Tango Concert with the Esteban Morgado Cuarteto at Castello dell´Oscano in Perugia

Last night the Perugian Tango community experienced one of the highlights of the year.

The tango association El Bandoneon had succeeded in bringing the Esteban Morgado Cuarteto to Perugia (and I know how much work and passion they met to achieve this).

To an orchestra of this calibre, they have been nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for the best Tango CD, of course everybody came  who is interested in Tango in Perugia…

It ´s understood that there were all the Perugian dancers no matter from which of the numerous Tango schools but also a lot of new faces, music lovers sponsors and their guests and of course the local prominence.

And we were not disappointed. The four musicians  declared Tango Nuevo specialists (though of course they have all kinds of Tangos in their musical repertoire) played own compositions, some classical Tangos like for instance El Choclo but mainly Piazzola.

The special thing about this was that they didn´t only play Piazzola pieces, a challenge in its own right, but gave them their very own  stamp.

I think this is due to the fact that Esteban Morgado is a guitar player and therefore not tempted to simply imitate Piazzolas masterly bandoneon playing.

Sometimes  I rather felt like being in an Al di Meola Concert when Esteban stressed his guitar to its very limits.

Interesting but not really my taste were the Tango Adaptions of Sting and Queen songs (there I prefer the original versions and the voice of Freddy Mercury simply can´t be imitated) absolutely fantastic however all the Piazzolas.

Great that the cuarteto´s interpretation made it possible to dance to most of the pieces (some required to listen only) though for Tango purists dancing to Piazzola of course is way out of the limits:-)

We all enjoyed a great evening due also to the very special setting in the ballroom of the castle.

So, when the Esteban Morgado Cuarteto plays somewhere near your place don´t miss it.

P.S. Actually this very evening was presented the new cd of the group. Unfortunately they were all sold out before I could buy one. Yet somehow I will get it and report…

P.P.S.  Mille grazie to EL Bandoneon, Lorenzo, Lorenza and Marzia. You did a great job.

Workshop with Céline Ruiz and Damián Rosenthal in Paris

I am sure you remember my last post about Céline and Damián at La Rogaia.

Yesterday Céline and Damián wrote me that they will also give a Workshop in Paris during their show.  So if you happen to be in Paris make sure you don´t miss it.

Saturday 24 of October
2 Classes of different subjects

Class number 1:  From 13h until 14h30

Different dinamics in the embrace(close, open and off balance moves).

Class number 2:  From 14h30 until 16h

Complexe combinations in close and open embrace.
Level: ADVANCED

Where? Le Vent Se Leve
181 Avenue Jean Jaures
Metro Ourcq
75019 Paris

So beautiful it makes you cry

Céline and Damián, dancing so beautifully it makes you cry

Normally it doesn´t happen to me that I am touched so profoundly by something that I have to tell it to the whole world immediately.

But last night here we saw something that I really have to share with you…

Last week we had here at La Rogaia a master class with Céline Ruiz and Damián Rosenthal. A great, really demanding workshop.

As always we had a farewell party. Anything the way we have it always at  La Rogaia so far…

But then it happened!

It was already fairly late when Céline and Damián got to the dancefloor asked for our attention smiling slyly and started to dance.

Well, you have to know that they had already presented a magnificient show at our big gala evening at Perugia

But what we where allowed to see last night in the intimate atmosphere of our comparatively small dance studio left us speechless.

It really took some time before somebody was able to speak  again, but finally one of our participants brought it to the point.

“It´s so beautiful it makes you cry”

Yeah, it was exactly like this. Something very, very special. And the icing on the cake was that our small group was among the privileged who had seen for the first time in a kind of unofficial anteprima parts of the first tango theatre play of Céline and Damián.

If the whole play is as fantastic as the small part of it we were allowed to see, and I do not have the least doubt that it will be, I strongly recommend to everybody to go and see it.

The small problem yet is that you have to go to Paris to see it (Not so bad actually…)

More information and reservations you can get here.

réservation@leventseleve.com or at www.leventseleve.com

Our best wishes to Céline and Damián and we hope that their play will have the success it deserves.

P.S. almost forgot,.  The name of their play is

„Tango Pulsacion n°1“ and it´s not the usual tango show but a  real theatre play  (with and about Tango of course).

Don´t Lead, Seduce

Celine Ruiz and Damian Rosenthal, pure seduction

In Argentine Tango as in many other dances people talk a lot about leading and following. The common approach is that there are “leaders” and “followers”.

However, I am not so lucky with these terms.

I prefer to speak of inviting the lady (or what ever dance partner you have) to do something, to take a step, to do a spin or simply to wait for some moments in my embrace listening to the music.

Thinking in terms of inviting someone, making a proposal (which may be accepted or not) makes dancing more open, less hierarchic and more playful.

Thinking this way also helps to be more attent to the signals and proposals the lady sends. Those signals are easily missed when the man concentrates to much on “leading”.

That´s why I strongly encourage gentlemen to forget about “leading” but rather to think of inviting their ladies, to make gentle but clearly understandable proposals which the ladies can´t  (and most probably do not want to) refuse, and why not, try to seduce them to go where you like them to go.

