A friend just sent me this link, asking if this place in Palermo is cool
http://www.caseronporteno.com/ubicacion.php
That's not Palermo. It's Belgrano.
Went to PracticaX last night and hung out for just a few minutes. Upshot: totally crowded, no space to dance, people doing all kinds of weird nuevo figures where they don't fit (like voleos into other couples) and it was so hot it was deadly... plus the floor got all sticky due to the humidity.
Last week I went to la Viruta on Wednesday, and it was a pretty nice vibe. There were enough people to dance and a lot of space, and if you go late enough -- like after 1, I suppose -- it´s free to enter.
2008-11-26
2008-08-05
Lunes at Canning, Reexamined
Did the intermediate-advanced class at Canning last night with these guys
http://www.gabrielangio.com/
at 9pm. The class was good, but very argentine: if you want them to help you, you have to ask. And if you have no clue, they really can't help you much :) But the style was what I'm looking for these days -- Tango Salón -- and the focus of the class was sequences, which is good for me (even if I still don't get it). Just the warmups for the class -- to see them once and then go practice them at home -- are probably worth the 15 pesos ($5 US).
The class is funny because they explain everything quickly with no explanation whatsoever. Then they come back and break everything down. It's neat that every week they are completely surprised by how bad the students are and little they understand. That said, there are a lot of good dancers in the class, and it's one of the only non-nuevo places where real dancers go to study.
Of note: the beginner class, which is oftentimes not so beginner, with Alberto at 7pm is excellent too and Alberto is a unique case (well, not that unique, but): he started dancing when he was 25 or something and was doing something else (software? or something corporate, I don't remember) and now he just teaches and dances. And he's great because he not only knows what he's doing, but he knows how he learned it. What's his trick? Well, a huge part is that he actually took those exercises that Gabby and Natalia give you seriously. Good guy, good teacher, and a friendly class (though I didn't go last night).
I'm very busy with theater and software development right now, but I hope to make it to PracticaX tonight (maybe) and to Villa Malcom on Friday night for the class at 8pm. Also, I danced all night last night with a woman named Marina, who told me about the classes at the Viruta... it's true: if you want to hang out in the Viruta and know people to dance with, it's good to go to the classes in the same place. Especially if you can study with Horacio Godoy, who is great (though I never studied with him). I asked her which nights, she said, "just about every night is good." So that's the word on the Viruta (unconfirmed, but it's true that I was there on Sunday night and there were a lot of people at 1am).
In fact, it was kind of hard to leave Canning last night... Monday nights at Canning are pretty cool, so it seems... I definitely think it's smart to take classes that lead into a practica or milonga, because they hook you up with the "después."
Thanks for reading!
http://www.gabrielangio.com/
at 9pm. The class was good, but very argentine: if you want them to help you, you have to ask. And if you have no clue, they really can't help you much :) But the style was what I'm looking for these days -- Tango Salón -- and the focus of the class was sequences, which is good for me (even if I still don't get it). Just the warmups for the class -- to see them once and then go practice them at home -- are probably worth the 15 pesos ($5 US).
The class is funny because they explain everything quickly with no explanation whatsoever. Then they come back and break everything down. It's neat that every week they are completely surprised by how bad the students are and little they understand. That said, there are a lot of good dancers in the class, and it's one of the only non-nuevo places where real dancers go to study.
Of note: the beginner class, which is oftentimes not so beginner, with Alberto at 7pm is excellent too and Alberto is a unique case (well, not that unique, but): he started dancing when he was 25 or something and was doing something else (software? or something corporate, I don't remember) and now he just teaches and dances. And he's great because he not only knows what he's doing, but he knows how he learned it. What's his trick? Well, a huge part is that he actually took those exercises that Gabby and Natalia give you seriously. Good guy, good teacher, and a friendly class (though I didn't go last night).
