Modern Tango World #7 (Havana & the Caribbean)

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Modern Tango World: Autumn, 2015 — Neolonga Syndicate, Via Maestra Riva 124, Riva da Pinerola, Italy
Table of Contents
Caribbean Special Features
Tango in the Crystal Isles Percell St. Thomas & Raymond Lauzzana ...... 03
Tango Cubano Maria Roumpalou .................................................................. 08
Tango on the Costa Caribe Raymond Lauzzana ...................................... 12
Cruising the Caribe Percell St. Thomass..................................................... 14
Guide to Tango in the Caribbean ............................................................ 18
We are always looking for tango
news and stories from around the
international tango community. If
you would like to join us, send us
your stories and news from your
tango group.
We welcome your participation in
this exciting adventure.
Modern Tango World
Caribbean Special Edition Editor
Percell St. Thomass
Cuba’s Special Painter Pedro Álvarez Castelló ................................... 24
Interview with Martin Delgado Marco Buso ..................................... 28
Top Ten Ways to Get Asked to Dance Karen Kaye................................. 32
100 Years of Recorded Tango Raymond Lauzzana ............................34
New Tango Music Arndt Büssing ............................................................... 38
Tango Moves: Promenades (Paseos) Raymond Lauzzana ................ 42
Letters to the Editor ....................................................................................... 46
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Modern Tango World
Publisher & Evangelist Raymond Lauzzana
Designer-in-Chief Fré Ilgen
Special Edition Editor
Caribbean Percell St. Thomass
Psychology, Spirituality & Health Christa Eichelbauer
Book Reviews Rena Poling
Motion Picture Reviews Alexandru Eugen Cristea
Music Reviews Arndt Büssing
English Language Editor Irena Levicar
German Language Editor Annmarie Deser
Spanish Language Editor Joel de la O
CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS
Venice Marco Buso
Buenos Aires Martin Delgado
Correspondents
Athens Thanos Kasidis
Austin Tom Kamrath
Barcelona Jordi Bruña Buges
Berlin Violet Starr
Caribbean Percell St. Thomass
Cleveland Ted Howard
Dubai Oliver Krstic
Geneva Jean-Marc Vandel
Havana Maria Roumpalou
Istanbul Duygu Çiloglu
Kobe Yutaka Katayama
København Ralph Fehderau
Mainz Annmarie Deser
Mexico Mauricio Salvador
Milan Giacoma Giaquinta
Montreal Jean-Sébastien Viard
New York Barbie Griser
Réunion Sébastien Séry
Rome Elio Astor
Rosario Martin Delgado
Saigon Phuong (Alice) Nguyen Thi Tha
Taipei Sunny Wang
Winnipeg Kathleen Donnelley
Zagreb Quinn Saab
WebMaster Raymond Lauzzana
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Tango on the Crystal Isles
Percell St. Thomas & Raymond Lauzzana
Tango has been alive for many years in the Caribbean, although not always well. The islands have rather small
populations. You can find enthusiastic tangueras and milongueros if you look for them. Tango, though enjoying
an ever-growing audience of enthusiasts and aficionados, is still very sparsely situated throughout the Caribbean.
Small and isolated groups such as the Puerto Rico Tango Marathon, Tango Milonga in Santo Domingo,
Tango en Cancun, Tango St Lucia, and Club de Tango Flores in Trinidad, are doing what they can to help foster the
dance. Visiting artists help as well. Winter and Spring bring notable dancers, such as Emilie & Pablo Tegli,
Martinique and Ricardo Luis Gallo & Carla Maria, Dominican Republic. As long as there are dancers ready
to dance and cruise ships ready to sail, the tango will grow, live, and prosper in this Crystal Paradise.
On the islands of Aruba and Curacao can be found a
group lnown as Tango in Paradise founded by Mady &
Rafael Oliana. You can hear tango emerging from the
trees, the breezes, the sun, and the beaches of these two
beautiful, Caribbean islands. This is a small but growing
group of tango enthusiasts who are dedicated to cultivating
the dance here.
This group of tango dancers are intent on spreading the
art of the porteños of Buenos Aires throughout the Caribbean.
