September 2-15

Friday, September 3, 2010
MUSE Milonga @ City Dance Annex. It was my first time volunteering for this event, and except for an initial miscommunication, everything went smoothly. I was quite happy to be the registration gal, and also had ample time to dance, switching off with Howard, the organizer, who was also able to dance. The milonga is gaining momentum, with a decent crowd that night of a wide range of skills but no shortage of strong dancers. El Porteno generously donated some empanadas, and Howard generously passed on the kismet by giving free empanadas to the first 16 people who registered. Mix Mistress Z did such a fine job spinning the tunes that we all begged her to play on. She graciously complied, so that we could all party on a half hour more than the original milonga end time. It was a great night, dancewise. Shoewise, it was a little sad. I realized that one of my favorite pairs of shoes really and truly needed to be retired, once and for all (but mostly for me). I have completely blown out of it, and there is just no way that this shoe is safe to dance in any more. So sad, because it is a really beautiful shoe, that during its prime, fit like a glove and performed like a champ. Those days are long gone though. :o(

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
CellSpace Alt Milonga. I did not go to the lesson. I had more fun at this CellSpace milonga than I had ever had previously. I stayed to the very end, which I never do. Floorcraft improved, I think because of the fine DJing of Bobbie and Luz. They played a lot of moderately tempo'd songs, so there was no frenzied dancing. Not too many milonga tandas though, unfortunately. It was really nice dancing with so many people that I hadn't with in quite a while.

Thursday, September 9, 2010
Verdi Club Milonga with Chacarera lesson beforehand by Pampa Cortez, assisted by Gigi Jensen. I just adore Chacarera, and like to attend any lesson I can on the subject, since with every teacher, I get some new nugget of how to do it right. I missed the very beginning of the lesson, and since the class was perfectly balanced, I sat it out but took notes. They split the groups up with Leaders with Maestro and Followers with Maestra. I paid a lot more attention to what Maestro was teaching since it was more captivating to me. When I got there in the middle of the lesson, Maestro was teaching the Leaders the basic Zapateo footwork (called the Hammer). But then he went on to teach a much more complicated (at least to me, anyway) Zapateo footwork (called Volcada) of a left foot step, then a right foot toe tap, followed by a right outside edge of foot foot tap (and then the opposite: right foot step, left foot toe tap, left foot outside edge of foot tap). The Zapateo footwork happens quite quickly. The lesson was good, because all the dancers came together at the end, and did the Chacarera reasonably well. Maestro ended with a demo of the different types of complicated/artistic/dance footwork that can be done to Chacarera, and then Maestros demonstrated several other Argentine Folklore dances, some of which use the elements of Chacarera (like Gato) and some that don't (Chamame, Zamba, etc.). The milonga itself was very nice. It was perfectly attended: not too crowded, and not empty. Floorcraft was also pretty good. I got a chance to talk to the bartender Red for a few minutes. If you are a foodie, you should chat him up... Fascinating guy! I really like this milonga since it's the only game in town on Thursday, so a decent crowd is almost assured, and the food is thoughtful and ample. Red has even upgraded the agua de Hetch Hetchy 2010 by adding cucumbers and lemons to it. Pampa will be giving a series of Argentine Folklore dance lessons in October and November for the screaming deal of $80 for 8 weeks Sunday afternoon. It should be a blast.

Friday, September 10, 2010
All Saints Milonga with Chacaera lesson beforehand by Pampa Cortez, assisted by Gigi Jensen. The lesson began with us walking briefly to the 1-2-3 Chacarera rhythm. Then, like last night, we broke up into Leaders and Followers separately taught by Maestro and Maestra, respectively. Maestra taught us pretty much our part in its entirety individually, and then we all got together and did it. It was great fun, and I had a good time partnered up with La Russa, who was surprisingly extremely friendly and nice toward me. Interestingly, Maestro did not teach the same Zapateo footwork: he taught the usual basic Hammer footwork (slap, heel stomp, heel stomp), but didn't teach the volcada footwork. He taught some other footwork, whose name I didn't quite catch, that even mimicked more the footwork of a horse (more than the Hammer footwork). It was also announced that Maestro is moving back to the Bay Area, and will be starting a new Argentine Folklore Dance Company; the kick-off of this endeavor will be the 8-week series of folklore dances taught in October and November in San Francisco. They concluded the lesson with a few quick demos of the Argentine folk dances that they will teach. The milonga itself was really fun. It was nicely attended, but not overly crowded, which was good on such a warm evening. I got a chance to dance with someone I hadn't danced with in years and have sorely missed, so that was a nice New Year's present to me. Maybe it is just my imagination, but I felt everyone was a lot friendlier and warmer. (Not that anyone was ever cold, but gosh it just seemed like everyone was unusually warm...or maybe it's just me being happier and more relaxed than I have been in a long while).

Saturday, Sepember 11, 2010
The Return of the Late Shift Milonga with lesson beforehand by David and Mariana. I missed the lesson, and got there quite late to the milonga, around 11:30 p.m. The milonga now takes place at the former Cheryl Burke dance studio space above World Gym. It's a smaller space than before, and tends to get quite hot and humid in there. Tonight was no exception since there was a strong turnout, from local SF people, as well as folks from the South Bay, East Bay and North Bay. It was great to be back again, and I think everyone was happy to see this milonga return. I had a good time. I danced with several visiting dancers who were great fun, as well as my usual favorites. Many of us stayed all the way until the end.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Orange Practica at the Beat with lesson beforehand by Homer and Cristina Ladas: Understanding the Follower “With” and “Against” (4^th/Quattro) Back Sacadas.

The basis of our work was to focus on the Follower having an energetic pivot and the Leader leading it in a nice way. Since the recent local Bay Area lessons have focused on alignment, posture, and hip pivot, Maestros decided to teach something different from, but related to, those topics. Hence, the choice of the Follower Back Sacada.

Exercise 1: Couples Ocho Exercise

We began with the couple’s ocho exercise, where each person does ochos; there was no leader and no follower, we are equal partners. Our goal was to stay close to each other, and take long steps, and step around each other while doing a series of forward ochos (easier) and then back ochos (a little more difficult). There is no Leader and no Follower, and both dancers were to do their respective ochos together simultaneously. The goal was to be able to create balance with each other. If the dancers need to find their balance, their orientation should be backward (not falling forward).

