelvis can improve posture and mobility. Much of my modern dance training was around an awareness of the connection of my sits bones (ischial tuberosities) to the floor and from my coccyx (tail bone) to my head.

My playshop this weekend will be centered around an awareness of the bones of the pelvis and how that awareness can help in our leading and our following.

I presume most of you are sitting down reading this. Let’s try a little exploration. First, uncross those legs. Place both feet on the floor (or change chairs so you can). Can you feel your sits bones on your chair? If you can feel them place one hand at your pubic bone and the other hand on the lower small of your back, at your sacrum. Now, just imagine breathing into both of your hands. Take about 5 deep breaths here or more.

Then get up and go for a little walk. Notice anything?

Sometimes just from feeling the sits bones on the chair the spine straightens out. With time and awareness the legs often find their place in their sockets which allow for greater mobility. The awareness of the dimensionality of the pelvis reminds me that I am not just the front of my body in 1 dimension and that I bring all of me when I move through life – front and back!

I tie this back to tango not just for posture and for walking but also because I have often heard teachers refer to “the hips”. Hmm – where are your hips? What are the hips? I just looked it up – it appears that the “hips” cover a lot of area – the butt, the top of the legs… to me, who loves details, I want more specificity. Some teachers refer to it meaning the leg joint – the iliofemoral joint and they ask us to walk or to turn with more flexion in this joint. What if you don’t have a lot of movement there in the first place? Could be a challenging movement to find.

I know that followers are also exploring their roles more through the use of their “hips”. This begins a whole new subject for me relating to the planes of movement of the pelvis. 1 is dropping the pelvis – which I believe throws the spine out of whack and influences the leaders connection to the legs and pelvis and has begun to change the embrace in many ways. And the other is the rotation of the legs in the pelvis – which sometimes causes more pelvic tilt anteriorly (which looks like sway back or sticking out the butt).

The body is a fascinating thing, isn’t it? These are just thoughts about the pelvis in dancing. Remember that we are all built differently and I think any dance form invites you to discover who you really are and to share that with the world.

Let me know if you have any discoveries and I’ll share mine when I return.

(Thanks to Gray’s Anatomy and Wikipedia for the image of the pelvis.)

Tango Fun In ABQ

Daniela — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:49:15 +0000

I just returned from a weekend in Albuquerque where I attended workshops with Eric Jorissen. One of my favorite tango teachers on the planet! His knowledge of the dance form, his pedagogical approach, his wit, charm – he has got it all!

I met Eric many years ago now, I think in New York City. After that in Denver, and then I attended the El Corte Teacher Training Program in its 2nd year in 2006. El Corte is Eric’s Tango School in Nijmegen. To my knowledge 1 of the only of its kind. I view Eric as a forward thinker and doer. Creating models for tango that the US is just now implementing.

It was wonderful to connect with him this weekend and to dance with him at the milonga at Las Puertas on Saturday night.

He reminded me of several things when considering community development that I had simply forgotten. One, for example, that due to the distance of the United States it is much harder to continue to encourage the integration of communities without creating saturation. In Europe the distances to travel are much less in a short train ride or car ride with friends you can be dancing in another community. Europeans are used to traveling. I know many of us travel for tango but it is not always a reciprocated venture – I may have gone to ABQ but when will they come here? maybe for a festival? or for a workshop, but the bottom line is our distances to travel are more.

Another reminder about human nature from Eric was that when you arrive at a milonga or at a festival, the first people you are inevitably going to dance with are people you know. The longer the hours of a milonga eventually you begin to add new faces to your dancing. This is true when you have a lot of people attending milongas.

But are these still just excuses? As I continue to look for answers to help grow the Phoenix tango community. “just start something new” is also what Eric said.

Along with conversations about community and trends I enhanced my leading vocabulary with some really delightful “salon” movements. The whole weekend was meant for social dancing, taking movements within your embrace, keeping it social, friendly and fun.

I am often reminded that I look like a “girl leading”, regardless of the compliments from followers on being a good leader! This weekend I was able to work on my leading and received some great pointers.