With regular weekly classes, milongas and outdoor
artistic events, the tango is building a presence here.
They continue to bring reality to the dream of dancing
the tango in the idyllic Caribbean islands, Tango in Paradise
includes evenings of tango with orchesta tipicas from
Argentina, a presentation of the International Argentine
filmmaker Daniel Mitre, and a performances by the prestigious
choreographer and expert tanguera, Susana Red.
Each night ends with enjoyable, traditional milongas. In the
Fall, they hold the Petit Tango Different Festival. Mady and
Rafa headline the event. Their hope is to continue promoting
and spreading tango on the islands.
The Bahamas are not quite in the Caribbean. They are in
the Atlantic, north of Cuba, east of Florida. But, there is a
small native tango community there. They hold milongas
with free classes on Friday nights through the Summer
at Sunny Side Restaurant in Nassau.
In Barbados. an island off to the southeast corner of
the Caribbean, the Argentine Tango Dancers of Barbados
are a group of tango enthusiasts residing in Barbados
The group includes Maj-Britt Waagenes, Randy
Payne, Rosemarie Layne and Lalu Hanuman. They
meet irregularly at the BooGaLoo Recreation Studio
in Bridgetown.
Cuba is home to Casa del Tango, a popular tango venue
in Havana. Owners Wilki and Adelaida have turned
their home into one of the more distinctive and eccentric
venues in Havana, offering dance classes in tango,
along with a floor show and dancing. The main room is
a shrine to the dance, packed with old posters, sheet
music and other memorabilia.
Everyone agrees that tango arrived in Havana in 1920
when Argentinean tenor José Muñoz, member of an
opera and zarzuela company, sang three tangos to save
the day when the show seemed doomed to failure.
Perhaps because it was influenced by the Cuban habanera,
tango has been a favorite in the island, reinforced
by old movies still shown on TV of famous Argentine
movie stars and singers Carlos Gardel and Libertad
Lamarque, radio shows dedicated to this genre.The
perseverance of Cuban musicians and singers, including
Berta Pernas, Santiago Marrero, pianist Rey Díaz
Calvet and young trovadora Liuba María Hevia.
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In Grenada, Tango Grenada
holds regular latin dancing classes
at the Dodgy Dock bar and
restaurant, Classes include salsa,
bachata and tango at the True
Blue Bay Resort. Thursday is
tango night.
The Casa del Tango, which developed spontaneously and
has no link to any Cuban state institution, has for decades
preserved recordings, posters, documents, photographs,
sheet music, and other memorabilia, all related to
this music genre. Every Monday evening, from 5 to
7 pm, tango devotees attired in scarves and fedora
hats in pure Buenos Aires style of the 1940s, defy
the torrid Cuban climate to attend this legendary
music venue.
Jamaica is the home of raggae
and reggaeton. It is also home of
Tango Jamaica .Currently, there
are no tango instructors living in
Jamaica. But, on occasion, some
instructors do visit. Cruise ships
make port in Ocho Rios, bringing
with them tangueros and
instructors. When that happens,
this small tango community organizes milongas and
classes with their visitors. These events are often
held at the New Kingston Conference Center.
In Curaçao, Gilles Vicrobeck & Rafael Oliana hold
bi-weekly open air milongas on Sundays in the Brionplein
Otrabanda in Willemstad. Also in Curaçao,
Mundo Bizarro Restaurant in Willemstad hosts irregularly
scheduled milongas called Tango Bizarro.
The Teatro Luna Blou is a venue that hosts tango
performances. TuTu Tango is a bar restaurant that
hosts latin music dancing, mostly salsa, but one=ce
in a while tango. The Curuçao tango community
may be small. But, it is dedicated and growing.
In the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,
Milkeya Melo hosts an irregularly scheduled Monday
evening milonga. She is the only tango teacher
in their small community, and do not have regular
milongas. But, they do hold practicas after their
dance sessions. The classes and practice is every
Thursday at the Syrian-Lebanese-Palestinian Club
from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in Santo Domingo. They
are a tango community of about thirty persons.
Milongas are held every two or three months.
They also organize special milongas when a maestro
or maestra comes to visit.