Good posture is key in being able to do good ochos. We should think about spreading our “tango wings” by keeping our chest up, compress our shoulder blades out wide and down, and expand in our rib cage. We should not compress or slouch or curl forward in our shoulders. For the exercise, we were to pivot as much as possible, over rotating, with hips facing away from each other, but stepping around each other to stay close. We should stay with our partners and articulate the femur to really step around each other and add to the spiral, which is what we were after. We should step in an arc.

For the back ocho, which is a little trickier, it is important to step close to your partner, but also work on keeping your balance at the same time. Again, you should be on axis or oriented slightly back if you need to.

Building Toward the Fourth/Quattro Sacada with Leader’s Teapot Embrace

Next, our work on tonight’s subject, the Quattro or Fourth Sacada, began. It is from the Follower back sacada, so the Follower needs to develop a good back ocho. We did this by moving to another exercise where the Leader uses his body (his chest, not arms) to lead the Follower back ocho. For the exercise, the Leader Teapot Embrace was used, with his right arm is behind his back, and his left hand holds the Follower’s right hand. The Follower maintains the connection in her left hand on the Leader’s right arm, but his right hand does not touch her, remaining behind his back.

This exercise was to help us develop the Leader’s lead, where he turns both shoulders, left and right, evenly when leading her to do back ochos. He should not turn one shoulder more than the other, and he should not rush. The Follower receives the communication through the embrace and adds her own energy with her hip pivot through her connection to the floor. The goal of this exercise was to improve our communication with each other, and really communicate the pivot and for the Follower to pivot a lot. The lack of the Leader’s right hand/arm gives the Follower the opportunity, empowering her to get in touch with her relationship with the floor to power her steps and her pivot.

Adding the Soltada and Follower Back Sacada

Next, we added to this, with the Leader’s left hand with the Follower’s right hand, leading a half turn (inside/loop turn) soltada change of embrace on the Follower’s right foot back ocho step, with the Leader then stepping across her ocho path (slightly at an angle, away from the Follower so he doesn’t jam the Follower) with his right foot, while the Follower pivots, to do a Follower left foot back sacada through the Leader’s legs. The Follower should always try to look at the Leader, or for the Leader, so that she knows where to go, and to keep track of him to have an idea of where the space is.

Adding the Leader’s Right Hand to the Embrace

Next, we added the Leader’s right hand embrace to this. He should not raise his hand too high, but keep it safely low since his hand should go around the Follower’s waistline during her pivot as he leads the soltada. The Leader needs to lead the pivot first, before leading the half turn soltada (change of embrace). The Follower stays in the same back ocho line with her steps, and then takes a step back with her left foot.

Leader Needs to Lead a Good Follower Pivot

We drilled a lot on the Leader deeper idea of leading a good pivot. For this concept to work in our dance, the Follower should not fall into her ocho, and not fall forward. If she needs to fall to keep her balance, she should fall back or be backward oriented. The Leader needs to communicate the energy he gives as he “attacks” the floor. The Leader feels like he is pushing more into the floor when he leads a big pivot. The Follower needs to have the confidence to pivot a lot and completely, and not truncate the move or cut it short because she feels a change in the Leader lead or that something is coming up and going to happen.

The exit for the soltada figure is for the Follower to take an additional step back with her right foot, to a clockwise molinete of left foot side step, right foot forward cross step.

The “With” and “Against” Follower Back Sacada

“With” Sacada:

When the Follower’s and Leader’s hips go in the same direction (clockwise + clockwise or counterclockwise + counterclockwise), it is a “With” Sacada.

“Against” Sacada:

When the Follower’s and Leader’s hips go in opposite direction (clockwise + counterclockwise or counterclockwise + clockwise), it is an “Against” Sacada. An example is where the Follower’s hips turn counterclockwise, while the Leader steps clockwise. The Fourth/Quattro Sacada is one of these, with the Leader stepping counterclockwise (right foot open side step), while the Follower does a clockwise hip turn with a right foot back sacada between Leader’s legs.

Why Does the Leader Sometimes Get in the Way During the Follower Back Sacada?

For the Follower back sacadas, the question of the Leader getting in the way of the Follower came up. He gets in the way because he tends to over lead and get in the way. He needs to know (1) where to step and he needs to know (2) when to let go of the embrace.

The Leader can let his right hand/arm go, and the Follower should still hang on and remain connected to him with her left hand on his right arm. She needs to hang on because he should be leading a big, dynamic pivot with lots of energy, and she needs to use everything to protect her standing, supporting, pivoting leg. The Follower needs to be able to have active elasticity in her embrace, with her left arm being able to have a large range of motion, extending back to create a big energetic pivot. Here, she feels like she is being thrown out and led back in.

For the Leader, he steps half a foot back with his right foot, opening up the space for the Follower to do her back sacada. She aims for his left foot during her right foot back sacada. Follower needs to be precise where she does her back sacada.

Maestros concluded with a demo to Orquesta Tipica Victor’s Coqueta. See the video at www.tangostudent.blogspot.com

COME JOIN ME!

Friday, September 17, 2010

MUSE milonga at City Dance Annex.

August 19 - September 1

Friday, August 20, 2010
MUSE Milonga at City Dance Annex, with lesson beforehand by David & Mariana. I sat out the lesson since it was otherwise perfectly balanced with Leaders and Followers. The topic focused on the back volcada with a forward step for Follower, and also included the no-hip rotation tight back cross step with no lean (they called this a mini volcada but there was no off-axis to it). The lesson was good. The milonga was fantastic. It was more crowded than it had been, and the Leader quality was excellent. Maestros were very good sports, spending a little while social dancing with us all. Jr. Scout Extraordinaire was there, and she gave me a very nice present (a way cool kitchen toy...oops. I mean tool). I was planning on leaving before the last milonga tanda, but Mix Mistress Z, who did a fine job spinning the tunes, and Jose convinced me to stay to dance with a local tanguero (they called him "milonguero" -- but I respectfully beg to differ...). We did, and were rewarded with applause. So I guess that was my YouTube moment (though no one was filming). The Leaders were all incredibly charming, and I got three offers of walks back to my car at the end of the evening. :o) I accepted from El Jefe. It was a really fantastic evening. I totally believe in this milonga and want it to be a success, so I will be volunteering for it in the future.