We are often confusedly told to “lead with our chests”. Which causes chaos in our bodies – shoulders by our ears, left arm too high and tense, and not enough “groundedness” in our legs. I think these could be the case for any leader regardless of gender. I was encouraged this weekend to remind myself of the connection of my legs to the floor and more importantly the relationship of my pelvis to leading. YES, my pelvis as a driving force behind my torso! Sometimes we move our torso and pelvis as a unit and sometimes the torso and the pelvis do not join that action. But the torso is still attached to those legs through the pelvis.

I look forward to returning to Albuquerque for their Tango Festival in November.
And am very inspired by the efforts of their communities of Santa Fe and Abq, to the Tango Club and to Radi’s Tango Academy.

Salta Argentina Side Trip – (not tango related!)

Daniela — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:13:34 +0000

My side trip to Salta – June 2011 – and nothing to do with Tango except that we did see classes advertised!I had been attracted to the idea of going to Salta Argentina for about 2 years. Not sure why and during my trips to Mendoza I had learned Salta was producing some very nice wine. But I really don’t think it was the wine that was pulling me there as I didn’t end up at any bodegas and only tried 1 glass of wine while I was visiting. (Incidentally a very nice Malbec by Los Elementos!)

This year with very little time to play we flew to Salta for 2 days. Our timing was not great as a volcano in the south of Chile decided to erupt and create major chaos in travel throughout the country.

We had an action packed trip. Upon our arrival we visited the main plaza – Plaza 9 de Julio. There we visited the Museum of Archeology (http://www.maam.todowebsalta.com.ar/ or http://www.turismosalta.gov.ar/internacional/in/reco_maam.asp) famous for the 1999 discovery of 3 children found frozen at the summit of the volcano Llullaillaco. They were discovered buried at 6900m above sea level. The little boy was the one we saw on display – I was very moved by this “mummified” little boy – not quite a mummy but a ghost to the past. He and 2 young girls that were discovered along with over 146 artifacts buried with them are known as los “Niños del Llullaillaco”. It was a tremendous insight into Inca culture. I was moved by the vision of the little boy in his display case, his head lowered, his clothing still colorful. The theory is that they were from noble families and therefore, sacrifices to the gods, they were given chicha to drink (a fermented beverage) and probably lots of it. There were also traces of coca leaves on the mouth of one of the girls. What would it be like to know that you were pleasing your gods by sacrificing one of your own?

In the evening we went to a Peña – a traditional presentation of folkloric dance and music. I thought it would be something more “intimate” or “special” but they were ready for the tourists with 1 particular street, Balcarce, and almost 4 blocks of restaurants that offer “peñas” – food, drink and a “show”; could be musicians and dancers or just musicians. The songs are beautiful – they are sambas and chacareras. We were recommended to El Viejo Estacion. The food was good, the service a little slow and not particularly friendly. The entertainment was nice. There was a group who danced Baile Folklorico, Nuestra Tierra was their name – with choreographed pieces to Sambas and Chacareras. The male dress was super interesting – very “gaucho”like, boots with chunky heels, big babucha pants, vests and hats and belts. The girls were less interestingly dressed. They were in dresses, with broad skirts – they used while dancing, picking them up, whirling them about.
We enjoyed the music and the 1st set of musicians we saw were very interactive with the audience. The restaurant was almost full and seemed to be mostly with Argentine tourists. I was amazed at how the songs were all known – so many people singing along and making song requests to the musicians. The musicians and the 6 dancers joined forces for a few numbers and of course Rommel and I jumped into dance a chacarera with the dancers!

The next day we did a 12 hour excursion – all day on a bus with 16 other people, 2 Italian girls, and the rest from Argentina visiting this region. We had a fabulous tour guide – Fernando – he was like an encyclopedia.
Our day was to include 540 km of road and about 150km unpaved!!!
Our trip took us West through the Andes via El Quebrada del Torro (the gap or gulch of the bull) through several micro-climates to 4170m above sea level into another province called Jujuy and then back down switchbacks where we would descend 2000m in 33km of road!

