Pink October

It's that time of year again when the media wants us to be aware of breast cancer, get checkups, and above all, find a cure. Should we have to be reminded every October to take care of ourselves and others?

So once again I'm contributing my story, Cancer Dancer, which you can read here.

During my first cancer treatment, I visited a multi-media art exhibit in the big beautiful central library where I worked in downtown Los Angeles
  Art.Rage.Us.: Art and Writing of Women With Breast Cancer. The very moving pieces of art and poetry comprising the exhibit were all by women at various stages of their breast cancer treatment, depicting their emotions about their own personal battles with disfigurement, disease and possible death. And in so doing created a call-to-arms for progress in diagnosis, treatment, and attitude.

Out of this traveling exhibition came a beautiful book published by The American Cancer Society, The Breast Cancer Fund, and the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. featuring illustrations from the exhibit along with the artists' biographies and writings.

available at Amazon

Here are two examples of the art, but many of the sculptures, paintings, collages, photos are very graphic images of the physical trauma of the treatments, showing especially the artists' feelings about mastectomy. And so the exhibit and the book are considered controversial.

"Venus Revisted" painting on silk by Carole Bonicelli

"Diagnosis 1" mixed media by Mary Ellen Edwards-McTamaney

A few years earlier, in 1993, the New York Times Magazine published a daring self-portrait cover photo of artist/photographer and former model, Matuschka, with a story on her stunning series, Beauty Out of Damage.

Many people were appalled and offended at the in-their-face photograph, which the NYT titled, You Can't Look Away Anymore.





 But have things changed so much in the almost 20 years since? Last year Facebook banned photos of cancer survivor Sharon Adams who wanted to share her mastectomy scar pictures to make an impact on women in a stronger way than a delicate and subtle pink ribbon.  Supposedly the photos were reinstated after a hue and cry went up on FB, but now there is only a very tiny one of her surgery scars.

It's hard for me to understand how such photos or depictions could be considered lewd, obscene, pornographic, disgusting, macabre, etc. I find them brave and heroic in celebrating the beautiful women within; femininity is more than a body. Not suitable for children? Not suitable for the sensitive? Anyone can get cancer and they have to deal with it. The more aware people (men get breast cancer too) are of the consequences, the more active they will be in prevention. Because of the efforts of women like these, cancer is no longer a dirty word--at least to most people. Being afraid to look at images of the damage cancer brings is simply outrageous.

 Oscar Wilde said one can either make
a masterpiece or be one. Artist
Matuschka has managed to do both.
Linda Vaccariello
Cincinnati Magazine

How to Choose a Teacher for Private Tango Lessons

This question goes around the net from blog to travel site to personal emails to internet mailing lists. As a teacher myself of social milonguero-style tango, here's what I think:

1) Do a little research and know what syle of tango you want to learn, and then if the teacher in question teaches that style. For example, if you want to learn tango nuevo, find a teacher who is known for that. Ot social tango as it is danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires. Or stage tango. Or whatever. Be sure to know before you start if the fit is right for your goals. If your aim is to be a capable social dancer, then a stage tango star is not the best teacher for you.

2) If you want to learn social Argentine tango, it's usually not a good idea to select a teacher at a ballroom studio who teaches other ballroom styles as well.

3) Watch the person dance and decide if you like what you see or not. Is he/she musical? Elegant? Do they have a good embrace and connection?

4) Prospective students often think they need a man teacher if they are a woman, or a woman if they are a man, because they are thinking they must dance together during the lesson. The ideal situation is a teaching couple, so one can dance with the student, while the other watches, and they both correct and contribute to the student's learning. (Remember though that only a man can teach a man how to dance like a man.)

5) Does the teacher play music in class that is actually danced to (not as background)? Does he teach by counting or to dance by feeling the music?

6) Pricing: how long is the private lesson? Is there one teacher or two? Are there extra charges for studio rental, a practice partner, translation?

7) Weekend workshops from traveling teachers are fine, but you need to learn technique and the basics from consistent classes. Especially at the beginning of your tango journey, it can be very confusing to take a couple of classes from many different people who dance different styles. Heel first, toe first, weight on the balls of the feet, pivot or not to pivot, disassociation? One lesson can cancel out another lesson, leaving you all the worse for wear.

After the first lesson or two:
Evaluate--does the teacher act like an arrogant tango god who knows everything? Does he also include some culture and codigos of how tango is danced in Buenos Aires? Does he expect you to dance just like he does (or she does)? Does he teach complicated patterns or the 8 count basic instead of how to improvise? Did he tell you that the basic step of tango is the walk? Does he encourage you to go to milongas?