Sunday, August 22, 2010
Gabriel Misse y Natalia Hills workshops @ Alberto's. They were good lessons (on technique and figures in close embrace). Gabriel Misse is an excellent teacher on the Leader side of the equation. I just totally flaked on my notes.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Negracha y Diego Milonga Argentina @ Lake Merritt Dance Center…sort of… Parking was very difficult (meaning I had to park a whopping one block away) since there were four different dance events at the Lake Merritt Dance Center on this night. Walking into the facility, I saw the schedule of events, and could not resist checking them all out. Event No. 1.: Ballroom dance party in the main gorgeous ballroom with mostly seniors. Event No. 2.: The Smokin’ Hot Lesbian fundraiser dance for the Humane Society with mostly smokin’ hot lesbians. Event No. 3.: The very crowded Salsa party hosted by (and lesson taught by) Juan. Event No. 4.: Negracha y Diego’s milonga. As much as I adore Negracha y Diego, when I arrived around 9:30 p.m., there were significantly more followers than leaders at their milonga. So rather than warm the bench for a good part of the night, I decided to go to the other LMDC event that tickled my fancy the most. And that event was…drum roll please…the ballroom dance party with mostly seniors (though I was sorely tempted by the Smokin' Hot Lesbian party)! I think they, too, were a little shocked that I decided to go to their party. Unfortunately, I only had my insensibly-high-for-ballroom tango stilettos, but I decided to give it a go anyway. The leaders took it easy on me, since I prefaced nearly every dance with a new leader with the disclosure that my ballroom was quite rusty. They were all super nice and understanding. I had an excellent time. It was a very strange sensation, which is always how I feel when I dance at other social partner dances, where we are done after one song. It seems almost uncivilized, like we can’t wait to get away from each other after one song, starkly in contrast to spending an entire tanda with one person and getting to know them on a dance level during that time. There was also this almost sort of personal mental anguish with trying to reach back into the far crevices of my brain, trying to remember how to dance nightclub two-step, rumba, and fox trot. Thank God they didn’t play any Quick Step, because I would have messed that up for sure (even though I used to be decent at Quick Step). My East Cost Swing and Waltz are still respectable, and thankfully, the live band played quite a few of them. But all too soon, the night was over (the ballroom dance party goes from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.). After that, I decided to make my way back upstairs to peek in at Negracha y Diego’s milonga. I saw the last 3 seconds of a milonga performance by visiting maestros Tomas Galvan & Gimena Herrera, which looked good. I decided not to join in on the fun of the milonga though since there were still substantially more Followers than Leaders. And quite frankly, I was mentally and physically exhausted from trying to remember all the ballroom dances, and dancing them in insensibly high shoes. The thought crossed my mind to stop in at Tango Magdelana, where the milonga was scheduled to go to 3:00 a.m., but I just kept driving on Grand Avenue, and back onto the freeway as soon as I saw the theatre.

Come Join Me!

September 3 - MUSE milonga @ City Dance Annex. I'll be at the door. :o)

What am I excited about these days?

September 11 workshop with Gabriela Condrea. 4-hour workshop on Learn to Listen, Learn to Play, for the bargain price of $25 prepaid. Location TBA. I have no idea who she is (other than what's on her web site), but what excites me is that she is a Dinzelito!!! Those few group privates I had with Los Dinzel in 2007 completely changed the way I danced. And they were the ones who started me on my note-taking tango journey. :o) I am hopeful that Gabriela will teach something along the lines of what Los Dinzel teach, and in their style of teaching.

Here's what the tangomango.org listing says:

Workshop-LEARN TO LISTEN; LEARN TO PLAY
Improvisation in Argentine Tango
Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Feel rather than think, see possibilities rather than sequences, seize each moment of every tango, and play. This workshop will help you leave your plans behind you and focus on the moment before you - on yourself and your partner and the conversation that is tango that you create together. LEARN to LISTEN to each other; LEARN to PLAY.

A Very Happy Picture of Us All from Al Cuadrado

Dang. We are one seriously happy, DRAMA-FREE group, don't you think? :o)

Jr. Scout Extraordinaire's Expanded Report from Al Cuadrado

The following is JSE's fantastic expanded report from the field (since mine was a bit ... well ... lacking).

Jueves y Viernes, 12-13 Agosto 2010

Days 4-5 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Soltadas, Sombreros, and their Application in Other Steps.

This session began with a summarized review of the material we had covered up to this point.

As usual, Maestra reviewed and demonstrated the Leader and Follower material, expertly explaining technique and correction for common errors while switching from Lead to Follow and Spanish to English without skipping a beat. I felt happily immersed in a dance universe, breathing it all in. The explanations are rich with content, easy to follow if you focus and pay attention. Allow your mind to wander to that special dance at last night’s milonga and you may miss some key information and have trouble catching up! Luciana’s depth of knowledge and ability to clearly communicate information is amazing to see. After summarizing, Maestra then allowed the group to practice and explore this material to music with fewer instruction interruptions, changing partners every two songs.

The material was not easy for anybody, even the expert dancers found new complexities and nuances.

This fertile environment fostered a burst of creative energy in the room throughout the afternoon as ideas began, grew, and evolved. The teacher’s assistants discovered one new spark after another, delightedly working through new ideas with students, showing each other and Luciana, while connecting and building on ideas as a team. Luciana monitored and observed all of this semi-chaotic creation, and selected various assistant/student or assistant/assistant couples to demonstrate their new findings for the class. After each demonstration, a burst of trying the new twist then expanding with variations ensued. The teacher’s assistants have varied backgrounds, some strong in ballet and some with more folkloric roots, all with more natural and trained talent than we can possibly know in this environment of a structured class. When these assistants all came together under Luciana’s guided material in this one afternoon, for me it was thunder, lightning, wind, rain, sun, moon, stars - all at the same time. I absolutely loved the moment when Luciana had two of the assistants demonstrate their new experiment, saying they were showing us what might be “the ocho cortado of the future”. With Follower’s elbows coming dangerously close to Leader’s noses at times during soltada experiments, two of the assistants found unique ways to either (1) control the elbow via a promenade moment or (2) evade the elbow altogether with a Leader’s quick spin which offered the back of the Leader’s head in a lovely way to the Follower’s elbow rather than a nose in that risky moment.