The Tango Talker

The Tango Talker, priceless advice for all YOU Tango addicts

How to become a tangodancer who really attracts attention:

Seven dead sure tips

1.

Ignore the music. You don´t really want to bother about such unimportant things as rhythm and melody, do you?

2.

Don´t care for your dance partner. Okay, you need her as nice accessory, but caring for harmony while dancing is completely unneccessary. Remember it´s YOU who shows her the ropes.

3.

Use every dance to explain to your dance partner what she still needs to improve. It´s YOU who knows exactly how to dance right and she should be happy and grateful to profit from your indefinite store of knowledge.

4.

Make use of your arms excessively to lead your partner. A little dragging and pushing does no harm. If she has got a really good balance she will cope with it without problems

5.

Dance ad libitum against the direction of the dance and across the dance floor. The other couples will make way happily once they have realized that it is healthier to get out of your way.

6.

Start your sequences of steps always with a large backstep. The other dancers shall understand as quickly as possible that a top dancer like YOU needs space all around himself.

7.

Learn sequences of steps and figure combinations strictly by heart and do not deviate from them, come hell or high water. Improvisation is for people who don´t know what they want.

Is this an UFO

In the middle of a romantic tango suddenly a glaring light cuts through the night

Is this a UFO?

A tango party birthday surprise

Finally we are getting some rest, sitting on our terrace overlooking the surrounding hills. Most of our guests have arrived and linger around enjoying a drink or some of the culinary delicacies that Annette, my wife, and our friend Christina have prepared for the buffet.

It is mid August and though the sun is hovering already deep down over distant Monte Amiata, the heat makes everybody feel very relaxed. Or should I say drowsy?

Nobody seems eager to move more than necessary.

Today is my fortieth birthday and we have invited all our friends. Germans and Swiss who run organic farms in the neighbourhood, some people from Castel Rigone, our neighbours who share with us the same gravel road and a lot of tango dancers from Perugia.

A lot of organizing, decorating and cooking, though I have to admit that most of it has been done by Annette, who wanted to spare me from work on my special day.

The scenery changes after the sun´s last golden glow has vanished behind the hills.

We light the torches in the garden. Music starts to fill the air, mainly Tango Argentino we like most but also Salsa, Swing and Italian evergreens.

Everybody comes to life again. The chatting gets louder. Wine glasses are ringing. Somebody is bringing out a humorous toast, making our whole company shake with laughter. The first couples start dancing…

In the midst of a romantic tango all at a sudden we are bathed in glaring light.

What the hell is that? Two enormous lights at the entrance to our property cut through the dark.

Is this an UFO? Do we end up in a Spielberg movie tonight?

Taking ourselves a heart we approach the lights and come upon a group of profoundly shaken, terrorized Italians, mainly women in their very late forties, unable to speak (which is a rare if not impossible thing among Italians), staggering downhill towards our terrace.

Drawing nearer to the lights we don´t trust our eyes.

Outside our gateway, stuck up in the narrow gravel road, we see the bulky shade of a seventy seater overland travel coach.

This very moment I remember. Some days ago one of our tango friends, a nice italian lady, owner of a travel agency, had called and asked whether we´d still organize tango balls at Passignano.

She had a group of single travellers to care for and wanted to offer them something really special. She had been to our house for dance parties several times and obviously thought it was something special…

Of course I had invited her too, according to the typical italian saying “Se siamo in tanti, è piu bello.” – More people we are, the nicer it is.

I had never imagined though, that anybody would have the crazy idea to come to our place with an extra long overland bus, since our road though fairly well maintained, is narrow and very curvy. I really wonder, how they were able to get that far.

What to do now? Our company at once drops back to their traditional roles. Our ladies, each of them a Florence Nightingale, care for the stranded travelers, giving them wine, food and encouraging words.

Most of the men are up at the bus not sparing with good hints. Finally, with united forces we manage to make the bus turn on the bordering meadow. Fortunately during this time of the year the earth is dry and baked hard by the sun.

In the meantime our new guests have recovered a little and some of them are even trying to do their first tango steps. Their travel guide, all excited, is assuring me several times that the driver had told her he knew the zone and would have no problems, begging thousand times pardon for causing us trouble and damaging our road. Then she is off again, comforting her clients. I try to stay serious, but really can´t hide a laugh.

Half an hour later most of our single travellers are anxious to leave again. They like our place but they are frightened to death at the thought of riding back two kilometers of nightly gravelroad in their bus.

In the end the bus sets off without passengers. Some of our friends bring the members of the travel group to the security of the asphalt road in their cars. Some last thanks and greetings and our surprise guests are gone.

We all pity them, as there is still a whole night of fun and dancing ahead.

Tango in the midst of olive groves

Tango in the midst of olive groves

Sheep bells from the opposite hill. A cloud of white dots sets in motion, disperses between the olive groves’ silver splotches. Silence. Only the singing of the cicada fills up the flickering air. The monotonous chirping is broken by single new sounds. Yoom, bah, yoom, bah. Pugliese sounds over the terrace, the rose beds, becomes entangled in the treetops, vanishes over the hills into distant spaces. Couples finding each other, steps, turns, pausing and starting again.