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In Martinique, the Vaya con Tango Exole de Dance in
Saint-Pierre offers tango dance classes with José Désiré-
Faula. He has trained with Argentine maestros Hernan
Villegas, Gaston Torelli, Raul Bravo and Olga Uralde, as
wellas the French masters Gerome Lefevre and Dominique
Lescarret. He is convinced that the tango will lose
its richness if it is limited to a single style,. He teaches
three main styles — traditional tango, tango salon and
tango nuevo. Tango soirée are sometimes held at the
Ô Tango Bar in Saint-Pierre, Martinique. They are organized
by the Association TangoFelino which holds practicas
in Fort de France on Thursdays. Their school has
a full range of classes, and is located in Le Lamentin. In
January, they hold a festival called Madin’ Tango.
In Puerto Rico, Rut Riv organizes a regular Wednesday
milonga, called Milonga Realenga. It is held on the Condado
at El Barril Bar. Rut also organized the October
Puerto Rico Tango Festival for five years. However, the
2015 festival was the last. There may be another someday.
But, none is planned now.
In October, they host the Puerto Rican Tango Festival. It
began in 2010, when Juan Rosa and Rut Riv traveled to
the Istanbul Tango Festival, while Carlos Riverea Burgos
and his wife traveled to Miami Tango Festival. They
all wanted to do something similar in Puerto Rico. Then,
they met Emily Ortiz who was teaching workshops in
Puerto Rico at that time. She was thinking the same
thing. They started dreaming about the possibility to do
it; and in 2011, they did!
When they started the festival, hey were focused about
the Puerto Rico tango community. The goal was to recreate
the experience for the local community of what
they had experienced at other tango festivals. They
wanted to inspire the community. They wanted to give
them the feeling of being transported to another place
without leaving the island. At the same time, they wanted
to let the world know that on this little island there
is a group of committed tangueros.
The festival has contributed a lot to put Puerto Rico in
the tango map. Throughout all the years, they have received
plenty of emails asking them about tango in Puerto
Rico. Most people are surprised to find how vibrant
the tango community here is, The festival has done a lot
to maintain that sense of community.
Puerto Rico are part of the USA. But it is also a Caribbean
island. US citisens can travel to the island without
a passport. When people get to the festival, they can
expand their horizons, have a cultural infusion. experiencing
the Puerto Rican culture, music and food. This is not
your usual tango festival. The Puerto Rico Tango Festival
mixes tango and culture in a friendly atmosphere.
All of the venues are historical places, like old barracks
and castles in the magical city of Old San Juan. There are
free salsa workshops for the participants and a beach
milonga. They dance in magical venues, filled with history.
San Juan is a beautiful setting - the sun, the ocean, the
antique and the new....
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Participants in the festival includes tangueros from Canada,
Switzerland, United States, Spain, Martinique, Tortola,
Aruba and Dominican Republic among others.
The majority of the milongas will be at the Hotel Condado
Plaza, located right by the beach and only 5 minutes
away from Old San Juan. There are daily milongas
by the beach and by the pool., with live music from
the famous bands, like Otros Aires and over five international
DJs. People get to dance both alternative
and traditional tango in a relaxed environment in the
beautiful place.
In February, the Puerto Rico Tango Marathon holds daily
milongas on the beautiful San Juan Isla Verde beach. This
great event is known for its laid-back and easy-going island
feeling, warm receptions, and entertaining activities.
It is promoted as a relaxing Caribbean vacation where
dancers from all over North America and Europe meet.
But, the atmosphere is one of serious dancing and sharing
passions for tango.
The Puerto Rico Tango Marathon is five days of wondrous
opportunities for tango aficionados to watch others,
learn new moves and improve old ones, and to simply
dance, all day and all night. Tia Maria Helfeld is the
organizer of this event. She organizes local milongas and
practicas, teaches at Y Entonces dance school, passing
on her enthusiasm to build a more active tango community.
Three years ago, she started organizing Puerto Rico
Tango Marathon because she wanted all of the wonderful
dancers and friends to come visit Puerto Rico.
