Here's the link to all the buenos aires tour pictures I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tangoheroine/BUNEOSAIRES0952409749PM?feat=directlink
And here's the link to our mendoza trip:
http://accesstangomendoza.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
i'm so behind...
The tour is actually over and I realize how much I have to catch up on here.
Here's a picture from Lu's bday cake and celebration!
Thursday's class with Milena was great - super technique and great to just review walking and ochos without stylization.
http://www.milenaplebs.com/
Thursday night we went to nino bien again and then on Friday we went to Salon Canning.
As expected everyone was catching naps when possible and were tired... including me.
Friday we took the whole group including our assistants to confiteria Las Violetas - this is always fun because it's full of sweets and it's such a beautiful space.
http://www.lasvioletas.com/
Salon Canning was our final milonga on Friday night. There was a mediocre performance there this night. I have affectionately named the follower of this partnership the "stork" - she was leggy and moved her legs from her knees - it was distracting!!!! But of course she was curvy and all the guys thought she was beautiful!!!! Too funny!
Saturday was a gloomy chilly rainy day of waiting around and any final arrangements. All flights leaving Buenos Aires are at night and so it's always a drag the last day as it's mostly the waiting game and hoping that everything fits in your luggage!!!!!
We had some minor stomach situations on this trip. It is always an adjustment to food here. And it appears that some stomachs are more capable of adapting than others. I was a little worried about 1 of our girls. It's always a challenge knowing exactly what to do or not to do when people are in pain or having more than normal stomach and intestinal situations. I am glad that almost the whole crew is home safely.
It appears that 1 of the boys has fallen in love with an Argentine girl - (did he really meet her on facebook??) Well - he has changed his flight for her and is spending this week with her! Also to my knowledge she does not speak english! Good for her/ him/ her - well just as long as they're happy?? is that the correct response?
It's interesting to think that even though the diet here can be quite bland that the food can still be trying on people's stomachs. It is on mine - as i tend to eat more bread and i also eat chicken that i do not normally eat either. I'm sure the water has something to do with it. But there are no chili's, no real spice - just lots of salt!
And finally - here's a traditional picture - THE SHOES! Not quite as many as last year but still a good addition to the argentine economy!!!
I enjoyed this tour - i learned a lot as I do from each one. I have already made a list of what i think i'd like to do differently next year. I also think that I will be receiving some ideas from members of the group.
I know that the tour gets people out of their comfort zone and can be a tremendous learning experience both in tango and in life but i think it's worth it!
Here's a picture from Lu's bday cake and celebration!
Thursday's class with Milena was great - super technique and great to just review walking and ochos without stylization.
http://www.milenaplebs.com/
Thursday night we went to nino bien again and then on Friday we went to Salon Canning.
As expected everyone was catching naps when possible and were tired... including me.
Friday we took the whole group including our assistants to confiteria Las Violetas - this is always fun because it's full of sweets and it's such a beautiful space.
http://www.lasvioletas.com/
Salon Canning was our final milonga on Friday night. There was a mediocre performance there this night. I have affectionately named the follower of this partnership the "stork" - she was leggy and moved her legs from her knees - it was distracting!!!! But of course she was curvy and all the guys thought she was beautiful!!!! Too funny!
Saturday was a gloomy chilly rainy day of waiting around and any final arrangements. All flights leaving Buenos Aires are at night and so it's always a drag the last day as it's mostly the waiting game and hoping that everything fits in your luggage!!!!!
We had some minor stomach situations on this trip. It is always an adjustment to food here. And it appears that some stomachs are more capable of adapting than others. I was a little worried about 1 of our girls. It's always a challenge knowing exactly what to do or not to do when people are in pain or having more than normal stomach and intestinal situations. I am glad that almost the whole crew is home safely.
It appears that 1 of the boys has fallen in love with an Argentine girl - (did he really meet her on facebook??) Well - he has changed his flight for her and is spending this week with her! Also to my knowledge she does not speak english! Good for her/ him/ her - well just as long as they're happy?? is that the correct response?
It's interesting to think that even though the diet here can be quite bland that the food can still be trying on people's stomachs. It is on mine - as i tend to eat more bread and i also eat chicken that i do not normally eat either. I'm sure the water has something to do with it. But there are no chili's, no real spice - just lots of salt!
And finally - here's a traditional picture - THE SHOES! Not quite as many as last year but still a good addition to the argentine economy!!!I enjoyed this tour - i learned a lot as I do from each one. I have already made a list of what i think i'd like to do differently next year. I also think that I will be receiving some ideas from members of the group.