We saw part of the train tracks for the famous Tren a los Nubes and paused at Campo Quijano at 1520m above sea level.
At 2500 m above sea level it was recommended to take some coca leaves to prevent altitude sickness. Rommel and I had prepared the night before by buying some at a little kiosko (shop) around the corner from our hotel. A baggie full was 3 pesos ($.75). SO before you judge me – I have to tell you that I did not experience altitude sickness. I also did not experience hallucinations or tripping of any kind!!! It has a funky smell to it, it can be found as a tea as well that women are supposed to love as an appetite suppressant!
It was interesting to hear that the few people we spoke to about coca leaves all mentioned it as a part of the culture, something that you do, a habit. Fernando, the tour guide, said, you share water, maté and coca leaves – you will never be without these items. He mentioned that over time with the regular use of coca leaves, the red blood cells are rejuvenated in a shorter amount of time and of course they oxygenate the blood. The coca leaf has always been used and recommended by the people who work and live in high altitudes.
At 2500 we took 5 coca leaves and placed the bundle inside our mouth, between the cheek and gum. The idea is not to chew the leaves but for them to interact with your saliva. We saw some people with huge wads in their mouths, like our tour bus driver, Marcelo! It had an earthy taste for me, like green tea!

We made our way to 3100m to Santa Rosa de Testil to see some Pre-Inca ruins, pre-Quechua language. They were discovered in 1900’s and the area covers about 16 hectares. The archeologists theorize that this place was a commercial center for tribes. There are some elders who are known in these parts for their part in the folklore about the site – one is Luis Santellan and the other Leopoldo Barbosa, neither of whom we met but it seemed like a good advertising plug from our fearless tour guide.

At about 3734 m we stopped in San Antonio de los Cobres for lunch. It was a town at the top of this “Alto Plano” – high plain, about 5000 habitants and mostly miners. It is uncommon to have a small town in this high plain. We were greeted with a closed main road due to a parade for the “Fiestas Patronales” – Founding Father’s Day. Some of the locals ignored us, going about their business of participating in the parade or meeting friends. We were aggressively bothered by a weathered older woman trying to sell us a shawl or a miniature sized stuffed llama. We were also “sung” to by a small boy who called himself “Ryan” or maybe it was “Brian”! He let me tape him and that was worth a few pesos!

The downside to the lunch stop was that our tour guide suggested a place to eat and yet we were never told that no matter how much or how little you ate it would be 50pesos per person. This was a huge surprise to all of us. I know – 50 pesos doesn’t seem like a lot – $12 – but really – at this altitude a small bowl of soup or a grilled breast of chicken? $12?? so maybe a piece of advice – ask how much before committing!

We continued north through the Andes into the province of Jujuy.
Fernando told us that the plants – these shrubs we saw along with some cacti – don’t actually decompose when they die but merely petrify so that the land is sterile. The plants have to endure the extreme climates from day to night and the seasons.
The people at this altitude are either shepherds or miners.
We headed to our next stop – Las Salinas Grandes. A good proportion of this road was bumpy and unpaved. Bouncing around for some time it was nice to hit paved road again and to see this flat white landscape first hand. 212 km2 of salt at about 3450m above sea level all flat in these hexagonal shapes. But not your usual salt – not from the sea but from volcano, with high concentrates of “borax” and lithium – the 3rd largest producer of borax. Lying walkable distance to the road are a few rows of little pools of water amongst the salt landscape. There are 3 ways to extract the salt – and 1 has to do with these pools! And of course Rommel and I decided that our tango feet could use a dip. What could happen? Dry skin?? I don’t think anything happened – the water was very cold. Unfortunately the few guys who were carving sculptures out of salt for tourists to buy were not friendly. And the 2 crickety smelly port-a-potties cost money to use!

We saw burros and llamas on our adventure and some vicuñas. I had seen their brother in the southern parts of Argentina – the guanacos. Fernando was able to explain the difference between these 3 very similar looking animals. He explained that the llamas are domesticated animals, the guanacos wild and very strong, able to withstand 3 days without water and able to go a distance of 35 – 40km/day. The vicuña is the “bambi” of the family he told us – however, this bambi has some wool that can’t be dyed and is VERY expensive. A vicuña gives about 200 – 250grams of wool every 2-3 years. They are protected by law and were nearly extinct at one point in time. There is a very special system in place for shearing them – they corral them. There is a large gathering of 80 + people who help to corral them and then shear them with care. He did mention that the president surely has a vicuña poncho!