I'm very busy with theater and software development right now, but I hope to make it to PracticaX tonight (maybe) and to Villa Malcom on Friday night for the class at 8pm. Also, I danced all night last night with a woman named Marina, who told me about the classes at the Viruta... it's true: if you want to hang out in the Viruta and know people to dance with, it's good to go to the classes in the same place. Especially if you can study with Horacio Godoy, who is great (though I never studied with him). I asked her which nights, she said, "just about every night is good." So that's the word on the Viruta (unconfirmed, but it's true that I was there on Sunday night and there were a lot of people at 1am).
In fact, it was kind of hard to leave Canning last night... Monday nights at Canning are pretty cool, so it seems... I definitely think it's smart to take classes that lead into a practica or milonga, because they hook you up with the "después."
Thanks for reading!
2008-06-18
This Blog, Alejandro y Marisol, DNI Saturday Night Tango Danced to Rock
It's weird, but today I was looking for the Practica X blog to head over there and suddenly... there I was. www.EsQuienSoy.com, right on the front page of search results and above Practica X. Admittedly, this was in the English search results, but still... pretty neat.
So what about Practica X. First off, Alejandro and Marisol danced. They are really good. Lots of musicality and modern stuff and so forth, but it's obvious (and true, if you ask them) that they come from Tango Salón (or Tango Milonguero, depending on who you ask... these two categories get confused/mixed quite a lot). Why? Because of how they move (caminata, really). And while I was at it, I asked Marisol what's up with the classes, because the horario I put in http://tangobsas.blogspot.com/2008/05/alejandro-and-marisols-classes.html is just wrong... so here are some classes with them.. ah, forget it, check out their website at http://www.marisolalejandro.com.ar/seminariosclases.htm, but note that they go on tour from September onwards or so. You should check 'em out if you're somewhere in one of the countries they're touring. Fun to watch, good posture, good movement.
Practica X is great: people are nice, there are an abundance of woman who dance well, and a minor detail which is very important: there are no (or few) tables. It's organized like a dance place (like a salsa place), so basically, if you're not dancing, you're waiting to dance. I hate how there are tables in milongas and so people are facing each other and engaged and you're supposed to break in and ask a woman to dance. I know, my friend Cristina from Barelona would say that cabeceo (nodding to ask a woman to dance) is a whole world and you have to get into it to appreciate it, but it just doesn't turn me on... or at least not yet.
So every time I go to a Pedro and Julieta class on Saturdays at DNI at 7pm (what's the class called? "Tango danced to REM?"), Pedro asks me if I'm going to write about them here. The answer is no. Jajajaja, no, seriously, the classes with them are fun but perhaps a bit too informal. I happen to be in the ingroup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingroup) so some of the jokes are about me, but I prefer the classes to be didactic with less joking around. However, why do I go to their classes? Some really good female dancers show up on Saturday night, the sequences are fun and challenging, and Pedro and Julieta are very insightful and are interested in the students' progress. They are also funny, to be fair, but not funny enough to have their own comedy show, you know? As all of my acting classes keep reminding me, comedy is not funny.
I want to write an entry soon about a technical point about leading, but I hope to get to it soon. I've been busy but as Argentina explodes (crisis soon!), my tango is advancing. Oh, and when I get back from the US in July, I'm going to start teaching private classes de Inglés para profesionales de Tango. 500 euros an hour :)
So what about Practica X. First off, Alejandro and Marisol danced. They are really good. Lots of musicality and modern stuff and so forth, but it's obvious (and true, if you ask them) that they come from Tango Salón (or Tango Milonguero, depending on who you ask... these two categories get confused/mixed quite a lot). Why? Because of how they move (caminata, really). And while I was at it, I asked Marisol what's up with the classes, because the horario I put in http://tangobsas.blogspot.com/2008/05/alejandro-and-marisols-classes.html is just wrong... so here are some classes with them.. ah, forget it, check out their website at http://www.marisolalejandro.com.ar/seminariosclases.htm, but note that they go on tour from September onwards or so. You should check 'em out if you're somewhere in one of the countries they're touring. Fun to watch, good posture, good movement.