I know that the tour gets people out of their comfort zone and can be a tremendous learning experience both in tango and in life but i think it's worth it!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday....
It's been a rush of a couple of days....
We have been dancing and have been kind of slowing down. On Tuesday night we went to Practica X.
http://www.practicax.blogspot.com/
We were kind of slow to get started there. We stopped by a cafe nearby the practica and took our time getting there! We saw a really nice performance by a couple called: Christian and Virginia. Very clean and flawless.
OH -- before that - rommel, sean, lu, frank and myself - we went to see a performance at El Cubo of Melina Brufman and Claudio Gonzalez.
http://www.practicax.blogspot.com/
http://www.2xtango.com/?p=613
I thought it was quite lovely - well done - the dancing was fierce. The images were totally interesting and very compelling. Again - i find it hard to help create the throughline and the transitions within a performance that combines tango and some contemporary dance. But i enjoyed this....
Then we met up with everyone else and it took us awhile to get to Practica X!
AND Before that we had class with Ramiro. He did a lovely class for us - working on molinetes and nice tight space figures. The class went by fast. His partner could not make the class so I helped out... that's always hard - wondering if someone is actually "ok" with how you are assisting them! But - oh well - i know the group has lots to work on - if they want it!
Wednesday was a "free day". I think most of the group went to La Boca and i had fun trying to find a bank that would give me US $. It seems like every trip there's a different process something new with the whole banking thing... what a nightmare! The teachers want to be paid in US $ - and the places we stay want US $. THAT's A TON OF US$ to be carrying around and it's annoying. There has to be a better process! So - last year i could find banks that coughed up US$ from the ATM machines. This year it appears that they say the will but they don't. SO now i'm taking out pesos and changing them to pesos - what a nightmare - between my own bank's limits and then the time spent to do this - ugh... has really been a bit of a pain in the ass for me!!!
So the group celebrated Lu's 73rd bday with a cake and some wine last night. So terrific. I took a very long and much needed nap!!!
We returned to El Beso for dancing - that went well i think - we were there 1 week ago and i think that it was interesting for them to see their own progress!
So today we had a class with Milena all on technique and tonite we're off to Nino Bien - and i think some of the group is down for the count... we'll see...
They have worked so hard and i'm really happy for their progress in tango - we'll see how tango settles into their body and into their lives - if at all!
We have been dancing and have been kind of slowing down. On Tuesday night we went to Practica X.
http://www.practicax.blogspot.com/
We were kind of slow to get started there. We stopped by a cafe nearby the practica and took our time getting there! We saw a really nice performance by a couple called: Christian and Virginia. Very clean and flawless.
OH -- before that - rommel, sean, lu, frank and myself - we went to see a performance at El Cubo of Melina Brufman and Claudio Gonzalez.
http://www.practicax.blogspot.com/
http://www.2xtango.com/?p=613
I thought it was quite lovely - well done - the dancing was fierce. The images were totally interesting and very compelling. Again - i find it hard to help create the throughline and the transitions within a performance that combines tango and some contemporary dance. But i enjoyed this....
Then we met up with everyone else and it took us awhile to get to Practica X!
AND Before that we had class with Ramiro. He did a lovely class for us - working on molinetes and nice tight space figures. The class went by fast. His partner could not make the class so I helped out... that's always hard - wondering if someone is actually "ok" with how you are assisting them! But - oh well - i know the group has lots to work on - if they want it!
Wednesday was a "free day". I think most of the group went to La Boca and i had fun trying to find a bank that would give me US $. It seems like every trip there's a different process something new with the whole banking thing... what a nightmare! The teachers want to be paid in US $ - and the places we stay want US $. THAT's A TON OF US$ to be carrying around and it's annoying. There has to be a better process! So - last year i could find banks that coughed up US$ from the ATM machines. This year it appears that they say the will but they don't. SO now i'm taking out pesos and changing them to pesos - what a nightmare - between my own bank's limits and then the time spent to do this - ugh... has really been a bit of a pain in the ass for me!!!
So the group celebrated Lu's 73rd bday with a cake and some wine last night. So terrific. I took a very long and much needed nap!!!
We returned to El Beso for dancing - that went well i think - we were there 1 week ago and i think that it was interesting for them to see their own progress!
So today we had a class with Milena all on technique and tonite we're off to Nino Bien - and i think some of the group is down for the count... we'll see...
They have worked so hard and i'm really happy for their progress in tango - we'll see how tango settles into their body and into their lives - if at all!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
quickie...