As we headed into our descent we had hit our 4170m above sea level when we finally saw some vicuñas up close! We took our pictures at the highest point on our excursion. The sun still shining brilliantly and warmly. Some of us tired and winded but not sick, thanks to our coca leaves!

Our road to our last official stop on the tour dropped 2000m in 33 km of road – filled with switchbacks. We stopped in Purmamarca, most famous for the Mountain of 7 Colors. It was about 2000m above sea level and this little town nestled amongst a beautiful almost Sedona-like landscape had started out as a Jesuit Mission. We were there for such a quick stop that I never got a proper picture of the Mountain of 7 Colors. The main square or little plaza was filled with vendors – all selling the same thing. All for the same prices! The vendors inside the little stores around the plaza were a little more expensive. There were sweaters, shawls of different sizes, ponchos, socks, and mittens. By this time it all looked the same to me. I felt cross – eyed from looking at the same wares.

I enjoyed my adventure to Salta. We got to stay an extra part of a day due to flight cancellations so although that was stressful we found a really interesting restaurant with interesting fusion/regional fare. Jose Balcarce is the name of the restaurant and I recommend it for anyone looking for something a little different. There was quinoa on the menu, chicken and fish, beef of course, pork and llama, for the adventurer. All the food had a wonderful mix of flavors. The deserts were yummy! There were figs in almibar (sweet figs) wrapped in a thin cheese with a side of ice cream. There was a very buttery ‘mille fueilles’ type apple desert – with a hint of ginger and cinnamon. Those who know I don’t do dairy – don’t fret, I didn’t crossover, I just ogled! and enjoyed a bowl of strawberries with orange rind. YUM! The discovery was to blend the flavors for a party in your mouth!

Reminders about finding housing in Buenos Aires

Daniela — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:02:51 +0000

What you see on the internet is rarely what you get. The pictures always look nice and big too! I have also found that it doesn’t matter how many questions you ask unless it is in print somewhere, like a contract, it won’t exist like you think it does. Even sometimes the contract doesn’t matter because if you are renting a place, it has probably been lived in many times over by the time you get to it.

I have had several experiences of renting places and sometimes due to urgency and sometimes in good faith I have rented sub-par situations.

My most recent situation has left me very angry, disappointed and disillusioned as I guess a situation of this kind would to anyone.

And instead of totally complaining I wanted to advise and well, there might be a little complaining.

Firstly and I think probably the most important thing you can do when trying to find a place to stay in Buenos Aires is to try to connect with as many people as possible in the tango community and ask them about the places you are thinking about renting. Try to find someone who has stayed there or someone who might even go check it out for you.

Try to know as much as possible about what you are looking for.

How often is their housecleaning? What does it include? Does this include a change of sheets and towels?

Is there construction going on in the building or on the street?

Are there pots and pans, silverware, glasses, mugs, etc?

Often times there are things that maybe even the owner doesn’t know about. Take the time to take a careful look around to see if the place meets your needs. Know that once you pay, and usually it is in cash, that you will not get that cash back. You may get a portion back if you decide early on that it is not going to work. And portenos are very good at trying their best to rectify the situation in order for you to stay.

Now a note to those who are renting to Tangueros.

Most foreigners who are traveling and are staying for more than 1 week are expecting a certain level of comfort. Of course, I don’t speak for all those who are visiting but some of us.

If I wanted to stay in a very inexpensive place or even in a hostel living situation than I would choose this and I would expect a certain standard. I must also mention that I have stayed in very nice hostels over the years and have been very pleased. However, if I am paying $40+ / night I would expect to have a clean place to stay and proper plumbing. I would expect the toilets to flush, the shower to function more than a dribble, and the house to be clean. Clean meaning that there is not a layer of dust all over the place. If there are futon beds and the actual frame is broken so that when you lie on it you have a piece of wood in your back then it needs to be dealt with. If a bed is going to be on the floor it would be best for this to be stated.