Practica X is great: people are nice, there are an abundance of woman who dance well, and a minor detail which is very important: there are no (or few) tables. It's organized like a dance place (like a salsa place), so basically, if you're not dancing, you're waiting to dance. I hate how there are tables in milongas and so people are facing each other and engaged and you're supposed to break in and ask a woman to dance. I know, my friend Cristina from Barelona would say that cabeceo (nodding to ask a woman to dance) is a whole world and you have to get into it to appreciate it, but it just doesn't turn me on... or at least not yet.
So every time I go to a Pedro and Julieta class on Saturdays at DNI at 7pm (what's the class called? "Tango danced to REM?"), Pedro asks me if I'm going to write about them here. The answer is no. Jajajaja, no, seriously, the classes with them are fun but perhaps a bit too informal. I happen to be in the ingroup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingroup) so some of the jokes are about me, but I prefer the classes to be didactic with less joking around. However, why do I go to their classes? Some really good female dancers show up on Saturday night, the sequences are fun and challenging, and Pedro and Julieta are very insightful and are interested in the students' progress. They are also funny, to be fair, but not funny enough to have their own comedy show, you know? As all of my acting classes keep reminding me, comedy is not funny.
I want to write an entry soon about a technical point about leading, but I hope to get to it soon. I've been busy but as Argentina explodes (crisis soon!), my tango is advancing. Oh, and when I get back from the US in July, I'm going to start teaching private classes de Inglés para profesionales de Tango. 500 euros an hour :)
2008-05-26
2008 Tango Classes in Buenos Aires: Back to Tango Salón
A lot of my readers have been asking for classes in Buenos Aires. I've been taking classes in a lot of places, but my focus is now Tango Salón (what is Tango Salón? that's for another Blog). So I asked one of my favorite teachers (and bloggers!) here in Buenos Aires, José Halfon (http://nuevotangosalon.blogspot.com/) if he has any suggestions. This is the text of his email (original in Spanish, below). I did my best with the translation, but it ain't easy.
Thanks Jose!
Thanks Jose!
My dear friend Daniel asked me to suggest some Tango classes. I'll suggest three different classes currently offered in Buenos Aires.
- Chiche and Marta on Sundays at 7pm and at 10pm in Torquato Tasso (1575 Defensa). They're a couple who have kids and grandkids and have been teaching for many years. For us and many others, their classes have been fundamental.
Their content, simplicity and logic have withstood the test of time. I don't know how many other couples you can say that about. Nowadays the tendency is to mention certain "maestros" who are hip and cool. I, instead, begin my list with this couple: times have changed, but they're still together and actively teaching and dancing. Hurray for Chice and Marta!
- Sebastián y Roxana, Monday 8.30pm in Sarmiento 722 4th floor. Seba and Ro are part of the new generation that has reinvented Tango Salón. It's even more highly stylized, if that's possible. Their dancing is both elegant and musical, with a high degree of expressiveness and maleability. These are traits which don't abound in this part of the City.
- El "Chino" Marcelo, Wednesday 8pm, Carlos Calvo 948. El Chino is a teacher and dancer who knows a lot and keeps a low profile. His idea is a bridge between what we learn from corporal study -- normally called "Nuevo Tango" -- and more traditional dance. In my opinion, el Chino is a partner in "Nuevo Tango Salón," which is the movement that we passionately support.
In all three cases, you'll find people with a open mind. Each of them defends their own way of thinking but yet is respectful of others' ways of thinking. And all of them have an incredible desire to teach the legacy of his beautiful country.
A Heartfelt "Saludo" to All the Readers of Esquiensoy,
Jose Halfon
Original in Spanish
A Heartfelt "Saludo" to All the Readers of Esquiensoy,
Jose Halfon
Original in Spanish
A pedido de mi queridisimo amigo Daniel, voy a proponer 3 clases de tango diferentes, para tomar en estos días en Buenos Aires.
La primera, es la de Chiche y Marta, los domingos de 19:00hs a 22:00 hs. en el Torquato Tasso. Defensa 1575
Chiche y Marta, son una una pareja con hijos y nietos y muchos años en la docencia. Sus clases han sido fundamentales para nosotros y para muchos otros, porque sus contenidos, simples , y lógicos, son imbatibles al paso del tiempo. No se cuantos pueden decir lo mismo.