Here's what British Peter Campbell had to say about his first lesson in Argentine tango:

The 29-year-olds Valeria Sol Alvarez and Sebastian Acosta emerge from their dressing room in full attire, complete with sequins and dark suit, I wonder quite what is in store.
 
Their opening number is a traditional tango from before the 1930s, but as their legs flick seemingly effortlessly through each others, I ponder how I am going to avoid crippling my partner if I attempt a similar move...Sebastian continually, and graciously, reminds me on which foot I have to start for each sequence...

In the final moves he lifts her right above his head, spinning her round before dropping to the dramatic final pose as the music crashes to a halt. They remain in the final position, bent over each other in passion, for a final few seconds.

Seeing the way that the pair interact, their bodies moving so gracefully and effortlessly across the floor, puts my humble steps greatly to shame.

This kind of experience is liable to put off a prospective student forever!
Above all, after a few lessons you decide that you are not enjoying learning Argentine tango, don't give up! Just find another teacher. There are as many different ways to dance tango as there are people; you dance who you are. So please don't give up on the dance just because you didn't learn or enjoy your first teacher. There are many more out there waiting for you. Just find one that you like and who makes the classes fun. Tango should be a pleasure, and that includes time spent learning it.

Feliz Primavera!

Here in the Southern Hemisphere, today is the first day of Spring! Called the Spring Equinox, the September Equinox, or the Vernal Point (you can read more about the celestial explanations here and here.)
 

Spring Tulips by Elizabeth Brinton


Spring is celebrated big time in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, where there are special Primavera parties and milongas, and everyone salutes their friends with Feliz Primavera! Maybe because Porteños tend to love hot weather and the vacation and leisure that summer promises. It's a bit weird for me because my March birthday was always celebrated in springtime, along with Easter, and now suddenly it falls in autumn. But any occasion to celebrate is a good one, I say.


A tango print by Elizabeth Brinton illustrated my last post on the Embrace, and I'm using another one of her stunning prints from her beautiful new website now for spring.

Don't Fear It, Embrace It!

This popular debate on the internet Tango-L is a bit like clerics in the Middle Ages arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. How close is a "close embrace?" And what the heck is an "open embrace?" And if you dance close, does that mean you have to go for coffee afterwards?

I believe the term "close embrace" as it relates to tango was coined by a native English speaker to distinguish it from the "hold" of ballroom. But an embrace is an embrace. Do you "embrace" someone at arm's length in normal life?

The tango embrace, even though you may not know or care about the person, is the same position as embracing someone you love. It's not the person you love, but the music. And it is the dance position of tango. You want to dance tango? You assume the position. It doesn't mean more than that and there's nothing to be afraid of.

The milongueros of Buenos Aires know this. It is true, however, that some may try to take advantage of a foreign woman's rush of emotion at being in such intimacy with a man who seems to find her so desirable. Perhaps where she comes from the men are "afraid" to embrace her fully, afraid that she will think he is "interested" in her for other reasons, or back home the man himself is afraid of his own emotions when he has a woman in his arms.


So many people get all riled up about what does it mean to dance so close, how much do they have to like the person to be so close, they have to really know well the person they clasp to their chest, etc.

It's a dance, folks, not matrimony! Just a five minute commitment to forget yourself in the arms of someone while you move in harmony to the music.

In my experience as a tango dancer and teacher, many "foreign" dancers, especially those from Anglo-Saxon traditions, are indeed afraid of the embrace. It has to do with our personal space, which unlike latino and arab cultures, is much wider. People from "English" cultures are not used to being that close to someone who is not their sweetheart or beloved relative;  sometimes their emotions get all confused after a tanda of moving together as one, hugged so dearly by a stranger.

Print by Elizabeth Brinton

The embrace is the position for dancing tango--it's the base for all of the emotions and feelings that arise from the music and being connected, not only to your partner and the music, but to the Universe.

There is no such thing as an "open embrace." If you can stampede a herd of elephants between the couple, there is no embrace.

Tango is danced heart to heart. The beating of two hearts united together is the rhythm of tango. Two hearts, four legs = 2 x 4 = Tango.

As studies have proven over and over again, the embrace is good for your health. Hugs are healthy for your heart and good for your soul. You don't need a Free Hug in the street. You can dance tango until dawn and go home full of endorphins, feeling cured of all that previously ailed you.

Painting by Jan Rae

I'm not going to say as others have, just go and dance salsa, swing, or something else if you don't want to embrace your partner! People of course can dance how they like, but dancing tango without the embrace is missing out. Why fear it? Use it, luxuriate in it, enjoy it!

