tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31251651155860268242024-03-05T09:29:58.284-08:00My TangoMakela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-24944673616277632002018-10-02T17:59:00.000-07:002018-10-02T18:01:23.789-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
The origins of the Tango dance</h2>
<br />
I got to teach a history of the tango dance this past week at Pitzer College, and I run into these notes for a class I took long time ago at the FLACSO university in Buenos Aires. I think they are interesting. Specially since the notes are from an article by Inés Cuello who was my Dance History teacher at the Ballet School I attended in Buenos Aires.<br />
<h3>
The history of the Tango Danza (dance)</h3>
<br />
Ines Cuello states in her article included in the book: Antologia del Tango Rioplatense: Desde sus comienzos hasta 1920):<br />
<br />
a) The beginning (1898-1904)<br />
- Constant Improvisation<br />
- Connection of dancers flexible<br />
- close connection between music and the dance<br />
- Dance with Corte, Quebrada, Taconeo, Balanceo, Paradas and crosses.<br />
- Name of some patterns: carrerita o corrida, corte, media luna, vuelta.<br />
- Patterns without a name are called FIRULETES<br />
- The dance would require a flexible body and talented legs.<br />
<br />
b) Adaptation (1905-1910)<br />
- Dance competitions. More complicated choreographies that are simplified at the same time.<br />
- Elaborated and more difficult figures for the competitions.<br />
- El 'Cuatro" y la 'sentada"<br />
- More popular, therefore not much traveling on the floor.<br />
- 'Tango liso" does not require so much flexibility of the dancer.<br />
<br />
c) Codification (1911-1916)<br />
- Interest in establishing steps and figures.<br />
- Description of steps and technique.<br />
- Categories: "Paso cruzado", "Paso cortado", "Paseo", "Rueda" or "Cruzado cortado"<br />
- Walk of flexible movement to the rhythm of the music.<br />
- Dance: Slow, staccato, agile, light bending of the knee for cadence.<br />
<br />
In summary, three styles were born: "el tango criollo", 'el tango liso", "el tango de salón".<br />
<br />Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com02623, 9431 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, United States34.0254716 -118.395988900000028.5034371000000029 -159.70458290000002 59.547506100000007 -77.087394900000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-25999764130895897032018-09-25T10:19:00.000-07:002018-09-25T10:26:00.904-07:00My new studio in Culver City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In December 2017 we moved to a new studio in Culver City. If feels good, it feels fresh, it feels new. And sometimes it feels too hard to fill out the hours...<br />
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<br />Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-76543374236037630762017-06-15T09:06:00.001-07:002017-06-15T09:06:49.739-07:00One of my students sent me this link: http://joymotiondance.com/balancing-lead-follow/ and we were discussing in class if leading and following have different levels of complexity. What do you think?<br />
<br />
Please comment...<br />
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MakelaMakela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-38562573682289307552017-06-13T07:07:00.000-07:002017-06-13T07:07:23.380-07:00Tandas - musicality<div class="aolmail_p1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
If you are serious about tango you need to start studying the music. That will influence and will inform how you dance. </div>
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Try to be able to recognize ORCHESTRAS - band leaders and singers and songs. Start with the classics</div>
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Carlos Di Sarli, with singer Roberto Rufino</div>
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Carlos Di Sarli instrumental.</div>
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Juan D'Arienzo with singer Alberto Echague</div>
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Francisco Canaro with singer Roberto Maida</div>
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There are more: (band leaders)</div>
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Start building your music library very carefully so you only have LIST A tangos - Below you will find a list of great tandas, that might help you to pick the best tangos</div>
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<a href="https://ddpsfavoritetandas.wordpress.com/category/vals/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">https://ddpsfavoritetandas.wordpress.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.tangoplaylist.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://www.tangoplaylist.com/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.tangotunes.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">https://www.tangotunes.com/</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (TO BUY) or itunes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The role of singers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.tangology101.com/main.cfm/title/The-Role-of-the-Tango-Orchestra-Singer/id/946" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://www.tangology101.com/main.cfm/title/The-Role-of-the-Tango-Orchestra-Singer/id/946</a></span></span></div>
Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-19314515430713048892014-12-22T10:58:00.000-08:002014-12-22T10:58:00.433-08:00From Ramiro Gigliotti "Tango Venom" with permission of the authorExcerpted from "Tango Venom" by Ramiro Gigliotti. (pp.53-55)<br />
Mister Prejudice<br />
<br />
Come on, me prejudiced? Impossible -I responded flustered.<br />
<br />
I was accused of being prejudiced because I upheld the notion that a guy was not going to learn to do a proper turn as long as he kept chewing gum while dancing.<br />
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It was not that night, nor the next one, but after a time I had to accept that they were there. It's hard to see them, hard to admit them, hard to understand them. Prejudices hide in the most inhospitable spots of our good judgment and they nest there. They gro, they study and when you least expect it they present themselves with the air of profound thinkers and the manners of a young gentleman educated in the best schools. Then, since we are honorable people, we have no other alternative than tale a firm stance and unfold a poker game's worth of arguments that confine those prejudices to some dark corner of the stomach.<br />
<br />
We know that it is not true that all women wearing denim skirts dance badly, in the same way that he who believes that those in narrow skirts dispense with underwear is wrong... Not all the guys wearing glasses are intelligent, nor are all bald guys pleasant... One must admit that not all blonde women are hysterical, or all brunettes sexually assertive... and that not all natural redheads have read the Kamasutra, and that not all hair salon redheads have problems getting a boyfriend...<br />
<br />
And then what happened was, having decided to fight my erroneous zones, I suddenly transformed into a crusader against prejudice. I quickly strayed from the path of sanity: coming to the conclusion that in every statement there exists an implicit prejudice and I protected myself from them by refusing to have a firm opinion on anything. I was capable of agreeing to the existence of a cube-shaped ball in order to avoid discriminating against right angles. Life was transformed into an eternal "it could be, why not?"<br />
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It wasn't bad to feel like a righteous thinking democrat so easily, but spending so much time amongst infinite possibilities left me with the need to grasp at least a minimum of certainty. I remember that the first indication that my anti-prejudice phase was over was when I caught myself thinking that all guys who danced with D'Arienzo sweated like pigs. And suddenly, as if they had been stalking me biding their time, prejudices invaded everything: cross-eyed women have shapely curves, guys that like waltz are barely virile, that in Lanús brunettes are born knowing how to dance rock-and-roll, guys who wear short-sleeved shirts have Oedipus as well as other frankly shameful complexes...<br />
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Since then I have been trying to rediscover my equilibrium. I've realized that prejudice is a crazed treacherous being that thinks on our behalf, making us say things we don't really believe. In addition, in many situations, we fall into prejudice simply due to sheer laziness, convenience or stupidity.<br />
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And then, the inevitable, unavoidable question: which prejudice causes us more damage: the one that we are not aware of and transforms us into fools or the one that we are aware of and fills us with shame when we see ourselves in the mirror?<br />
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Excerpted from "Tango Venom"by Ramiro Gigliotti. Ediciones El Tangauta. 2009.<br />
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<br />Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-71693542482519693252014-09-18T10:07:00.001-07:002014-09-18T10:07:59.580-07:00Juan D'Arienzo, el Rey del Compás<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How much fun is to dance to D'Arienzo/Echague tangos... What is your favorite one? I go through phases, I always loved Paciencia, but "Ansiedad" gets me going!</div>
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Comment if you are inclined in which one is your favorite D'Arienzo Echague tango please...</div>
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In addition, please watch the following videos.</div>
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1) You can see the singer Alberto Echague and director Juan D'Arienzo, el Rey del Compás playing "Paciencia" http://dai.ly/x6j05m</div>
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2) "Amorroto" by Juan D'Arienzo: http://youtu.be/u8GG5edNtkc</div>
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3) "Ansiedad" by Juan D'Arienzo and singer Alberto Echagüe. http://youtu.be/VxbFIdGxfVE</div>
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Juan d'Arienzo (December 14, 1900 – January 14, 1976) was an Argentine tango musician, also known as "El Rey del Compás" (King of the Beat). He was son of Italian immigrants and used more modern arrangements and instrumentation; his popular group produced hundreds of recordings.</div>
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His music is played often at milongas in Buenos Aires, and the instrumentals are the classic harder rhythmic tangos with a strong staccato dance rhythm. He also recorded many great milongas and fast valses.</div>