Hoy en día esta quizás mas de moda, nombrar entre los maestros de uno a ciertos bailarines, buenos y Cool.Yo quiero empezar mi lista, por estos 2, ya que los nuevos tiempos, los encuentran unidos, y activos. Hurra por Chiche y Marta.
En segundo lugar, quiero nombrar la clase de Sebastian y Roxana, lunes 20:30 hs. en Sarmiento 722 4* piso.
Seba y Ro, forman parte de una nueva generación que re-invento el Tango Salón, que lo estilizó aun mas, si es eso posible.Tienen un baile realmente elegante y musical, con plasticidad y ductilidad, algo que desde mi punto de vista,no abunda por esa zona de la ciudad.
Para terminar mi lista quiero nombrar la clase del " Chino" Marcelo, los miércoles, 20 hs. Carlos Calvo 948.
El Chino, bailarín y maestro, de amplio conocimiento y bajo perfil, da habitualmente una propuesta, que hace un puente,que une el estudio del cuerpo que brinda, lo que se suele llama " Nuevo Tango " y el baile mas tradicional. Digamos que el Chino, es para mi otro socio del Nuevo Tango Salón. Movimiento al que aderimos con pasión.
En los 3 casos, se van a encontrar con gente de cabeza amplia, defensora de lo suyo, y respetuoso de lo ajeno. Siempre con ganas de enseñar, lo que esta tierra hermosa nos lego.
Un saludo cordial a los lectores de " Esquiensoy "
Jose Halfon
2008-05-10
Alejandro and Marisol's Classes
Here are their classes so I can throw this piece of paper away:
I recommend these guys, although they're classes have been better with -- and in some cases impossible without -- a partner.
Medrano 645
Domingos 23.30 - 01.00 (práctica + músicos + cine + debate)
Domingos 19.00 Avanzados
Miércoles 22.00 Intermedios
Viernes 22.00 Milonga
Domingos 23.30 - 01.00 (práctica + músicos + cine + debate)
Domingos 19.00 Avanzados
Miércoles 22.00 Intermedios
Viernes 22.00 Milonga
I recommend these guys, although they're classes have been better with -- and in some cases impossible without -- a partner.
2008-05-06
Private Classes
Now I'm basically stuck in Argentina for the forseeable future.
Some people have asked me what classes I recommend and so forth, and I really don't have any easy answers. I like the classes at DNI, but I think that for most people Tango Nuevo is like driving an 18-wheeler before you can ride a bicycle (well, something like that). I like the classes with Jose and Viky (http://www.nuevotangosalon.blogspot.com/) and with Alejandro and Marisol (also very modern) and I do take an occasional class in DNI. But personally, I've been taking a lot of private classes with Cecilia González, who is awesome for what I want to do (tango salón).
I went to a Tango party the other night (have fun in Canada, Maral!) and there were a lot of modernos there. I think the women do quite well in Tango Moderno, since the same concepts of lead and follow apply. But the men suffer, because they are leading complex stuff and sometimes you have to modify your arms and you can't lead everything from your torso. The real deal is that Tango Moderno is true dance: the torso moves the arms, the arms move the hands, the puntos de apoyo (connections) move the woman. But before you get to that point, it's much better, I think, to focus on moving the woman from your torso. Tango Moderno is basically a relaxing of more traditional tango, meaning that many of the rules can be broken. So if you don't have those rules ingrained in your body, it's a terrible looking free-for-all.
But I was watching one of the guys at the party who women have told me dances quite well at moderno. And he sucks: hips going in any direction, torso going in any direction, hands moving independenly of torso which is basically always moving with the hips... obviously, if you never learn to dissociar (separate? disconnect?) you will forever move like an inelegant putz in tango.