We're 1/2 way through and still going strong.
Yesterday we had rain and now it feels like fall.
Yesterday was Monday and an official holiday - some of us took it pretty easy - sleeping and vegging waiting for another fantastic group meal. I ended up choosing a place in San Telmo to have some pretty traditional foods and changed the itinerary a bit. We ate an historical building- built in 1700's - Tasca de los Cuchilleros
http://www.antiguatasca.com.ar/
The group shared some Locro - a soup cooked for several days with meat and corn and chick peas and very filling and made only for this holiday. We had churros y chocolate (yummy!) and a few miscellaneous foods - ie: i had a salad and some veggies and then there was a steak "al caballo" shared amongst a few of the group. (with fried egg on it!).
Then we walked in the rain home (a few of us anyway!) and hung out until we went next door to another milonga - how cool are we - living next door to a milonga?!!
So the milonga - called La Bendita Milonga - has live music from a young tango orchestra called "El Afronte". It was a great pick for where we all are at this point - needing some rest but still needing to continue with our tango immersion. EVERYONE enjoyed the live music and the casual atmosphere of the milonga - I was / am so glad about this...
There are so many pictures and i've already started to upload them all to google picasa - will share that site when i have it!!! more soon....
Yesterday we had rain and now it feels like fall.
Yesterday was Monday and an official holiday - some of us took it pretty easy - sleeping and vegging waiting for another fantastic group meal. I ended up choosing a place in San Telmo to have some pretty traditional foods and changed the itinerary a bit. We ate an historical building- built in 1700's - Tasca de los Cuchilleros
http://www.antiguatasca.com.ar/
The group shared some Locro - a soup cooked for several days with meat and corn and chick peas and very filling and made only for this holiday. We had churros y chocolate (yummy!) and a few miscellaneous foods - ie: i had a salad and some veggies and then there was a steak "al caballo" shared amongst a few of the group. (with fried egg on it!).
Then we walked in the rain home (a few of us anyway!) and hung out until we went next door to another milonga - how cool are we - living next door to a milonga?!!
So the milonga - called La Bendita Milonga - has live music from a young tango orchestra called "El Afronte". It was a great pick for where we all are at this point - needing some rest but still needing to continue with our tango immersion. EVERYONE enjoyed the live music and the casual atmosphere of the milonga - I was / am so glad about this...
There are so many pictures and i've already started to upload them all to google picasa - will share that site when i have it!!! more soon....
Sunday, May 24, 2009
sunday....sunday...sunday...
What did we do yesterday anyway?
Ah yes, we went to Recoleta - the famous cemetary is there and a fun artisan fair /crafts fair is there. And then the gang all met at La Biela (have i already told you this?) and then we all crawled home however we wanted to and THEN we got ready to go out... so we went to Cachirulo - another rather traditional milonga and then a small group of us went to La Viruta and then we came home late or is it early?
I think there was a mixed review on this milonga... it was very crowded. I may have been super tired - but something about that space has never been fun for me.... I did not enjoy the milonga when i went there a year ago and last nite - i don't know - the vibe is just off for me... I was crashed into a few too many people. Anyway - it was fun shoe watching and clothing watching! some of the girls i think were anxious as well - anxious to leave! So a small group of us went to La Viruta at around 2am: Ryan, Rommel, Katie, Taryn, Olga, Frank. They played a couple of tandas of swing and salsa so some of our group got down and boogied again!!!
So we people watched and watched the chaos. The crowd is so strange there and i think for the most part it was agreed that the dancing level was so mixed and so chaotic that they could appreciate the other milongas we have been to thus far!! Taryn - hated it right away - her observations were very clear and opinionated, in a positive way!!!! others remarked that it was a very pick-up, party atmosphere...
We came home around 4am or so...
Today
We took awhile to get motivated as a group. And because I'm a lax "mama hen" we slowly started to migrate to Plaza Dorrego here in San Telmo around 2:30pm! So everyone was free to wander around San Telmo amongst the shops, and antiques and artisans, and street performers as they wished.... A small group of us ended up at an arabic restaurant - interesting to have hummus in Argentina! some of the food was good and some not so good but it was interesting!
Now I've been reworking our schedule for the week as others are resting and some are taking some privates with Isaac here at the house.
Tonite we will head to another rather traditional milonga. Tomorrow is a holiday as it is Independence Day! I think i want to gear the day around walking around and "milonga-ing" or "milongueando" near home.