Overall thoughts on Intensivo Al Cuadrado:

So much credit goes to these wonderfully talented teachers and performers, but there is extra richness added in Luciana’s personal selection of the individuals who make up such a strong team. Some of the assistants speak little English (and it doesn’t matter at all in terms of teaching quality), some speak fluent English but choose to demonstrate/teach physically, some explain in English, some demonstrate the material excruciatingly slowly at first so that every micro movement is felt before demonstrating at a faster pace, some realize the tension/intimidation/vulnerability some students feel when dancing with high level dancers needs to be addressed so it isn’t an obstacle to learning and are very empathetic, some subtly mirror an error and then show it correctly without a word so it can be seen and felt, some allow room at first for technique errors while the student is sorting the material out then guide students into the correct technique by progressively narrowing the opportunity for error, some stop and restart until the student gets it right with little feedback. Most or all do not carry students; the student must do their own part and their own work. The difference in teaching styles feels like an accelerated immersion with Learning, trying from all angles to get into each student’s dance psyche. Luciana adapted her teaching/correction style expertly to individual students, realizing with intelligence which students responded best to which types and quantity of feedback.

The venue was well-chosen, with Club Chalmers’ pleasant staff taking good care of us with reasonably priced good quality food, media lunas, and coffee, then handing students a personal thank you card at the end of the session.

It was a joy and a pleasure to be present in a room filled with such gifted dancers, under expert guidance, as a participant and observer. An unforgettable experience.

August 12-18 from BsAs and SF

Jueves, 12 Agosto 2010

Day 4 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Follower Back Sacadas and Soltadas.

We worked on various Follower Back Sacadas: to the Leader's open step, to the Leader's back cross step, to the Leader's front cross step. Follower should use the connection in her upper body with the Leader's arms to pivot so that her movement is faster and softer, not slow and heavy as when the Follower uses her own feet/hips to pivot. Then we did Leader's back sacadas to the Follower forward ocho steps (front cross steps, with power, push off, and pivot), Follower open steps, Follower back cross steps. In the afternoon, we worked on soltadas as an additional option for the 4th sacadas, which made doing them a little easier. Soltadas are different ways of changing the embrace, a changing of the arms. The sombrero is similar to a loop turn with connection maintained in the Follower's right hand with the Leader's left hand. We practiced various ways of changing the embrace while doing these back sacadas. This was a very challenging day for the Leaders, physically and mentally since they had to figure out how to lead the Follower to do a back sacada with either foot, while simultaneously working on his footwork (doing an open step, front cross step, or back cross step), or how to get the Follower in position stepping with an open step, back cross step, or front cross step, while positioning himself to do a back sacada with either foot, which required a lot of torsion and disassociation while remaining on axis on his part.

Viernes, 13 Agosto 2010
Day 5 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Soltadas, Sombreros, and their Application in Other Steps.
We began with an extensive review of the soltadas and sombreros we learned yesterday, applying them to all the different Leader and Follower back sacada options. Pivoting is key in soltadas and sombreros. For the Follower relation to the Leader, she answers from the bottom, not the top, and she should keep her bra line with the Leader and not let herself go. We also did some fast changes of direction in soltadas, with a half soltada one way, to pivot around to a full soltada the other way. The energy of the full soltada is different from a half soltada (with a deeper pivot from the Leader). The Leader stays around her to give her support to turn around. For soltadas, we were to move our bottom first, and then our top, and then our bottom again. Pivoting and adjusting the embrace are key. Then we added soltadas and sombreros with boleos (with and contra). This was a very challenging day where we were to put all together what we learned in the last five days.

Sabado, 14 Agosto 2010
Day 6 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Review. We began with our usual warm-up dances. Then we reviewed (1) dynamic rebotes (Tuesday's topic), which are dynamic changes of direction, and we also did them with sacadas. We worked on rebotes from the Follower open step, front cross step, and back cross step, on both sides. Next, we reviewed (2) Piernazos (Monday's topic). We compared these to ganchos, trying out both. In piernazos, the Leader goes around the Follower. In ganchos, the Leader offers his leg and distances himself from the Follower. Finally, we reviewed (3) 4th sacadas. That was all we had time to review since it was only a half day. We did not get to reviewing Soltadas and Sombreros, but some assistants snuck them in while we reviewed the 4th sacada.

Overall thoughts on Intensivo Al Cuadrado: It was OK, but not really my cup of tea with respect to subject matter. Though I think it is important to understand the physiokinetics and biomechanical aspects of executing the topics well, they are generally not things I would personally do on the social dance floor. Dancing with Maestra's hand-picked student assistants was, as usual, truly divine, and certainly that alone, in and of itself, was worth the cost of the tuition. Many of the student assistants are teachers or performers or other tango professionals in Buenos Aires, so I believe I really was dancing with the best of the best. Many of them are open to giving privates (cost is generally in the vicinity of US$25-50 per hour). It was great fun to share another Intensivo experience with Jr. Scout Extraordinaire, El Russo de Portland, the Nip/Tuck doc with a heart, Kathleen from Boston, and Christian from Italy. Rumor has it that an Intensivo C and Intensivo D are in the works for next year. I will definitely stay tuned... but certainly ask about the topics covered before signing up.

Since this was only a half day, I had just enough time to do some last minute errands, such as pick up some contact lenses. After paying for them in cash, along with the tip for the Al Cuadrado assistants, I only had 360 pesos left.

What to do, what to do? Why, buy shoes of course!!! 360 pesos wasn't enough for anything from NeoTango, so I made my way over to Lolo Gerard (Anchorena 607) again, as I was hoping they had added to their sale shoe offerings.
Luckily, I scored! I found an excellent fitting shoe on sale for 210 pesos. No time for arches to be put in, but I was still thrilled with my last minute purchase, which left me with a cool couple of hours to spare to have a leisurely early dinner with drinks, as I did my very minor last minute packing. It was a surprisingly very relaxing day, with everything humming along, running like clockwork.

Dante (Dante´s Airport Transfers, 110 pesos) http://dantesairporttransfers.hazedaze.com/ picked me up from Becka's promptly as usual, and it´s very comforting to be picked up at exactly the time scheduled and whisked off to Eziza in a quick, efficient, stress-free manner. Jr. Scout Extraordinaire was my car mate, and Dante gave us a break on the fees since he picked us up separately but our destination was the same. To me personally, he went above and beyond the call of duty on this particular trip especially.