While I'm rambling, they were showing that terrible Duvall movie on TV the other day. Man, Duvall actually dances tango! I mean, he's not a great tango dancer, but he's quite good (or at least in those choreos that they did). Sally Fields or whatever her name is in that other movie with Pablo Verón is an absolute yutz, and the movie isn't much better than Duvall's hitman bullshit.
But yet, Tango must advance... hopefully soon I'll comment on Zotto's show, which I saw over a month ago...
Some people have asked me what classes I recommend and so forth, and I really don't have any easy answers. I like the classes at DNI, but I think that for most people Tango Nuevo is like driving an 18-wheeler before you can ride a bicycle (well, something like that). I like the classes with Jose and Viky (http://www.nuevotangosalon.blogspot.com/) and with Alejandro and Marisol (also very modern) and I do take an occasional class in DNI. But personally, I've been taking a lot of private classes with Cecilia González, who is awesome for what I want to do (tango salón).
I went to a Tango party the other night (have fun in Canada, Maral!) and there were a lot of modernos there. I think the women do quite well in Tango Moderno, since the same concepts of lead and follow apply. But the men suffer, because they are leading complex stuff and sometimes you have to modify your arms and you can't lead everything from your torso. The real deal is that Tango Moderno is true dance: the torso moves the arms, the arms move the hands, the puntos de apoyo (connections) move the woman. But before you get to that point, it's much better, I think, to focus on moving the woman from your torso. Tango Moderno is basically a relaxing of more traditional tango, meaning that many of the rules can be broken. So if you don't have those rules ingrained in your body, it's a terrible looking free-for-all.
But I was watching one of the guys at the party who women have told me dances quite well at moderno. And he sucks: hips going in any direction, torso going in any direction, hands moving independenly of torso which is basically always moving with the hips... obviously, if you never learn to dissociar (separate? disconnect?) you will forever move like an inelegant putz in tango.
While I'm rambling, they were showing that terrible Duvall movie on TV the other day. Man, Duvall actually dances tango! I mean, he's not a great tango dancer, but he's quite good (or at least in those choreos that they did). Sally Fields or whatever her name is in that other movie with Pablo Verón is an absolute yutz, and the movie isn't much better than Duvall's hitman bullshit.
But yet, Tango must advance... hopefully soon I'll comment on Zotto's show, which I saw over a month ago...
2008-04-17
Crazed Smoke in Buenos Aires and Classes
Buenos Aires has been slightly crazy recently: there's been this cloud of smoking hanging over... well, IN the City. It's been amazing disgusting. Last night I thought I smoked like 10 cigarettes in my apartment without opening the windows (and I don't smoke cigarettes ever) but in fact my windows were wide open and the smoke was... well who knows? Here's a non-permalink http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aBR_Bu_i.Edw&refer=latin_america but it was gross. http://www.misionesonline.net/paginas/detalle2.php?db=noticias2007&id=110886 Not to mention the toxins one ingests. My chica said, "imagine the tourists who come here just once and have this impression of Buenos Aires." It is what it is, isn't it?
Thanks to Cecilia Gonzalez, my private teacher, my tango is finally moving forward. She's is not fucking around: we work on really simple things like torso and connection and caminata and giros. I go to classes and do weird voleos and ganchos and even soltadas and all that crap, but I really need work in these basic things. Today I realized that the difference between dancing from your "center" (you power center, in Aikido, I imagine) and dancing from your arms is, man times, just a few centimeters of difference in your chest angle. So that's why it's hard to detect and hard to get right. And we say disociación so much that it comes to mean "when the torso and the hips go in different directions." This is wrong. So I have to think about desconexión or something like that: the torso is leading the woman, the hips are leading me. I beginning to get this idea, and I think that just beginning to ask, "where is my torso, where are my hips" would be a big move forward.
I've happily resumed classes with Jose and Viky, and I think that as group classes go, they're quite good. The level of the poeple is very uneven (heterogeneous?), but when you're working on leading from torso, what's the difference? Jose and Viky are technically correct in every way, and buena onda and in fact I really enjoy them and their classes. Check out Jose's blog at www.nuevottangosalon.blogspot.com, where he talks about Dániel Pregunta. That's me, hombre de palo (straw man)....