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His recordings were accompanied by singers such as Alberto Echagüe, Armando Laborde, and Héctor Maure, among others.</div>
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Upon his death in 1976, his body was interred in the La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.</div>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_d'Arienzo</div>
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Interesting info here : https://tango.info/JuanaDarie</div>
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Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-2634282369637873632014-09-11T14:17:00.002-07:002014-09-11T14:17:32.477-07:00<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5.2px; padding: 0px;">
Today is "el dia del maestro" in Argentina (Teacher's day). I feel gratitude for all my teachers, in particular I remember my first dance teacher Maria Teresa at the National School of Ballet in Argentina. She was so sweet to me. And in tango, I pay may respects to el maestro Carlos Di Sarli. Do you know who Carlos Di Sarli is?</div>
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Di Sarli's musical style<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos_di_Sarli&action=edit&section=5"><span style="color: #0645ad;">edit</span></a>]</span><br />
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In the beginning, his music had a simple structure, but over time it matured into a more lyrical, richer, playful and more subtle style which remained popular with tango dancers as it continued to have a clear dancing beat. This clean <i>compás</i> made him a favorite of beginning social tango dancers, while more advanced ones could enjoy the complexity and variations of his music. Because of this, di Sarli's orchestra was among the most popular ones during Carnival balls of his age and can still be heard at milongas in Buenos Aires and around the world today.<span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 11px;">[3]</span></div>
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Di Sarli moved beyond the style of the <i>guardia vieja</i> of tango and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_de_Caro"><span style="color: #0645ad;">Julio de Caro</span></a>'s avant-garde, preferring to forge his own style without concession to the fashions of the day. While being influenced by Fresedo early on, he soon established his own way. A talented piano player, he directed his orchestra from behind his own instrument. His recordings do not feature significant instrumental solos; the bandoneóns at times carry the melody but essentially play a rhythmical, milonguero role. Only the violins stand out, playing a short solo or a counterpoint melody. He recorded many tracks more than once over the years, often with different singers. Di Sarli's creativity was mostly limited to the left hand piano part, filling in, modulating and accenting his delicate and elegant dancing beat. His reputation for musical elegance got him his nickname <i>El Señor del Tango</i> (<i>The gentleman of tango</i>).</div>
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Some examples of his discography http://mp3.li/index.php?q=Carlos%20Di%20Sarli#.VBIPKksmVM4</div>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_di_Sarli</div>
Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-61489501945514514772014-09-06T08:57:00.002-07:002014-09-06T08:57:17.879-07:00The Bandoneon: the tango instrument<div style="color: #0199ff; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0px;">THE BANDONEON IN TANGO</span></div>
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What is the bandoneon?</div>
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The bandoneon, shown below, is a type of concertina, played by holding the instrument between both hands and pushing in or pulling out, while pressing the buttons with the fingers. It has an essential role in the tango orchestra (orquesta tipica), and in fact has become almost the symbol of tango. Its beauty is in its power; it provides a somber, sensual sound.</div>
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The bandoneon history</div>
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The bandoneon was invented about 1846 by Heinrich Band, in Krefeld Germany under the name 'bandonion' - where it was intended to play church music. It is unknown exactly when it arrived in Buenos Aires (estimated at 1870), but it became very popular at about 1890 when it was found to be extremely conducive to the sounds of tango. Its name was changed from the German 'bandonion' to the Spanish 'bandoneon'. </div>
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The exponent of the bandoneon</div>
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Ástor Piazzolla, the late Argentinean tango composer and performer, was the leading exponent of the bandoneon in the 20th century. His 1969 'Fugata' showcases the instrument. Below is an example of the Fugata played by Black Tango Pro - with no less than <i>three</i> bandoneons!</div>
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The complexity of the bandoneon</div>