She wanted to share with them the magic of dancing on
the beaches of this beautiful Island. She also wanted to give
the Puerto Rican community the possibility of experiencing
a tango marathon, and to have the opportunity to connect,
to share abrazos, tandas with dancers from around
the world, making lots of new friends and to reunite with
old ones in an awesome party. Afternoon beach milongas,
followed by all-night indoor milongas. The weather is usually
absolutely beautiful, and the tango energy is spectacular every
day. There are yoga classes in the morning followed by
a delicious brunch, with dance performances. The weekend,
ends with a sail on an epic after-party boat trip!
For a short while in 2015, Luis Pena and Christin Neisler
taught tango at the Harmony Suites Resort in Gros
Islet, Saint Lucia. They left behind an enthusiastic group
of dancers looking for instructors. Saint Lucia lies between
Martinique, Barbados and Saint Vincent.
Throughout these crystal islands, tango has lived for
many years. It has a rich history of mixing with those
special Caribbean rhythms.
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Tango Cubano
Maria Roumpalou
Tango is not widespread in Cuba. But it is still alive! It is mainly found in Havana and in Santiango de
Cuba. On this Caribbean island where music and dance have always been a creative expression of the
heart and soul of its people and their culture, whether happy or tortured. It was back to the early decades
of the twentieth century that the beautiful and fascinating music of tango reached Havana from
Buenos Aires and gained significant popular acceptance. The peak of its popularity was in the 1940s.
The remarkable and sustained growth of the tango culture in this socialist island has a lot to do with
the steady stream of Argentine artists and extensive tours to this Caribbean country.
However, it needs to be stated, that, although enjoying
popularity around the world, Tango has Cuban roots!
The Tango was derived from the traditional Cuban
dance called the Habanera and even though many
people associate the tango with Argentina, many Cubans
claim it to be theirs.
Habanera rhythm and a couple of closely related variations
are the quintessential tango syncopations. The
habanera rhythm is central in tango music. In some
version, it is used to create the pulse of the music, or
as syncopated rhythmic accents in the accompaniment
or melody. It can be found in all tango forms, tango,
milonga and vals.
In Argentina, candombe, canyengue, milonga still exhibit
their black roots — up-beat, lively and joyous. The tango
took a turn about a century ago and became whitewashed.
The more staid and less life-positive tango survived.
In the warmer island atmosphere where tango
was introduced at the 20s, it eventually fizzled out, while
the habanera rhythms lived on.
After 1959, a few artists still performed in scenarios on
the island or on the radio or in theatres, among them
were Maizani Azucena, Tita Merello, Alberto Castillo,
Hugo del Arril, Libertad Lamarque, Rosita Quiroga,
Eladia Blazquez, Susana Rinaldi, Enrique Santos Discepolo,
Astor Piazzolla, Angel Vargas, Osvaldo Pugliese,
Horacio Ferrer and others/ They incorporated
nott only Cuban rhythms,
as well as other foreign genres that
had more acceptance and sympathy
than the tango.
During its peak, many Argentine musicians
settled in Havana and spread the
tango trend, promoting the formation
of many groups — Conjunto Rio de
la Plata, Los Romanticos Gauchos,
Orquesta del Rey Diaz Calvet, Trio
Landa-Llerena-Tabranes, Duo Los
Camperos and the orchestras of several
radio stations — Mil Diez, Radio
Havana Cuba Cadena Azul.
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Without a doubt, the participation of the media immensely
contributed to tango’s popularity. Cinema and
radio were the greatest drivers of the tango activity
in Cuba. The almost mythical Argentine cinema of the
40s and 50s, with its sumptuous décor, and splendid
blond artists like Zully Moreno moved to admiration
and imitation. A musical films proliferated in the small
cinemas of the barrios of Havana. The films of Carlos
Gardel, , Hugo del Carril, Luis Sandrini and many others
were financial successes.
However, currently tango has no regular schedule of
lessons and no music playing most of the times. It seems
that lessons and performances depend on tailor-made
tourist demand.