Another option -- though I don't have the flyer with me so drop me a comment if you need to know (I won't publish it, don't worry) -- are the classes with Alejandro y Marisol (check 'em out in YouTube). They are definitely proponents (is that English?) of the Tango Nuevo but with good technique and good "salón" behind them. I enjoy their classes too, but you should definitely go with a partner. In fact, one of the best ideas is to go to DNI and do a class at midday, pick up a partner, and go with them to the class with Alejandro and Marisol. That's what those números de teléfono are for.
The classes with Fabián and Virginia were definitely boring and depressing. I don't think that classes in Tango Salón actually get you any closer to Tango Salón. In the Monday class we did 3 hours, 1.5 of which were male technique (and female technique in the other room). Fabian's idea of male technique is to do a bit of walking and stuff and then start working on a figure using the guys as women. This is about as fun as... well, it's pretty depressing. Worse, he never corrects you and has absolutely in interest in following your development. Basically, some are born to teach and others are totally uninterested and therefore unable. I think that if you're a DANCER (and I do NOT mean that you've danced tango for a long time, but rather if you're a dancer for real) then you might get some benefit out of Fabian's and V's classes.
I'll respond to Jose's blog entry soon, but until then... man, I just wanna sleep. But no! Now on to acting class... Buenos Aires is killing me.
--
Daniel Rosenstark
www.DVDs4theSAT.com
SAT tutoring you can rewind
Thanks to Cecilia Gonzalez, my private teacher, my tango is finally moving forward. She's is not fucking around: we work on really simple things like torso and connection and caminata and giros. I go to classes and do weird voleos and ganchos and even soltadas and all that crap, but I really need work in these basic things. Today I realized that the difference between dancing from your "center" (you power center, in Aikido, I imagine) and dancing from your arms is, man times, just a few centimeters of difference in your chest angle. So that's why it's hard to detect and hard to get right. And we say disociación so much that it comes to mean "when the torso and the hips go in different directions." This is wrong. So I have to think about desconexión or something like that: the torso is leading the woman, the hips are leading me. I beginning to get this idea, and I think that just beginning to ask, "where is my torso, where are my hips" would be a big move forward.
I've happily resumed classes with Jose and Viky, and I think that as group classes go, they're quite good. The level of the poeple is very uneven (heterogeneous?), but when you're working on leading from torso, what's the difference? Jose and Viky are technically correct in every way, and buena onda and in fact I really enjoy them and their classes. Check out Jose's blog at www.nuevottangosalon.blogspot.com, where he talks about Dániel Pregunta. That's me, hombre de palo (straw man)....
Another option -- though I don't have the flyer with me so drop me a comment if you need to know (I won't publish it, don't worry) -- are the classes with Alejandro y Marisol (check 'em out in YouTube). They are definitely proponents (is that English?) of the Tango Nuevo but with good technique and good "salón" behind them. I enjoy their classes too, but you should definitely go with a partner. In fact, one of the best ideas is to go to DNI and do a class at midday, pick up a partner, and go with them to the class with Alejandro and Marisol. That's what those números de teléfono are for.
The classes with Fabián and Virginia were definitely boring and depressing. I don't think that classes in Tango Salón actually get you any closer to Tango Salón. In the Monday class we did 3 hours, 1.5 of which were male technique (and female technique in the other room). Fabian's idea of male technique is to do a bit of walking and stuff and then start working on a figure using the guys as women. This is about as fun as... well, it's pretty depressing. Worse, he never corrects you and has absolutely in interest in following your development. Basically, some are born to teach and others are totally uninterested and therefore unable. I think that if you're a DANCER (and I do NOT mean that you've danced tango for a long time, but rather if you're a dancer for real) then you might get some benefit out of Fabian's and V's classes.
I'll respond to Jose's blog entry soon, but until then... man, I just wanna sleep. But no! Now on to acting class... Buenos Aires is killing me.
--
Daniel Rosenstark
www.DVDs4theSAT.com
SAT tutoring you can rewind
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