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The bandoneon is a most complex instrument because most of the buttons produce a DIFFERENT note when played pushing in than when played pulling out. This means that each keyboard has two layouts - one for pushing and one for pulling. Additionally, since the bandoneon is asymmetrical - the right and left hand keyboards are different - it means that four different keyboard layouts must be learned. </div>
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Here is Astor Piazzolla giving an interview on the bandoneon:</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z40MBS5gFk#t=99">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z40MBS5gFk#t=99</a></div>
Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-60526308976256175722011-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:002011-11-09T18:11:23.915-08:00Etiquette in Classes/Practicas/Milongas (circa 2006)<style>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Etiquette:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If possible, <b>switch partners</b>. It helps you to learn better and faster. Argentine Tango is an improvisational dance; you need to learn how to follow and how to lead. If you always dance with the same person, you might get used to her/him and predict his/her lead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">THE DELAY EFFECT</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">: Lead, wait to make sure that your follower understood the lead. When the follower goes, then you go so you both step at the same time. There is a very short delay between leading, following, and following by the leader.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Try to find <b>a practice partner </b>with whom you practice at least one hour outside the class. It does not need to be the same person every time! Either sex works. It is sometimes better to practice with someone of your same sex to share ‘expertise’, ‘problems’, etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Try to <b>keep the line of the dance floor</b> counter clockwise and do not run into other people. Try not to dance in the middle of the floor (as know as 'the shark zone'). Make sure that you protect your partner from collisions. DO NOT GO BACKWARDS</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Remember that unsolicited instruction by another student does not help the dynamic of the class/milonga/practica. If you have any questions, please ask the instructor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Be <b>compassionate</b>. If your partner makes a mistake, don’t say anything and be forgiving.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Shower</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (<b>wash your teeth</b>/floss) before class/milonga/practica – easy in colognes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Have fun! Don’t forget to enjoy it!!!</span></div><h4><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">MILONGA ETIQUETTE</span></h4><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A ‘milonga’ also means a social event where people go to dance tango socially.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Try to go in a group of men and women, and promise each other to dance a number of ‘tandas’ so you know you will dance at least a little with friends.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Tanda is a group of 3-4 tangos/milongas/waltzes generally interpreted by the same orchestra. It is etiquette to dance an entire tanda with the same person. You know that a tanda is over, because there is a “CORTINA” in between. A ‘Cortina” is a short song (30 seconds maximum) which is not tango, and in general is very different from tango that means: it is time to switch partners! Please do not dance to the Cortina.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The difference between a ‘milonga’ and a ‘practica” is the degree of formality. In a milonga, people follow the above rules very closely, and in general they are dressed more formally. In a practica, everything is more informal. There can be instruction involved (but not in the format of a class) and people can stop to try out different moves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How to ask a woman to dance: it varies according to the location. In Buenos Aires it is rude to go to the table and ask someone to dance. You ask from the distance with a CABECEO. Here it varies. Check the people and observe how other men do it. Personally, I don’t like when men ask me to dance by holding my hand. Remember: when you finish dancing, accompany your partner until you exit the dance floor. You do not need to touch her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-74110534155460198362011-07-02T09:49:00.000-07:002011-07-02T11:19:51.521-07:00A veces by Otros Aires<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of my students last night, suggested me to provide lyrics and translations of tango songs once in a while... what a great idea. For you Sachin! Please feel free to correct the English translation that was not edited by a native speaker. Why did I start with Tango Nuevo instead of traditional? Not sure, but don't worry more lyrics will come soon...