October 14-20

Friday, October 15, 2011
Homer & Cristina Ladas premilonga lesson at Dancesport
Class notes and linked videos can be found at www.tangostudent.blogspot.com

Getting there to the dance studio early enough for the lesson, it was surprising that there were lessons still happening in the other ballrooms. Still, it was great to see the lesson so well attended, especially by some folks who came from a state or two or three away.

The milonga was fun. I had a chance to dance with some students who took the lesson, as well as several new people.

Maestros did a nice performance, which left the milonga goers wanting to see more.

Saturday, October 15, 2011
Weekend Theme: "The Body-Spiral and Body-Axis with Homer & Cristina"
Saturday Theme: "Exploring the Body-Spiral"
SAT 2.30pm: The Overturned Gancho/Sacada Experience Made Easy (Intermediate "Foundation" Class)
SAT 4.30pm: The Overturned Gancho/Sacada Odyssey (Advanced "Exploration" Class)
Class notes and linked videos can be found at www.tangostudent.blogspot.com

I had a good time, although it was a little tough to work on the class concepts since the floor (spanked-down Pergo) was a bit sticky. I had to take off my shoes early on and just work the material in socks. Others soon did the same. Some of the impromptu class assistants were amazing tango royalty (the folks with their own videos, or who are invited to DJ/perform at festivals all over the country). It was downright humbling.

Nocturne Milonga @ Dancesport, with premilonga lesson taught by Homer & Cristina Ladas.
Class notes and linked videos can be found at www.tangostudent.blogspot.com

This was an extremely well-attended lesson with nearly twice as many Leaders as Followers. Still, I think most everyone had a good time.

Funnily, as I was warming up with a local tanguero buddy, who didn’t know of my note-taking online identity, he started chatting away. He had wondered whether or not he knew the teachers or had taken lessons with them. But when he saw Maestros, he commented about how they are real U.S. tango royalty and how they were really good at leveraging the Internet and how they must have a marketing team employed on to promote them. I just let my buddy talk and talk and talk while I smiled silently. Of course after Homer introduced me and touted the blog so that the students could refer to the notes, my buddy and I got back together in the rotation and we laughed about how he was going on and on and I just smiled and said nothing. He took it all in good stride.

The milonga was crazy-super crowded, and I ended up spending a good bit of time in the back, less-crowded room, just perched on the overstuffed arm chair with my legs curled up underneath me. I was happy just watching the dancers, as I was dog tired from a very full day.

Maestros did a fantastic demo that left the audience wanting more.
Videos can be seen at Luis’s YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/lafabricadeljazz#p/u/3/K9hcUuTeHFo

Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday Theme: "Use of The Body-Axis"
SUN 2.30pm: Building One Social Dance Step-Over Colgada (Intermediate "Foundation" Class)
SUN 4.30pm: Exploring Stylistic and Functional Use of Colgadas (Advanced "Exploration" Class)
Class notes and linked videos can be found at www.tangostudent.blogspot.com

The workshops were great, with many of students from the day prior in attendance, as well as lots of folks I had never seen before. Tine Herreman, the organizer, did a wonderful job trying to make the workshop experience as fun, productive, and fulfilling as possible by calling in some local tangueros/tangueras (who could all both lead and follow) to work the material with the workshop students.

Having the half-hour practica during the break, which Maestros generously supervised, was a real bonus.

After all our work was done, I was too pooped to go to Roko, though lots of the workshop students went.

SO WHAT AM I EXCITED ABOUT?
On the road with H&C:
This weekend, Northampton, MA, with interesting new content.
Halloween weekend, Providence, RI, with totally fun costume-themed milongas to get us all in touch with our inner drag queens (or kings).
Be there or be square.