Another place where the tango reigned was the Neotango
Pena Tanguera with its familiar atmosphere. In
the 80s had mushroomed into one of the most popular
clus in Cuba. However, tango remained unusual
in Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Santa Clara and other
more traditional parts of the island. In March 1984,
Casa de las Americas organized the Festival Ayer y
Hoy del Tango, the biggest event dedicated to tango
on a worldwide scale. Some of the biggest Argentine
names gathered and performed in Havana. Citing a few
of the performers, gives an idea of the significance of
the show: Osvaldo Pugliese and his orchestra, Eladia
Blazquez and her musical group, Nelly Vazquez, Sebastian
Piana and his musical group, and other.s
The Cuban branch of the Academy of Tango Argentina
was inaugurated in December 1994, in the presence
of the Argentine maestro Horacio Ferrer and Dr.
Bernabe Ordaz, director of the Psychiatric Hospital
and tango lover. They invited a group of musicians to
the opening of the Cuban subsidiary, including Astor
Piazzolla who premiered his Freudian suite.
In recent years, there are many tango-themed events
at the Centro Cultural Rosalia de Castro, National
Theatre, Theatre Lazaro Pena, Sociedad Cultural
Rosalia de Castro, Museo de la Musica, Asociation
National Promotora del Tango, Theatre America, Caseron
del Tango, Ballet de la Television Cubana and
Teatro Mella.
The Casa del Tango in Havana is another important
institution and legendary tango venue. It preserved
thousands of treasures and memorabilia from almost
of a hundred years of tango history in the city. They
promise to hold weekly performances on Monday
night, tango dance classes with a practica afterwards.
They share the space with salsa and rumba.
In Havana Vieja, Old Havana, just off the Plaza de Armas,
the Caseron del Tango is a welcoming place to
enjoy shows, take dance classes, meet people and relax.
It has tango mlongas, featuring amateur performances
aiming for cultural promotions on Wednesday, Friday,
Saturday and Sunday featuring tango all-stars Emilio Alvarez,
Katy Angel and Jorge del Cambo. There are also
afternoon tango classes on Thursday and Saturday.
In Centro Habana and Cerro, there is another Caseron
del Tango with a live tango music. It is a cultural centre
dedicated to tango music and dance, hosts tango
mlongas on Monday. It is home to a mass collection of
tango records, tapes, trophies and other memorabilia.
Also in the Centro, Union Arabe de Cuba hosts occasional
milongas.
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La Academia del Tango of Agustin Garcia offers well
organised, regular tango classes, practicas, milongas and,
whenever possible, hosts professional dancers and instructors
from Buenos Aires who are visiting for performing
and teaching. There are several other smaller
organizations that hold regylat milongas.
The Milonguita is organized by Emma Barreras with the
support of the embassy of the Republic of Argentina
in Cuba. It holds a milonga on the first and third Friday
of each month in the Jerusalem Room of the La Union
Arabe on the Paseo del Prado in Old Havana, near the
Hotel Sevilla. There is an hour of free class, before the
milonga.. During the evening, it is customary to take a
pause and enjoy a guest singer or a tango performance.
Milonga La Annunciata, organized by Saul Seijo and Olivia
San Roman. With the support of the Jesuit Fathers,
it is held on the first Saturday of each month at the Pedro
Arrupe Theater of the parish of the Corazon de
Jesus y San Ignacio de Loyola. The Theater is located
at the bottom of the La Inglesia de Reina, with an entrance
on La Annuncita.
Milonga La Racha is organized by Leo D’Lazaro, an important
plastic artist in Cuba. The milonga takes place
once a month, the fourth Saturday, in El Ojo de Ciclon,
his own gallery-studio located in Old Havana
It is the only milonga that can be extended until the
very early morning hours but the space is small. El Ojo
de Ciclon is very most important. It is the glue that
holds tango in Havana because it is always at the disposal
of the milongueros. Tango classes are taught here
three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
When speaking about tango in Havana, there is worth
mentioning La Compagnia Neotango, a professional
group organized in February 2007. It is composed of
eight dancers and one singer and claims to be the oldest
tango group in the city. The company is under the
general direction of professor Rosa Elena Alvarez Fernandez,
the artistic direction of her daughter Carolina
Balmaseda and theatrical advice of her husband, the
renowned actor Mario Balmaseda.