Ah yes, we went to Recoleta - the famous cemetary is there and a fun artisan fair /crafts fair is there. And then the gang all met at La Biela (have i already told you this?) and then we all crawled home however we wanted to and THEN we got ready to go out... so we went to Cachirulo - another rather traditional milonga and then a small group of us went to La Viruta and then we came home late or is it early?
I think there was a mixed review on this milonga... it was very crowded. I may have been super tired - but something about that space has never been fun for me.... I did not enjoy the milonga when i went there a year ago and last nite - i don't know - the vibe is just off for me... I was crashed into a few too many people. Anyway - it was fun shoe watching and clothing watching! some of the girls i think were anxious as well - anxious to leave! So a small group of us went to La Viruta at around 2am: Ryan, Rommel, Katie, Taryn, Olga, Frank. They played a couple of tandas of swing and salsa so some of our group got down and boogied again!!!
So we people watched and watched the chaos. The crowd is so strange there and i think for the most part it was agreed that the dancing level was so mixed and so chaotic that they could appreciate the other milongas we have been to thus far!! Taryn - hated it right away - her observations were very clear and opinionated, in a positive way!!!! others remarked that it was a very pick-up, party atmosphere...
We came home around 4am or so...
Today
We took awhile to get motivated as a group. And because I'm a lax "mama hen" we slowly started to migrate to Plaza Dorrego here in San Telmo around 2:30pm! So everyone was free to wander around San Telmo amongst the shops, and antiques and artisans, and street performers as they wished.... A small group of us ended up at an arabic restaurant - interesting to have hummus in Argentina! some of the food was good and some not so good but it was interesting!
Now I've been reworking our schedule for the week as others are resting and some are taking some privates with Isaac here at the house.
Tonite we will head to another rather traditional milonga. Tomorrow is a holiday as it is Independence Day! I think i want to gear the day around walking around and "milonga-ing" or "milongueando" near home.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Later On - in tango ville!!!!
Back again - we had a nice warm day in Recoleta! We did some shopping and then went to the famous La Biela for a snack! and for coffeeeeeeee!
I want to go back and talk about last nite...
so the latest on shoe shopping! - not all of us have bought shoes! That's the first news! HMM - i won't tell who it is yet - we'll see if they find what they like! I think we are up to about 18 shoes TOTAL for the group - this is not a lot... we'll see what happens by the end of the tour and we'll do the annual shoe photo!
The early milonga last nite started at 7pm. That was after a class with our other assistant, Jose Luis - it was a good class - a long one with translating involved - we worked hard on our walking and connection.
I mentioned I couldn't believe how crowded the milonga got - it was a mix of ages but mostly "older" people. I mentioned we had a lecherous milonguero and well, there is no excuse for bad manners and bad behavior - Isaac explained it pretty well - we have to remember that we come as "tourists" exploring the dance as an art form and for a lot of these older milongueros it's a "nightclub" for them - even a "pickup" scene for them. I too think it's also about being a follower/female who is clear in her intentions and never second guesses her gut.
Intention, I refer to - the idea of "this is a dance with boundaries that i create that are comfortable for me". We sometimes for get that just 'cuz this dance may give us or fill other voids for us that some of the real life rules still apply - if it doesn't feel good in real life, it won't necessarily feel good on the dance floor either. This is a loaded topic on which i have much to say - not justifying the behavior and can leave someone feeling very, well, violated or uncomfortable at least. But this fits into my philosophy - which tango has helped me to realize that I DO believe that we all take part in our lives. And maybe it's already a "female" question to ask but I ask - what did I do? or how can i avoid that behavior from my end in the future. So.... with that said - i think we had a good time in the end and helped to exorcise that experience as much as we could..... In between a couple of the tandas (a tanda is a set of music) there was a set of salsa music which people enjoyed and another a little later of possibly rock and roll? anyway - Cynthia and Frank enjoyed a good boogie!
We left this milonga around 10:30pm ish for our group dinner at my favorite restaurant LA GRAN TABERNA!!!!
We sat and had a leisurely marathon meal!!! I love that restaurant and I love how well they always take care of us. So we enjoyed appetizers, wine, meals of beef, veggies, canelones, paella, salmon.... i think everyone was full and happy - we enjoyed some panqueque de manzana al rhum and finished it off with cafe's and their homemade lemoncello.....
It was probably 2am when we left!!!!
What a wonderful day full of experiences and lots of learning.. I am really proud of everyone - they are all doing amazing and learning so much!
I want to go back and talk about last nite...
so the latest on shoe shopping! - not all of us have bought shoes! That's the first news! HMM - i won't tell who it is yet - we'll see if they find what they like! I think we are up to about 18 shoes TOTAL for the group - this is not a lot... we'll see what happens by the end of the tour and we'll do the annual shoe photo!