Tango-Workshop in Umbria. Although not situated as remote as an Argentine hacienda, it is still far away from any hectic pace and noise. Completely forget your everyday life You will find yourself in a little paradise, once you have driven the bumpy road to La Rogaia to its very end. Two old stone houses embedded in a large garden, surrounded by blooming lavender and rose fields, olive groves and meadows. The guests are welcomed to lovely renovated apartments and rooms. Each apartment has its own characteristic style: simple and modern with marble and glass or playfully nostalgic with arch stucco and old pieces of furniture. You will discover a lot of nice details like paintings, sculptures, fresh flowers from the garden, the bottle of wine on the kitchen table. The well-considered arrangement of apartments within the compound of La Rogaia will make you enjoy lots of privacy. The garden offers numerous hidden terraces and corners. And those of you who want to refresh your feet tired by the tango can do so at the pool, whilst glancing over the rolling hills of Umbria, listening into the silence.

Read more http://www.rogaia.de/en/story_tango.html

Where to dance Tango in Umbria

When we arrived in Italy we found a lot of beautiful towns but no Tango

Where to dance Tango in Umbria

Eleven years ago when we arrived in Umbria we found a lot of most beautiful medieval hill towns and great food but alas! no Argentine Tango. We had to realise that we had come to a real Tango diaspora. So we decided to change that and organized the first steady milonga Umbria ever had seen in a music pub at the little village of Magione, a quarter of an hour drive from the town center of Perugia. The first few Tango aficionados came there from whole Umbria.

In the meantime things have changed drastically. There are several Tango schools at Perugia and you can go out dancing Tango almost everyday.

Here we will inform you as best we can about the tango nightlife in Perugia and its surroundings. If you need a quick information because by whatever accident you stranded in Umbria and suffer from Tango deprivation you can give us a call 0039 075 845457. We don´t guarantee that we´ll be able to help but we´ll try.

Is there a foolproof way to avoid a “no”, inviting someone to dance

La Mirada the Argentine invitation to dance

Is there a foolproof way to avoid a “no”, inviting someone to dance

You probably know the situation. With your last ounce of courage you have made up your mind to ask the nice lady on the other side of the dancefloor for the next dance. You cross the dancefloor for everybody to see, invite her and the only thing you get to hear is a most embarrassing “sorry, no”. Might happen to the ladies as well and in any case it is poison for your self confidence. So next time you might try it the Argentinian way with “Mirada y Cabeceo” (to look and to nod) which is more elegant and leaves a lot of possibilities to save your face (If your preferred dance partner does not respond to your burning glance no problem. Pretend to not having noticed and try with someone else). In a traditional Argentine Milonga ladies and gentlemen likewise try to make eye contact with the desired dance partner. Once the eye contact is made they agree with a nod or maybe a smile to dance together for the next round of dances, the so called “Tanda”. Only then the lady stands up to confirm her approval and the gentleman takes her to the dance floor. Of course the real gentleman escorts the lady also back to her seat after the “Tanda”.The Argentinian way of inviting to dance settles also the vexatious and somewhat shopworn discussion whether women are allowed to invite men to dance. Argentinian ladies (and hombres) do it all the time with meaningful glances and tempting smiles. Woow! So nice…

Do Tango dancers attract women

Do tango dancers attract women? Who knows...

Do Tango dancers attract women

Do tango dancers attract women? According to the opinion of many women they do. That is if they are real good dancers. Being a good dancer in Argentine Tango yet doesn´t mean to be one who shows off performing all kind of complicated sequences of steps and using the woman he dances with as a mere decoration. A really good dancer is a sensitive person who feels what his dance partner wants and tries to make her feel good and at her ease. If you talk to old argentine tango dancers who still have experienced the “Golden Age” of Tango in the fourties of the twentieth century, they will tell you, that all women were considered “queens” of the dance floor and were treated with utmost respect. Actually that respect was a consequence of the early days of tango. Among the immigrants to Argentina and particularly at the big melting pot Buenos Aires there was a terrible lack of women and only good dancers had a chance to get a dance or maybe more than that. Indeed it was a common thing that men used to practice together to impress the ladies on the dance floor. The beginners were usually dancing the womens part thus getting an excellent understanding of what women liked and needed (at least at dancing tango). Dancing in the milongas of course, men having formally the leading role had to be clear with their lead (though I prefer rather the term “invitation” which describes better what good tango dancers do while they are dancing), showing the directions they wanted the women to go and at the same time protecting her and their common dancing space against all the other couples on the dance floor (that of course in a very elegant and civilized manner). Of course a good tango dancer has to dance to the music and will try to interpret it, which means he has to listen. Argentine Tango therefore is rather a dance for listeners than for talkers. A good tango dancer is also a good listener, something most women undoubtedly appreciate. You could describe a good tango dancer as soft, sensitive, listening macho. A mixture which obviously appeals to many women on and off the dance floor.