I know that every house has its peculiarities. I refer to things such as how the lights may work or how far to turn the hot water or only turn on the hot water. Whatever they are these should be outlined in a booklet or told to each new person coming to the house. Kind of like a list of house “rules”. These should include how to use the heat or the air conditioning.

It is amazing to me how much the tourists are being taken advantage of in Buenos Aires. I have family who live there and who have lived there their entire lives who claim this as well.

With all this being said, I just ask that as a tourist you become informed and as an owner or vendor who is offering a service that is needed that all aspects be taken into consideration.

You don’t need to be taken advantage of as a tourist, a visitor, remember to be as clear as possible as to what you want and do some asking around.

1st USA Tango Competition in San Francisco, CA

Daniela — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:43:20 +0000

I never thought I would be here talking about my experience at a Tango Competition. I have poo-pooed the thought of competing in Argentine Tango for all of my tango career – until now. I have been a strong advocate in promoting the dance form as a social dance, as a folk dance, not as a competitive sport! or so I thought that was what it meant.

So Rommel Oramas asked me to join him as his partner in this Tango Competition. At first I was furious and continued kicking and screaming for the most part for many months until I did obviously, eventually, give in. It was just something I didn’t think I wanted to do and didn’t want all those people who knew me as a social dancer to think I had crossed over to some other side!

April 21 – 24, 2011 was the first officially sanctioned Tango Competition in the USA, Sanctioned by the Office of Festivals and Central Events of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

There were 25 couples who registered for the Tango Salon part of the competition – this included Rommel and myself.

Tango Salon has a few key rules:

1) The Couple, once formed, may not be separated while the music plays. This means that they may not be break the embrace, considered as the tango dance position.

2) For the position to be considered correct, the body of one of the members of the couple must be contained all the time by the arm of the other member. It is understood that, in certain figures, this may be flexible; but not throughout the duration of the dance.

3) All movements must be made within the space allowed by the embrace between the members of the couple.

4) The Jury will take into account the couple’s musicality and walking style as fundamental to the score.

5) Within these parameters, the couple may carry out all the popular figures, including barridas (sweeps), sacadas al piso (drawn to the floor), enrosques (twists), etc. All other figures typical of stage tango such as ganchos (hooks), saltos (jumps) and trepadas (climbs) are completely excluded.

6) Couples, as in a dance hall, must constantly move counterclockwise, and may not stay in the same point of the choreographic space as this would obstruct the movement of the other dancers in the dance floor.

7) None of the members of the couple may lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees.

And we were off and running!
Upon our arrival we were given a number that became our number for the duration of the event – #3. We were placed in a group – Number 1 – and on the first night danced with 5 other couples to 3 songs chosen ahead of time and told to us while we were on the dance floor.

Each night started off with the Stage Tango Dancers doing their performances and then when they were done they continued with the Tango Salon category. Each night Rommel and I were couple #3 and danced in the first group! Each night we kept passing!

Saturday night was a grueling night when after all the groups went they asked set up another group for a tie-breaker without telling any of use who the tie was for. Rommel and I and another beautiful couple were in this tie-breaking round. We had to dance to 2 songs.

We passed!

There were 12 couples in the final round on Sunday. 12 of us past to this last round. And this was an exciting time – 2 groups of 6. Again in Group 1. It was a “tanda” of 3 songs that were great for dancing, we knew the orquestas and we liked them.

We didn’t get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd but it was an extraordinary experience. Most of the couples were from California, there was 1 couple from Boston and 1 from New York.

We found out from the judges that we came in 5th. And I was complimented on my feet!

Overall, I am glad to say I did it. I feel well-equipped to talk about competition from new stand point.

I did try to do some research on Tango Competitions because I remember when I started to dance tango – they didn’t exist, not that I had heard of. And I did find out that 2010 was only the 8th time doing it in Buenos Aires – and this is the “world cup” or the World Championships – http://www.tangobuenosaires.gov.ar/campeonato10/web/en/tango/festival_mundial.html

I know the organizers of this festival and championships are looking forward to doing it again and having it grow and I am sure there will be more sanctioned championships throughout the world.

The experience has added to my Tango experiences. I can see myself training future competitors. And I think the competition adds a dimension to the dance form that was completely unexpected – which is – to show others musicality, grace, endurance, beauty, connection, understanding of the dance form in the tradition of line of dance, respect for the floor and the other dancers – and all this can be done without having to be a show tango dancer.