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lyrics of <i><b>A veces</b></i> by <a href="http://www.otrosaires.com/">Otros Aires</a> - Loose translation by <a href="http://www.makelatango.com/">Makela</a> -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the street, in the mattress, in the light of the forest</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes in the madness,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I hear the cries of the Abasto (tango neighborhood of B.A), in the peace of your beauty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">when I manage to survive a Sunday that very seldom blossoms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when the world cries for peace, some times, almost all the time</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in the teeth of this piano, in happiness, in good fortune</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes in the wrinkles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in the wide pupils, in my unpainted room </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when I can't do anything else more than surrender</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when left overs is the only thing left, sometimes, almost all the time</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when I manage to travel with the sun until the sunset</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when I start to believe again, sometimes, almost all the time...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...For sure I think of you </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SiKiLEqoET2J3yElsi4eVtfGyHjpsZQvMzSuf5YoCO0lLxzs0cK9hx5PcdFGI0kSmRk8ETCvZaSDKUSVQ6AR4RPy8OQajwFxPPJ-tq_7BslRp-pTwOhe_r5NADLAvGgkN6xxF4eETLM/s1600/sunset-buenos-aires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SiKiLEqoET2J3yElsi4eVtfGyHjpsZQvMzSuf5YoCO0lLxzs0cK9hx5PcdFGI0kSmRk8ETCvZaSDKUSVQ6AR4RPy8OQajwFxPPJ-tq_7BslRp-pTwOhe_r5NADLAvGgkN6xxF4eETLM/s320/sunset-buenos-aires.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Buenos Aires Sunset</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">En la calle en el colchón, en la lumbre en la espesura</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces en la locura,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">En los gritos del Abasto, en la paz de tu hermosura.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando logro sobrevivir al domingo que rara vez florece</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando el mundo pide paz, a veces, casi siempre</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">En los dientes de este piano, en la dicha y la fortuna</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces en las arrugas,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">En las pupilas baldías en mi cuarto sin pintura.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando no hago mas que renunciar, cuando todo se detiene</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando queda solo el resto, a veces, casi siempre</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando logro deslizarme por el sol hasta el poniente</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A veces, cuando vuelvo a creer, a veces, casi siempre...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...Seguro pienso en ti.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.otrosaires.com/letras/letras_dos_e.html">Letras Otros Aires</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otros_Aires">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otros_Aires</a><br />
<br />
Sachin just gave me the perfect link for those interested in traditional tango lyrics in English now:<br />
<a href="http://letrasdetango.wordpress.com/">http://letrasdetango.wordpress.com/ </a>Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-7514185352999647472011-06-30T08:19:00.000-07:002011-06-30T08:19:31.523-07:00Creativity needs time - do a huge volume of workWhat a great truth about artists! <br />
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff, it's just NOT THAT GOOD. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your TASTE, the thing that got you into the game is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is DO A LOT OF WORK. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's NORMAL to take awhile. You just gotta fight your way through." - Ira GlassMakela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-29300794472915488542011-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:002011-06-16T09:02:19.587-07:00My Tango: Extrapolated Tango<a href="http://makelatango.blogspot.com/2011/06/extrapolated-tango.html?spref=bl">My Tango: Extrapolated Tango</a>: "What follows is a loose interpretation of the beautiful article by Ramiro Gigliotti that was published in the Argentine newspaper Clarin on..."Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-29981670001837013822011-06-16T08:54:00.000-07:002011-06-16T08:54:49.739-07:00Extrapolated TangoWhat follows is a loose interpretation of the beautiful article by Ramiro Gigliotti that was published in the Argentine newspaper Clarin on June 8, 2011. While translating the content, unfortunately, many nuances and references that are common knowledge to the reader from Buenos Aires have been lost. I agree with Ramiro that tango must accommodate the breathing and perspiration of bodies that claim it. I myself sometimes feel distant to the tango culture after 20 years of claiming my Angelino status. However, I do not forget playgrounds with tango music in the background, taxis and coffee shops with pictures of Carlos Gardel, my ballet school years dancing to Piazzolla, seclusions in the Cochabamba 444 bathroom to avoid refusing avid milongueros, La Catedral, and finally my ancestors who owned the tango for decades-- they are still whispering in my ears what tango is supposed to be about.<br />