Overall thoughts on Becka's Tango House: I admit that when I first arrived there, I had my doubts and misgivings. But I eventually grew to enjoy my stay there immensely, especially the company and knowledge of my fellow housemates (all three of them are tango teachers), and its convenient location near lots of transportation (subte and bus), walking distance to NeoTango and Tango Leike, lots of verdulerias (fresh veggie markets) nearby, the orphaned toiletries (no I am not skeeved out) and fully stocked medicine cabinet, the fully stocked kitchen with lots of tupperware and tools/accoutrements that are not found in regular apartment rentals, plenty of ballroom space to practice, and a fully stocked CD collection of tango music. It eventually came to have the feeling of home away from home -- but with housemates.

Come Join Me!

Friday, August 20, 2010
MUSE Milonga @ City Dance Annex. David & Mariana teach the intermediate lesson @ 9:00 p.m. Two floors of tango (traditional and alt) until 1:30 a.m. This place is gorgeous. Yummy food, yummy people, and yummy El Porteno empanadas for sale. Who could ask for anything more?

August 5 - 11 from Buenos Aires

Jueves, 5 Agosto 2010
Day 4 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B (off axis): Back Volcadas and Leg Wraps / Ganchos. We began, as we always do, with the first hour of reviewing all that we learned yesterday, and revisiting the finer points of Leader and Follower technique. We reviewed the forward volcada on the left and right sides, and Maestra emphasized that the Follower should have even connection with the Leader in her arms, should not bend at the tummy or break at the back, and do not touch in the torso, but keep support in her left arm when doing the volcada in open embrace. Even in close embrace volcadas, the Follower separates from the Leader in the chest area. Maestra´s dynamic quality of the volcada comes from the spiral beginning in the torso of the Follower and her leg coming around as a consequence, and in the walking around 90 degrees for the Leader. We attempted to manage both the left and right sides in the same way. Follower needs to pivot at the end so that the feet are in an /\ position (otherwise they will be pigeon toed). One Leader assistant pointed out that the Follower is back on axis at the end of the volcada when the Leader drives her left leg back into the cross. After our review of doing volcadas from any open Follower step (boleo, sacada, molinete, etc.), we went on to Back Volcada. Maestra noted that for the back volcada, it was more of a suspension than an inclination (as for the forward volcada). The difference is in how the leg is swinging. There is no lean in the Back Volcada. Instead, it is an attempt to step that never happens because of the Leader´s countermotion. One interesting way to think of the Back Volcada is that it is an underturned/no-pivot back cross step that travels forward. Sacadas and wraps/ganchos are related in that one targets the free leg and one targets the standing leg. For wraps, the Follower needs to PIVOT A LOT on the standing leg to make the free leg truly free. First we did an exercise where the Leader led back ochos with no Follower hip rotation or travel (just side ochos), the goal of which was to really relax the standing leg to the let the free leg enter in back crosses where the force of the leg crossing behind the other leg caused it to pop forward as a consequence. This was all done on axis. Next, we did a trust exercise, where the Follower takes one step toward the Leader, and the Leader pushes her back at the shoulders, to let her free leg go forward as she tries to step, but make it go back as he pushes her back. Next, we did this same exercise, only catching and pushing back hand to hand. Then we combined all these exercises and worked on doing simple back volcadas. Maestra noted that the back volcada can be led from any Follower back cross step / back swinging step, and the Leaders played with this concept by coming up with their own sequences, for example: Follower colgada with left leg planeo out back counterclockwise, to step, to a back volcada, to a Follower right leg forward sacada of Leader´s trailing right leg to front volcada of Follower left leg. Next, we went on to the other topic of the day: Ganchos - circular. Maestra´s platform is that of "dynamics" and "circularity" in tango. This, she noted that for these ganchos, we were to do circular ones with the Leader as the center and the Follower as the circle. We began with a sequence of Follower back ocho of right leg in clockwise molinete, where Leader does right leg back sacada of Follower´s back right leg step, and she ganchos his right leg with her left leg. Next we tried it on the other side (counterclockwise molinete): Leader left leg sacada of Follower´s left leg back cross step. Next, we did a back gancho to back gancho, where the Leader´s right leg ganchos Follower´s right leg on Leader´s close side and Follower´s open side. For gancho technique, the Leader can absorb the Follower´s leg, and send it back out to the other side of her supporting, standing leg. Next, we did front ganchos of Leader´s right leg using Follower´s right leg as an interruption of her back cross step, then we tried it on the other side, Leader´s left leg with Follower´s left leg.

Viernes, 6 Agosto 2010

Day 5 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B (off-axis): Leg Wraps / Ganchos. We spent a lot of time working on all the ganchos we learned yesterday.

Sabado, 7 Agosto 2010
Day 6 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B (off-axis): Review. We reviewed all that we learned in the previous five days (freeing up the free leg of the Follower, linear boleos -- with and contra, colgadas -- moving the axis and doing it circularly, volcadas, ganchos).

My overall thoughts on Intensivo B:

As usual, it was a great session. The student assistant partners were many of the same ones as last year, and they had much improved in their dancing and their English skills in the last year. We as a class were very lucky to have them. The subject matter and structure were the same as last year, but I feel we didn´t cover as much material or move as swiftly or deeply as in the past due to the class level. I do believe that taking Intensivo A and B together are more effective at learning, understanding, and employing the concepts in our dance and that just taking B alone could be overwhelming to some who are not familiar with Luciana´s concepts. Personally, if I could only take one session, I would take Intensivo A (though A+B is the ideal). I didn´t feel as overwhelmed or exhausted as I did last year, likely because I had my notes from last year to guide me in terms of what I could expect. This year´s Intensivo B also took place at a different place, with hardwood floors, decent ventilation, and short 5 minute walk to the subte. A delicious bagel sandwich lunch (of two sandwiches) was available for purchase daily (with drink, coffee, and dessert) for 26 pesos.

NeoTango (1938 Sarmiento) doesn't close until 4.00p.m. on Saturday, so I had just enough time to shop. I attempted to try on some shoes, but wasn´t able to since they had sold out in the size I needed in many of the styles I wanted. Interestingly, I also ended up being a size 5 in their shoes (whereas in the past I was size 6). So now I am wondering if the tango shoe vendors here in BsAs have changed their lasts so that they accommodate a wider, North American foot (which was what I was told at 1951 Buenos Aires).