See 2 of our 3 dances in the 1st round of the final day of competition:

http://youtu.be/hRsCC4JwlXE

TANGO TOURS ANNOUNCED

Daniela — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:27:43 +0000

Happy New Year!

I am happy to announce my Tango Tours for 2011 and also happy to have Rommel Oramas join me once again; his assistance is invaluable in these tours.

We have 3 choices of tours this year: Mendoza – Vino y Tango, Buenos Aires 10 day Cultural Immersion; and NEW this year, Buenos Aires 8 day Tour de Lujo.

In chronological order:

MENDOZA – Vino y Tango May 19 – May 24, 2011 $900

Buenos Aires 10-day Cultural Immersion Tango Tour May 25 – June 4, 2011 $1700

Buenos Aires 8 day Tour de Lujo June 6 – 14, 2011 $2350

Non-refundable deposit of $500 due March 15th to hold your place. First come first serve.
Tours do not include airfare, tips, and Reciprocity Tax to enter Argentina of $131 (paid at EZE airport)

Happy New Year!

Daniela — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:58:29 +0000

I can’t believe 2010 is just about over. It has been a fantastic year for me. I’ve met some fantastic people and have taught some amazing people tango this year. My students give me a tremendous amount of joy – thank you!

I look forward to 2011 in so many ways and so should you!

1) 3 TANGO TOURS TO CHOOSE FROM!
We will be offering 3 tours this coming year for tango lovers. The Mendoza – Vino y Tango tour: 5 days in Mendoza Argentina exploring wine country. The 10-day Cultural Immersion Tour – 10 days in Buenos Aires and the 8-day Tango Tour de Lujo. Each with a different pocketbook and objective in mind.

2) BORGIALLI TANGO SHOES ON THE ROAD!
Rommel Oramas and I will be taking the Soy Porteno practice sneakers on the road this year. We will be visiting several festivals across the country and we are looking forward to bringing some comfort to your feet! We will also be unveiling the Borgialli Tango Shoe website with shopping and logo. VERY EXCITING!

3) MORE CLASSES!
Besides my classes at Scottsdale Community College and ASU this semester, I will be teaching my FUNDAMENTALS CLASSES in January. ALSO, Fridays January 21, 28 and February 4th Rommel Oramas and I will be teaching ADVANCED CONNECTIONS WORKSHOPS at the Art of Dance in Scottsdale.
I will also be teaching in Jerome, Arizona in February!

4) ASU TANGO FESTIVAL APRIL 1, 2, 3
I am really excited for this festival. Not just because it is on my home turf! or is being hosted by my students or because I will be teaching at it! but MOST IMPORTANTLY the selection of teachers are some of the best teachers in the US (Canada)! This will truly be a learning and sharing weekend. Please join us… Housing hosts and group rates available.

Happy NEW YEAR! May all you wish be fulfilled!

Back In Phoenix

Daniela — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:56:17 +0000

So the summer camps finished and pretty uneventfully, I might add. The students – some of them – showed up for a very chaotic, disorganized performance on a Friday afternoon at 6pm. Good for rush hour traffic. It was still very exciting to see them pull through with what they had learned over the 6 weeks. I am not sure how they felt about it but I know I was proud of them.

Here’s a picture of Jamaal, my partner/colleague in crime for these camps, discussing a video that they just saw of tango dancers with 1 of the camps (Emery).

I actually like the blurry picture. They look like they are dancing tango!!! This is on the performance afternoon, on the stage, this is 1 of the ‘dance camps’ (Harry Thomas) doing their tango thing. I am on the stage in the wings taking this picture….

I learned a handful of things from this camp experience. And like most things, I know how we could make it better next time.

I like the idea behind teaching Tango to high schoolers. Argentine Tango itself, offers its’ participants many things. We don’t just learn a dance form, get exposed to different “old” music, but also learn patience, how to negotiate, trust and a handful of other useful life tools!