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CONTEXT – Controversy was generated because foreign residents of Buenos Aires claimed the right to participate, win, and represent the city in the contest (Campeonato Metropolitano) that will select who will represent Buenos Aires in the World Tango Championship. This happened on the anniversary of the 1810 revolution, which resulted in our first Argentine national government.<br />
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“…It has been a long time since the tango transitioned from a domestic expression to a phenomenon that is practiced around the world. Tango has been danced in other bodies, breathed into other languages, interpreted in other fibers. Tango is ultimately intervened by the actors involved and the circumstances that it passes through. When it returns to its hometown, it flashes novel nuances that it did not have before, details that attack the tradition. The surprised tanguero is astonished first and then he is worried, “they have changed it on us”<br />
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It should be noted that the transnational dissemination of any local cultural expression is not a new phenomenon or a prerogative of the locals, much less an exception reserved for the tango. There are countless human manifestations that have transcended the boundaries of the site from where they originated. Suffice it to mention that jazz, communism, pasta a la marinara, Catholicism and the language in which these lines are written verify that ideas go all kinds of distances, and through all kinds of change.<br />
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Often the creation of a city, a neighborhood or even a person circulates on the planet and gets mixed into cultures other than its own. The causes that push the ideas to move and vehicles involved in the tour are multiple and often interact among each other: migration, invasions (with or without weapons), great marketing strategies, the fascination with beauty, the universality of existential problems; violence and pure chance are at the top of the list. There is then a mirror effect because in the same way that artistic/cultural expressions change the places they visit, new scenarios are not passive or indifferent to them. On the contrary, they question, transform, and fight them, and they reverse them. The logical and invariable result is a new interpretation of the original product.<br />
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These are the tensions that tango is undergoing. While traveling around the world, tango has discovered that the world also turned it around. Exposure to changes—with their advantages and disadvantages—is a fact of life (the tango knows this very well, since it has dealt with renovations and diversity since its inception). It is likely that our cry for the tango is not from just our greed or chauvinism, but from the love of the dance and fear that we’ll lose it. If so, the cry would not be an issue of nationalism but a more primal and visceral protest: you may borrow it from me, but please do not break it.<br />
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Fortunately, although it is always good to demand respect, only that which has truth in its essence is destined to endure. “<br />
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Loose translation by <a href="http://www.makelatango.com/">Makela Tango</a> - Proofreading in English by Amy Nielsson<br />
Ramiro Gigliotti is a professional tango dancer, teacher and writer who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is the author of <i>Tango Venom</i>, excellent book that captures the hidden milonga life of Buenos Aires of the last 10 years.<br />
Thank you Ramiro!Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-53697370565641524232010-12-11T14:16:00.000-08:002010-12-11T14:20:28.715-08:00My feet are in a happy painWhy do I love to dance in high heels? 10 hours of rehearsal in two days and one performance will do it. And one more show in the long list.<br />
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I make my feet strong, by many many relevés, I stretch my calves to soothe the sensation, and they still are in a happy pain after hours of tangoing.<br />
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And I know they love it, and I love it too.<br />
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Happy Feet in Pain.Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125165115586026824.post-9501053216153143192010-12-07T17:18:00.000-08:002010-12-07T17:25:19.682-08:00Keep moving, and the tango shows upI counted. This year, 2010, I rehearsed with 8 professional tango dancers and I performed with 6 of them. Is this the new era of partnership, where every single project is a little world? Every embrace, every language and every single rehearsal was a complete different universe.<br />
<br />
2011 is starting soon, and I wonder if THE partner of my life is going to show up...<br />
<br />
Or I will keep learning different styles, tricks, and ways of dancing constantly.Makela Tangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814731116141697094noreply@blogger.com0