Domingo, 8 Agosto 2010

Salon Canning Milonga (18 pesos, Scalabrini Ortiz 1331). This was the 6 p.m. to midnight milonga. It was a very civilized, sweet Sunday at Salon Canning. The seating was informal, with men, women, and couples seated everywhere randomly. It was crowded, but floorcraft was OK with only light bumps and the dancers reasonably well behaved. This particular afternoon had the tightest milonga conditions I´ve experienced so far, which is typical for Canning.

Lunes, 9 Agosto 2010

Day 1 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Piernazos. We began, as we always do, with the first part of the day working on technique, and then the second part of the day the possibilities of the structure (from/to where). Piernazos look like ganchos on the waist of the Leader, but Piernazos actually belong to the family of boelos, only the Leader is the Follower´s way. We began with the mechanics/technique of boleos. We were to work with the idea of the change of direction, such as the front cross of Follower´s left foot to back cross of the opposite direction of the Follower´s right foot, with a large pivot of the Follower´s left foot front cross. Follower is to keep her bra line to the Leader. The Leader needs to be behind the Follower for the change of direction, so he needs to overturn her before her first forward cross step. The Leader needs to be behind and around the Follower and go around her (and not be flat when he does this). We also did this on the other side: Follower right foot front cross, to Follower left foot back cross, to Follower big pivoted right foot front cross. Follower needs to have lots of torsion with complete weight, then arrive, pivot, and then step from the standing leg (push off from the standing leg). We went on to simple piernazos. The Leader changes the timing, and steps around her, and then leads her with a boleo, waiting for the Follower to arrive and accompany her return. For Piernazos, the Follower needs to have lots of pivot in the standing foot, be on axis, and the weight must not be on her heel, have torsion from top to bottom. She must really spiral a lot. It is an overturned front cross, and overturned back cross, and Leader is around her. When doing Piernazos, the dancers should be perpendicular (90 degrees) to each other. The leg is a continuation of the spiral in the Follower´s body. We worked this on the left and right sides, and with ¨with¨and ¨contra¨ energy. When doing it in countermotion, the difference is in the timing in the ¨go¨. The Leader moves earlier toward the Follower, and he should be softer with this motion. Next, we explored the difference in the lead and feel of Piernazos (which are in the air), and ganchos (which are on the floor). The distance is farther between the dancers in the setup for Piernazos in terms of the Leader´s offering leg and versus going around the Follower. The energy of the step before in the setup of the overturned step. Next, we added a change of direction/alteration into the Piernazos. Follower left foot front cross step, into Follower right leg piernazo of Leader´s right hip on the close side of the embrace.

2x4 Al Pie shoes (Scalabrini Ortiz 1735, Dto 3). This is the men´s answer to shoes a la Comme Il Faut in terms of how the showroom looks. The loft interior of the store could have been right out of an urban hipster bachelor pad in New York City, in all it´s wood beam and brick glory, and luxurious, minimally designed leather furnishings. The shoes here have the interchangeable soles (leather, suede, and rubber). For the men, they have several different models of shoes, but in varying colors/materials (cost: 590 pesos). For the women, there is only one model of shoe, but it comes in a lot of different colors (blue, green, red, et al) (cost: 500 pesos). I tried on a pair, but did not like how they fit on me (size 5!). El Russo de Portland reports that the shoes here run a bit narrow, as he generally wears narrow shoes and he found the shoes at 2x4 Al Pie on the narrow side.

El Motivo Practica at Club Villa Malcolm (10 pesos). This was a practica, so no cortinas were played. Dress was very casual. Olga Besio was there with several of her students, and many Al Cuadrado assistants were there as well. I danced with a bunch of international technically strong Leaders, which was fine with me. There was a good, four-song performance of a couple whose name escapes me.

Martes, 10 Agosto 2010

Day 2 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: Sacadas with Rebotes (Changes of Direction). We began with a review Piernazos from the Leader´s open step, back cross step, and front cross step, using with and contra energy. Then we worked on the technique of doing sacadas, doing different types with different changes of direction (back to front from right to left, back to front from left to right, open to open left to right, open to open right to left, front to back left to right, front to back right to left). The Follower moves on her own, and she needs to keep her torsion. For sacadas, it is a clean take of the foot (weightless), followed by the Leader´s transfer of weight. Next, we reviewed rebotes, with the Follower focus being really pushing off with the standing foot to the free foot, with elastic motion and feeling. This class was much more challenging on the Leader side of things with them having to really think hard about the setup and relative positioning of the bodies.

Miercoles, 11 Agosto 2010

Day 3 - Luciana Valle Intensivo Al Cuadrado: The 4th Sacadas.

We began with a review of the Leader and Follower back sacada technique. Follower needs to pivot a lot and keep torso toward the Leader. Her pivot originates from down up (from her feet to her hips and torso). She needs to complete her pivot and collect before back stepping. Here, she can also reposition herself a little as needed, as she uses the up to down spiral in her back step, where she should extend the leg first, and then transfer the weight. Her left arm can slide up on Leader or change the embrace so that she has more room to accommodate the move. We reviewed all the Follower back crosses with different Leader receptions (on his open step, on his front cross step, on his back cross step. The timing of the step is that the Leader and Follower are moving together at the point of the sacada. The 4th sacada is the Follower´s back step to the Leader´s open side step. It was physically very demanding working on these back sacadas all morning since they involved lots of overturned ochos. It´s a good thing this was just a half day.

July 29 - August 4

Jueves, 29 Julio 2010

I took a stroll in the ´hood and came upon Asignatura Pendiente Corrientes 2176. They have lots of tango clothes, well made, current, stylish, reasonably priced, and some a bargain on the clearance rack. They also had a small selection of tango shoes. Current model Tango Leike´s were 390 pesos. I tried on a few of their sale shoes (180 pesos) and found one pair of Negra y Portena brand (their house brand) that felt great and fit perfectly (normally 310 pesos), so I bought it even though I wasn´t expecting to.