Alberto Castillo and Me

For me, the thrill of a lifetime! I don't know about you, but my  favorite songs from the beginning of my tango listening have always been those recorded by Tanturi con Castillo. Alberto Castillo's voice melts my heart. I even especially loved the wonderful Argentine film La Luna de Avellaneda because of the portrayal of Alberto Castillo (by El Chino Laborde) singing Siga el Baile...Carnavelito Carnavelito!! and then delivering a baby at the milonga (Castillo was also a doctor.)

From left, Dr De Luca, Marcela, Maestro Jorge Dragone, Ruben

So was I excited when Ruben and I were asked to dance in an homenaje to Castillo in Nuevo Chique? Are you kidding me? And in the presence of Castillo's son, Dr. Alberto Jorge De Luca--who looks exactly like his dad--and his grandson Pablo, as well as the famous orchestra leader Jorge Dragone. DJ Dany Borelli put together a video presentation of film clips on a giant screen. And Ruben and I danced to Las Violetas, such a rapid vals that it is almost never played in milongas, Singing the very fast tongue-twisting lyrics was a tour de force for Castillo. We were the only exhibition. Halfway through the piece, when Castillo began to sing, I felt that my heart would burst.

It was a great honor for me, even more because I am a foreigner, to have taken such a part in this lovely salute to one of the finest, if not the very best, singers in tango history. A true icon who I have revered from the beginning of my tango career in 1997.

Such a successful event organized by Ruben y Marcela, who do a great job every Tuesday and Thursday with their wonderful milonga, Nuevo Chiqué.

(Photo by Guillermo Thorp for Diostango)





For me, Castillo is the Voice of Tango! (And just look at these tango faces in the film clip below.)

Tito Palumbo Speaks Out About the Championships

SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE TANGO BUENOS AIRES 2010 FESTIVAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP. By Tito Palumbo

The following are some thoughts that come to mind about these events produced by the Ministry of Culture of Buenos Aires.

Something was previously mentioned in the News Updates No. 204 / 1 where I wrote about a venue named Meeting Point.

I assume that tango lives in our city's 365 days a year and the month of August has always had a stream of tourists from the northern hemisphere, where it's summer and holiday time.

The city government has organized the offer of these events over this stream of visitors (1).

A great deal of shows, classes, milongas, conferences, was featured in several venues, private and belonging to the city government, which culminated in the finals of Salon Tango and Stage Tango at Luna Park. And all is well that ends well.

I attended the night where tribute was paid to Maestro Horacio Salgán and the Quinteto Real performed. It was a night full of joy for all those who attended; with excellent music played by the ensemble’s new members and listening to the maestro (94 years) who told the history of the group continuing with a semblance of his teammate Ubaldo De Lio whom he personally handed a memory plate.

The following Sunday singer Ariel Ardit, a prominent artist, performed at the Theatre 25 de Mayo. A tango orchestra conducted by pianist Andrés Linetzky accompanied him. Due to a vocal problem derived from a performance he had earlier that day in the province of San Juan, he had to shorten his show that lasted just an hour.

I responded to a question about the World Tango Championships in an interview with the magazine Tango in Rome (Italy) last June:  “I agree that there are many ways of answering your question on the championships: a) they award a diploma to winners who may begin working as professionals, b) it is a business for some officials involved in the organization, c) they provide audio-visual materials to business owners without paying the dancers, and d) they generate tourism to the city.  In the meantime I've change my opinion on the last point as indicated in preceding paragraphs.

The winning couples in both categories, Salon Tango and Stage Tango were:

Salon Tango

1º)  Sebastián Ariel Jiménez y María Inés Bogado (Buenos Aires)

2º)  Diego Ezequiel Pérez y María Soledad Cantarini (Rosario, Prov. of Santa Fe)

3º)  Cristian Andrés López y Naoko Tsutsumizaki ( Tokyo, Japan)

4º)  Ariel Manzanares y Daniela Sol Cerquides (Buenos Aires)

5º)  Frank Obregón y Jenny Gil (Caracas, Venezuela)

Stage Tango

1º)  Diego Ortega y Chizuko Kuwamoto (Colón, Prov. of Buenos Aires)

2º)  Cristian Correa y Manuela Rossi (Buenos Aires)

3º)  Cristian Andrés López y Naoko Tsutsumizaki ( Tokyo, Japan)

4º)  Leonardo Luizaga y Paola Giselle Luizaga ( Zárate, Prov. of Buenos Aires)

5º)  Eber Alejandro Burger y Yésica Lorena Lozano (Lanús, Prov. of Buenos Aires)

My idea on Stage Tango as it was seen -especially in the semifinals- is that there was a lot of choreography reminiscent of the classical dance, with a male dancer holding a female dancer that was doing pirouettes and jumps. Tango, nothing at all! In an interview with Claudio Segovia, creator of the show Tango Argentino, which in the 80s revived the desire to dance, he said, "The knowledge of Tango dance was born with Tango Argentino; it created the tango-dancing that did not existed before. As spectacle aroused the interest and desire to learn to dance. Those with passion for dance began to learn to dance tango." (2)

Surely seeing young couples today doing Stage Tango, agile, with plenty of tricks, no spectators over 25 years will run out of the theater to find a tango teacher and take dance lessons.