Teatro Colon

Daniela — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:42:51 +0000

We were fortunate to see the ballet Manon in the Teatro Colon. www.teatrocolon.org.ar/index.php

We bought “expensive” tickets as I didn’t want to sit in the nose bleed section of the theater. It was pouring rain. We arrived with time to get situated. As we waited in line to climb 4 flights of stairs (at which point I thought – hmmm – I don’t think our seats are correct – 4 flights of stairs?) we arrived to stand in another line to get to our seats. It appears that they had double ticketed a few seats, including our own.

As we waited for the “person in charge to arrive”, it was, of course, getting closer to performance time. So Rommel sprang into action. He had asked another young lady waiting how much she had paid for her ticket and it was a bit cheaper than ours. He asked to be seated lower and we down a level and the “person in charge” still hadn’t arrived. Rommel asked if one of the boxed seats “palcos” were available for now as the lights were blinking to indicate it was time to be seated. shop.tuentrada.com/Online/mapa_colon/mapa.html Now, we thought, according to what the girl at the box office had shown us that we had bought tickets at the first “palco” – so not orchestra seats but the next up. And as she was showing us this color coded map – there was different pricing for the 1st row, and the 2nd row, etc. VERY CRAZY. So we looked at our tickets later and they did say “cazuela”. Someone clearly screwed up!!! In the end, we ended up in great seats. They told us they were 700 peso seats. Which I had a hard time believing, considering that price wasn’t an option when I was buying them!! But maybe they aren’t available for sale!

Rommel did a lot of exploring during the 2 intermissions!!! He shot this pics from the “palcos” opposite us!

He found that there were 3 “cafeterias”. He went to the 8th floor ? – the very top – and said that the layout was VERY different than the lower floor. It seemed that as you descended from the “heavens” the cafeteria catered to that clientele. He told me of the champagne bottles on ice, with well dressed families at reserved tables!!!

The Theatre is still undergoing renovations. And I found it funny or out-dated – the pricing structure, the seeming opulence, the “security”.

Or maybe it has just been too long since I’ve been to an “older” theater, where the actual structure and design reflects the structure of the social classes. If you’re poor you sit as far away as possible fromthe ‘stars’ and can’t be seen bothering the rich!!!

Nevertheless, it was quite beautiful a theater. We walked down to the orchestra seat level after the performance and thus, were “allowed” to leave out the main entrance – now that was beautiful as well. What a difference than our arrival, where we entered from the side and missed this entry foyer that in itself was magnificent!! I could just imagine kings and queens being escorted into this grandiose entry chamber / reception area.

Not sure what else it would be used for!!! But it is very beautiful! I haven’t said anything about the actual ballet or the dancers or the orchestra!!! And well, there isn’t much to say, unfortunately. I didn’t think the dancing was anything out of this world. If seemed to be that the dancers took awhile to warm up. There was 1 pas-de-deux with “Manon” and her lover that was very lovely. But aside from that it was really just ok for me! It is always nice to have live music and to be able to see the orchestra and the conductor, which we could from our seats! The story is rather strange and well, depressing! It puts women in a rather dim light! “I’ll take the man who gives me jewels, because my brother has set me up with him and has told me to even after I’ve been with the man I am in ‘love’ with, and the man with the money and the power then takes me to his favorite bordello to play cards” – huh??? “Then ‘Manon’ encourages her lover to cheat at a card game, her brother gets killed, she goes to jail, the jailman molests her, she runs off with her lover to strange lands, she dies”…. ugh!!! I had expected more from the dancers – ie: higher, tighter, jumps. More clarity of lines. But somehow it just never came. Like I said there was 1 “pas de deux”, that I can’t remember where it was now but that I remember thinking, “that was lovely”. Strange to see dancers making out on stage too. WOW! That was a little abrupt for me!! ANYWAY!!!

Overall, etiquette was a little, well – Argentine!!! Yes, I know it’s still flu season but really? Lots of coughing! And the bugger of all – TAKING FLASH PICTURES! It says on the program – no flash photography. AND they made the announcement during intermission to huge applause. BUT nope – they didn’t seem to care or maybe they didn’t think they were being talked about, “flash photos? they can’t be talking about me… i’ll just take one more!” ANYWAY!!!

I was glad to go and the experience was great!!!