Souple Shoes (Parana 384, apt 2A). This is one of those shoe stores that is located in an apartment (a la Fabio shoes). There is no signage, so you either have to hear about this place by word of mouth, or pick up one of their fliers at Nino Bien or see their ad in a tango guide. They are a new store, only open one year, and had 15 pairs of shoes in their offering. I tried on several, but none of the shoes fit me well (not enough coverage at the front of the shoe for me; both sides of my foot where the future bunion will be on the inside and the corresponding opposite bone below the pinkie toe on the outside would slide out). Interestingly, I was told by the owner that I was really a size 5 and not a 6 as I am everywhere else. Go figure. I found the shoes to be well made, and she said that they are the shoes that Geraldine Rojas wears. She even showed me a YouTube video of Geraldine dancing with Ezequiel in shoes that appeared to be their´s. The shoes that I did try on had very comfortable soles.

Nuevo Chique Milonga (San Juan 244, 15 pesos, elegante sport). I had such a good time here two days before that I went back for some more. Dancing here with the portenos is so much fun. I really get the feeling of "one body, four legs" with them. There is something about their solid uprightness of their posture, their confident energy and presence in their embrace (not forceful or overbearing or reliant on the Follower for their balance) that is absolutely divine.

Nino Bien Milonga (Humberto Primo 1462) The 20 peso entry fee gets you a free drink when you give the waitress your admission slip. There were many locals here on this night, and not so many international folks (I guess 10%). That being said, it was a tough cabaceo night since the locals all seemed to prefer to dance with each other, and there were many folks who just wanted to sit and watch and not dance at all. Still, it was great fun people watching with many local celebs in attendance social dance: El Flaco Dany, El Flaco Dany´s brother who is also a fantastic dancer, Maxi Copello, Luiza Paes, Alicia Muniz (the owner of Comme il Faut), and Judy y Jon. It was also interesting watching the dynamics of one young rather famous taxi dancer and his much older, much shorter client. I don´t know what his name is, but he was extremely attentive to his client, dancing every single tanda with her, and being very thoughtful toward her in many other ways. It was clear that they both got along quite well together, and she didn´t seem to mind that he invited his 3 other younger friends to join them at their prime table (next to El Flaco Dany´s and Maxi Copello´s table, where they sat with a group of men, all of whom I am sure are quite accomplished tangowise). I danced with an excellent leader from Italy who mentioned how much he liked Homer Ladas´s videos on YouTube. I asked him if he ever went to the link where the class notes are, and he said yes, and that he found them helpful in giving him ideas in how to develop his own dancing. I told him I was Anne who wrote the notes, and his eyes grew wide and he seemed very pleased and somewhat shocked to meet and dance with me. So, it was a very nice night despite not racking up much mileage on the dance floor.

Viernes, 30 Julio 2010
I didn´t do much in the afternoon since it was cold and rainy.

Sin Rumbo Milonga (Tamborini 6157, 20 pesos). I had a nice time at this milonga, even though the floor got very sticky after the first two tandas, likely because of the humidity caused by the rain. I got a chance to try their vacio y papas dinner (26 pesos). They ran out of papas, so I had salad instead. The meal was an excellent deal and very delicious. I really like Sin Rumbo. The dancing is very civilized, and they have a nice ratio of tables to dance floor space. Ariadna Naveira and Fernando stopped in later on in the evening.

Sabado, 31 Julio 2010
Asignatura Pendiente Corrientes 2176. I ended up with two dresses and a top.

Marta Anton and El Gallego Manolo Canyengue lesson at EAT. It was a small class, more like an assisted practica since the experience ranged from extreme beginner to pretty decent. We went through several steps: basic, rock steps back on both the left and right leg of Follower (forward rock steps for Leader), regular ochos, forward ochos immediately to back ochos, back ochos immediately to forward ochos, Leader back cross step of left foot behind right foot as he walks forward, side steps (one to the Follower´s left, with an unweighted collection and then immediately to two steps to the Follower´s right (with Leader footwork the exact opposite for these side steps, series of Follower front cross steps to the right with exaggerated trailing left leg (this was done to the music and in series of 3s). It was a good lesson. Marta had some canyengue CDs for sale, with music that only she has the recordings to. They were normally 40 pesos each.

Domingo, 1 Agosto 2010
Loca! Milonga (Niceto Vega 5248, 15 pesos for milonga only). I had such a good time the week before, that here I was, back for more. The milonga started off a bit slow. It seemed that most of the people there were content to just chat for a bit before dancing. When the dancing did start, it went full force and floorcraft was a little bit frenzied at times. I got a chance to dance a few excellent tandas, which made it a great night for me.

Lunes, 2 Agosto 2010
Day 1 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B - off axis. The topic of the day was the Dynamics of the Free Leg. We began with warm up dances for the first half hour. Then we went on to the subject of the day, "Dynamics of the Free Leg". The goal was to free the free leg of the Follower, and the key is in the standing leg, pushing on it, then releasing it. After some discussion of the class topic, we would dance one dance, with the Follower being really focused on their supporting, standing leg, and the free leg being very free (not shaped or pretty or technically precise). Next, we did an exercise where Leader played with and controlled the free leg of the Follower by moving his axis (body\core, not arms), forward and back without moving his legs. The Follower moved her leg (NOT her axis or body) back and forward in response to the Leader´s axis moving forward and back. The axis is always on the front part of the feet, and we were playing with the motion before the motion, with Follower anchoring and releasing. We did this same exercise to the side, and then forward. Next, we played with intention, moving the foot, and then actually stepping. Followers were to let their legs get heavier and move down into the ground, and also react with the leg from the hip (not just below the knee). Next, our work developed into linear boleos, and we played with changing the dynamics of the Leader´s forward step, where he pushes off with more energy, doing a normal step in size, but with lots of energy, and then he stops the energy suddenly, remaining low, to lead Follower´s leg to go straight back and really freeing her leg. Both Leader and Follower have to really anchor. Follower does not control and Leader does not lead the return. We were just to focus on the Leader sending the Follower´s leg out straight back. Here, the Follower was to really use her left hand embrace of her thumb against the front of the Leader´s bicep as he moved forward toward her and the fingers against the back of the Leader´s bicep as he suddenly stopped the energy. Next, we did the same forward intention in the Leader´s walk, only doing it into the Follower front cross of left foot over right foot. She was not to shape the return, but to have it have a natural, organic movement. Next, we did three different types of straight to the side free leg movements: (1) straight linear forward to the side (dancers are at 90 degrees though Follower maintains bra line to Leader), (Leader should take care not to raise the Follower to get her lef7foot to rise) (2) Straight linear forward to the side in front of the Leader, then curving as she pivots, as if for an extremely rounded exaggerated ocho, and (3) straight linear forward to the side, with much more energy, and change the direction of her hips while her leg is at the highest point in the air (similar to doing an air rulo, only not shaped). This was to help us play with regular ochos and dynamic ochos. We did these as with boleos and contra (counter motion) boleos, with normal feet and crossed feet for the Leader. In the contra or counter motion boleos, the Leader creates dynamics by moving opposite to the Follower, and the ¨return¨is felt more than the ¨go¨. We also did these as forward and back boleos (the back ones were tricky). The underlying goal of the Follower during all these exercises and boleos was to focus on: (1) anchoring the standing leg and relaxing the free leg, (2) have good left hand connection with Leader´s right arm bicep of her thumb against the front as he comes into her and fingers against the back as he stops the energy suddenly. She should also keep her bra line toward the Leader.