The early milonga last nite started at 7pm. That was after a class with our other assistant, Jose Luis - it was a good class - a long one with translating involved - we worked hard on our walking and connection.
I mentioned I couldn't believe how crowded the milonga got - it was a mix of ages but mostly "older" people. I mentioned we had a lecherous milonguero and well, there is no excuse for bad manners and bad behavior - Isaac explained it pretty well - we have to remember that we come as "tourists" exploring the dance as an art form and for a lot of these older milongueros it's a "nightclub" for them - even a "pickup" scene for them. I too think it's also about being a follower/female who is clear in her intentions and never second guesses her gut.
Intention, I refer to - the idea of "this is a dance with boundaries that i create that are comfortable for me". We sometimes for get that just 'cuz this dance may give us or fill other voids for us that some of the real life rules still apply - if it doesn't feel good in real life, it won't necessarily feel good on the dance floor either. This is a loaded topic on which i have much to say - not justifying the behavior and can leave someone feeling very, well, violated or uncomfortable at least. But this fits into my philosophy - which tango has helped me to realize that I DO believe that we all take part in our lives. And maybe it's already a "female" question to ask but I ask - what did I do? or how can i avoid that behavior from my end in the future. So.... with that said - i think we had a good time in the end and helped to exorcise that experience as much as we could..... In between a couple of the tandas (a tanda is a set of music) there was a set of salsa music which people enjoyed and another a little later of possibly rock and roll? anyway - Cynthia and Frank enjoyed a good boogie!
We left this milonga around 10:30pm ish for our group dinner at my favorite restaurant LA GRAN TABERNA!!!!
We sat and had a leisurely marathon meal!!! I love that restaurant and I love how well they always take care of us. So we enjoyed appetizers, wine, meals of beef, veggies, canelones, paella, salmon.... i think everyone was full and happy - we enjoyed some panqueque de manzana al rhum and finished it off with cafe's and their homemade lemoncello.....
It was probably 2am when we left!!!!
What a wonderful day full of experiences and lots of learning.. I am really proud of everyone - they are all doing amazing and learning so much!
ANOTHER DAY IN TANGO-VILLE
I think it's Saturday!
Yesterday we went to a few more shoe stores with the girls: Neotango, Tango Leike and we also went to the DNI store to see about getting some tango pants and clothes. None of the girls ended up getting anything but I did some cute clothing shopping:)
Then we had class with Jose Luis - our Argentine assistant. I showed up late but he had already started working on the students' connection and their walk. This was great. We spent 2 hours with him and then got ready to go to an early milonga (same place as the nite before but whole different crowd). It got really crowded for a 7pm milonga. I was surprised.
The crowd was alittle older for the most part but it got packed! We had a nice time.... we had 1 little incident with an old lecherous milonguero preying on 1 of our beautiful students on the dance floor. This I think happens on ocassion and usually only once... The assistants were gracious and kind and the group offered great support. I believe she felt well supported. I feel like I could comment more on this and this might be necessary but I think the group is dying to head out to Recoleta: to the cemetary and to the Feria.
I will put up more pictures on the milonga last nite and our FABULOUS dinner at La Gran Taberna when I return.
I think we're all a little sleep deprived but we're lookin' happy and the weather has been so mild - it's perfect for us arizonans!
Yesterday we went to a few more shoe stores with the girls: Neotango, Tango Leike and we also went to the DNI store to see about getting some tango pants and clothes. None of the girls ended up getting anything but I did some cute clothing shopping:)
Then we had class with Jose Luis - our Argentine assistant. I showed up late but he had already started working on the students' connection and their walk. This was great. We spent 2 hours with him and then got ready to go to an early milonga (same place as the nite before but whole different crowd). It got really crowded for a 7pm milonga. I was surprised.
The crowd was alittle older for the most part but it got packed! We had a nice time.... we had 1 little incident with an old lecherous milonguero preying on 1 of our beautiful students on the dance floor. This I think happens on ocassion and usually only once... The assistants were gracious and kind and the group offered great support. I believe she felt well supported. I feel like I could comment more on this and this might be necessary but I think the group is dying to head out to Recoleta: to the cemetary and to the Feria.
I will put up more pictures on the milonga last nite and our FABULOUS dinner at La Gran Taberna when I return.
I think we're all a little sleep deprived but we're lookin' happy and the weather has been so mild - it's perfect for us arizonans!
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