The Dance Championship Finals involved this year a notary to certify the vote of the judges. This should now be completed with the installation of an electronic board that will allow the public to see the ratings made by each one of the judges on each one of the participating couples.

About the participation of singer and composer Ruben Blades I found in it another measure to promote Tango abroad. An Argentine singer can be known within the limits of our country and, at most, Uruguay and Chile. However, this Panamanian has a presence in many more countries. He had enough tact not to choose to sing tangos because then the comparison would not favor him, that's why he sang his own songs with music composed and arranged by outstanding maestro Carlos Franzetti, based on tangos and milongas rhythmic. But the combination proved to be self-defeating, the metric of the verses that goes very well with salsa does not match at all with the music of the River Plate.

Her female dance companions paid an emotive well-deserved tribute to Maria Nieves (Rego). As one of them told me: "She is the last milonguera, we just are dancers." She danced with "Pancho" Martínez Pey showing that she is a remarkable artist with great mastery of the stage.

Susana Rinaldi, admirable actress and singer, closed the Stage Tango finals. Now, she doesn’t belong to the milonga, her songs are not played in the dance halls. It turned out that her performance took place after having released the winners of the competition, so being on the stage she found that half the attendants was gone, including the city authorities.

There were mistakes in bulk. By instance, it was announced that Omar Viola would be the master of ceremonies in the Grand Closing Milonga to be held on Sunday 29. Well, he never knew it before, the organizers did not inform him; he just knew about it after the date when an acquaintance asked him why he had not been there.

The accreditation of journalists was in the hands of incompetent staff. Personally, I had to complain to the Press Chief because I didn’t receive the confirmation being the application  sent in time and order. Milton Saldanha. a colleague in San Pablo (Brazil), has written a highly critical editorial for his magazine Jornal Dance. I had difficulties taking pictures on the Salgán’s Night; I was making some shots from a box, without using flash, without  bothering anyone, when a security employee came to warn me that I could not take pictures. Staff of the Press Festival had to intervene to tell this employee that I was authorized. All privileges were to the television and mass media in Luna Park; BA Tango - Buenos Aires Tango was relegated at the last moment, when almost all participants, very tired, had withdrawn.

(1) It is recalled that the Iº Tango World Championship took place in March 2003 and moved to August from the following year on. The first two Buenos Aires Tango Festivals took place in December, the following  from 2001 to 2007, inclusive, in February and March, and from 2008 on, in August. One can see a clear political opportunism tourist oriented business for which the Tango is a cultural phenomenon used to take advantage.

(2) B.A. TANGO – Buenos Aires Tango Nº 23, second fortnight of February 1996, p. 1.

TITO PALUMBO está en / is on FACEBOOK

* * *

5º CAMPEONATO DE BAILE – TANGO SALÓN - “LA MARSHÀLL”

5th “La Marshàll” Tango Salón Dance Championship

Durante los miércoles de septiembre tendrá lugar la 5ª edición del Campeonato de Baile de Tango, categoría Tango Salón, sin distinción de sexos en los roles, organizado por La Marshàll. En Plaza Bohemia, Maipú 444. Informes a los tels. 43 00-34 87/15-54 58-34 23. Más info en www.lamarshall.com.ar

Las próximas fechas son:

Día 15 – Ronda eliminatoria;

Día 22 – Semifinal;

Día 29 – Final.

Premio a la pareja ganadora: $ 1.000.

- - -

The 5th edition of the Tango Dance Championship, Salon Tango category, regardless of gender roles will take place during the Wednesdays of September. It is organized by La Marshall. At Plaza Bohemia, 444 Maipú St. For information phone 43 00-34 87/15-54 58-34 23. More info on www.lamarshall.com.ar
The next dates are:
09/15 - Qualifying Round;
09/22 - Semifinal;
09/29 - Final.
Prize to the winning couple: $a 1,000.

* * *

El Campeonato Mundial

Okay, it's all over except for the PR, photos, and marketing.
If you were interested, you've already seen all the blog reports, the videos, news of the Finals and who won them. I'm not going to be redundant here.

I have only this question:  do you really think that an 18 year old couple who've been dancing tango for two years can be the very best tango salon dancers in the world? IN THE WORLD?

I would love to know your opinion. Please leave me a comment. If only to orient tangocherie in the real world.