Martes, 3 Agosto 2010
Day 2 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B (off axis). Topic: Colgadas. We began with an hour review of what we learned yesterday in terms of freeing up the free leg and doing linear boleos to the front and back facing the Leader and to the side (forward and back) where dancers are at 90 degrees (though Follower maintains her bra line to Leader). Off-axis moves always refer to the Follower´s axis, not the Leader (who is always on axis, or perhaps slightly backwardly intended, but still on axis). It is important in off-axis moves that the Follower maintain her connection of her left hand on the Leader´s right arm, with thumb pushing forward against him, or pulling toward her with the rest of her fingers, to respond adequately and correctly when Leader extends or compresses the embrace, expanding or contracting the space between the dancers. We began with an exercise where the Follower moves her center back (thus it is now off axis) so that it is off her feet. When Leader sends her out to do this, it is important that she take it with the lower half of her body (hips\legs) and that she not absorb it in the chest or torso and lean back with her head back. She should not be on her heels, but on the balls of her feet, and her legs should be straight (not bent at the knee). Shoulders should be on top of the hips (not butt). Follower should try to think about being out and UP, and the Leader must really anchor his toes, otherwise she will pull him forward. Next, we rotated this from side to side, one foot to the other. We got into a very simple colgada, which was basically an exaggerated, more dynamic parada to a Follower front cross step, while dancers face each other. We were to use our knees and really propel to exit the colgada. We tried this on either side. Follower´s technique\posture are key: Stay in front of each other. The movement is not huge, but dynamic. Distance the hips from the Leader, not the shoulders\torso\head. Colgadas are a motion of the centers, not of the arms. The Follower´s hips are back a little further than her shoulders, but not much. Legs\knees are soft, not locked or straight, but not excessively bent either. Keep torso posture the same throughout, even on the rotation, and do not lean back in the upper body\head. The Follower should maintain the torsion in her upper body, starting with the torso and her hips coming around in dynamic movement as the Leader leads it. Next, we did another colgada facing each other, one that is very planeo-like in that the Follower´s axis and left leg or right leg are sent straight back out, and then Leader walks around her while her axis is still out. Here, the Leader first sends her leg out with down energy and not moving his axis, then he opens the embrace to send her hips out and axis back. Next, still facing each other, we did a colgada that was reverse pasada like in that the Follower does a back ocho with her right leg, then Leader stops her right leg with his right leg, and Follower does a reverse pasada of her left leg either out as if for a planeo, then gets a rotation clockwise, or her hips out and then back in with rotation clockwise to resolution. Whether her leg goes out or her hips go out and then comes back in are a function of how the Leader leads it (with more downward intention for the leg going out). The Follower must not rush the legs to let Leader decide which one he wants to do, the leg extension\planeo colgada or just the regular hips out, then back in to axis. Next, we did side colgadas, starting with an exercise facing each other, and the Leader anchoring and being like a wall while Follower sent her left leg and left hip out to the side away from him, and then we did this to the right side as well. We turned this into the side colgada, which we did from the Follower left leg barrida of Leader´s right leg, to colgada on her left leg to pasada with her right leg out to clockwise resolution.

Miercoles, 4 Agosto 2010
Day 3 - Luciana Valle Intensivo B (off axis). Topic: Forward Volcadas. We began the day with the first hour reviewing all of the Colgadas we learned yesterday, really trying to take the motion of the Leader´s top with the Follower´s bottom (hips, not shoulders). The new topic of the day was Volcadas, the opposite of colgadas in terms of off axis. The way maestra teaches volcadas is that they are an interrupted step, not necessarily an inclination. We began with an exercise of the Leader just counterbalancing the Follower, moving opposite the Follower, not carrying her, but creating a vacuum and emptying the space in front of her, obligating her to step. The Leader takes an open step to his left side (Follower´s right side), then he steps around her 90 degrees (to 3 o´clock) in an open step. The Follower follows from the top of her body to the bottom, in a spiral. We also did this with the Leader stepping to the other side (9 o´clock). The Leader moving around follower in 90 degrees creates the pendulum motion. The Follower really tries to get torsion from the top down spiral. The Leader needs to have power in his step, pushing off, so that Follower feels the curve on the body and does not spiral and not move in a block. Next exercise: The Leader takes the 90 degree step, but does so a little farther away, so that Follower feels the invitation to step (and she steps). Next exercise: Adding to the prior exercise, the Leader moves toward Follower when the Follower wants to step. This is to help us understand the concept of counter motion and is done in the context of the open embrace. We did not add any off axis during this exercise. For Follower´s technique, she needs to have good spiral in her upper body with her hips coming around as a consequence and her feeling the need to take a step, and then the Leader waling toward you. We did this on the left side and right side. This exercise was to help the Leader understand the feeling of inviting her, then playing with the counter motion. From here, we added the close embrace, and did it for real, taking Follower off axis. Maestra noted that every Follower open step (from boleo, sacada, molinete, colgada, etc.) is an opportunity to do a volcada. The Leader just needs to step around her in 90 degrees. Maestra noted that Follower´s feet should always be in an upside down V shape at the end of the volcada (not parallel or pigeon toed). We spent most of the last half our of class dancing with each other, with the Leaders exploring the idea of the volcada coming from any Follower open step, and the Follower just trying to be ready and alert and able to do the volcada without anticipating it.