It is mainly a group
formed by well-trained young
Cuban dancers and teachers.
They are mostly performers
but they could provide private,
tailor-made t Plaza de
Armas utoring.
While they maintain the tango
tradition and defend gaucho
dance presence in Cuba,
they also try to modernize it
through merger with various
other types of dance, such as:
habanera, son, bolero, popular
Cuban rhythms, jazz, flamenco,
classical ballet, contemporary
dance as well as theatre, with
tango rhythm as predominant
in song and dance. In 2014 they
staged their more recent presentation
at the Mella Theatre.
In December 2008, La Compagnia Neotango was invited
to participate in the Cambalache Festival, one
of the most important in Buenos Aires, where they
presented the performance Life is a Dream. The following
year they produced their Barrio Tango Show, the
first of its kind in the Cuban theatre. Since then, there
have been others like Tanguendo, Miradas, Todo Tango
that have followed in their path. Their milongas are
held in the Paseo del Prado every Sunday. They meet
in the park to dance tango, and local people and, foreign
visitors often go by and start dancing!
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Outside Havana, the Festival del Tango de Gibara, Holguin\
is the most important international tango event
in Cuba. Under the presidency of Elisa Hernandez, it
has attracted a wide range of Argentine tango dancers
as well as local performers. During the festival, there
are tango classes available from both Argentine teachers
and their hosts, practicas, demonstrations, tangothemed
performances.
Santiago de Cuba, the second city of Cuba is the undisputed
home of traditional Cuban music and dance,
Circulo Amigos del Tango Argentino Ledesma is the
oldest and most well established tango club in the city
with regular classes, practicas and seminaries. Founded
in 1984 by Don Hugo Sagredo Jimanez, it aims to develop
among its members practice, promotion and dissemination
of the tango music and dance. Classes are
held every Friday.
Cuba offers many opportunities to practice and dance,
from the El Ojo de Ciclon galeria of Leo D’Lazaro to Del
Prado on Sundays, in front of La Union Arabe. If it rains,
there is always the Academia del Tango on Calle Agustin
Garcia. On Fridays, Pedacito de Cielo hosts evening practicas
and milongas at the Academia del Tango Agustin Garcia.
Gion Santana has begun a relatively new milonga called
Ensueno that is also held there. So, dancers have a choice.
Cuba is, without question, the leading Caribbean island
for the teaching and preservation of the tango. Here is
where it all began for the peoples of the Crystal Isles.
The Cubans are very proud of their musically inspired
heritage, as can be noted by their deep immersion into
many other world famous Cuban music and dance
genres, such as danzón, rumba, and cha cha cha. With
the reopening of travel opportunities for Americans,
they will able to share their love of music and dance.
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Tango on the Costa Caribe
Raymond Lauzzana
The Caribbean coast stretches from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, around Central America and
across the Northern coast of Venezuela. It contains a diverse population and some very dedicated tango
communities. There are festivals, regular milongas and port-of-call for tango cruises.
The Tango Maya Festival is held every year in Cancún,
Mexico. It is organized by Alejandra Orozco and Luciano
Brigante. Tango Maya is an all inclusive packaged
concept that includes hotel accommodations for four
days of refreshing milongas, shows and master tango
classes with international artists. Cancun, a global central
location, is the ideal place for the alliance between the
different tango communities.
Also in Cancun, Alfonso Olimar and his wife, Liz Mary
López, hold regular tango performances at the Hotel
Marriott Casa Magna, They hold regular milongas with
free classes on Fridays at the Terrazas Parrilla restaurant.
ON Wednesday and
Sunday, they hold classes
and milongas in Playa
del Carmen at the Parrilla
MuchoGusto Argentine
steakhouse.
The Puro Tango dance troupe toured Belize in 2016.
They gave performances at the National Institute for
Culture and History and the Bliss Center for Performing
Arts. While they were there, the company offered
classes to learn tango. Hopefully, they reached
the hearts of Belizeans and that a tango culture will
grow in the country.
Inland from Belize, Victor Melchor’s Guatemalatango
holds regular Wednesday and Thursday milongas at the
El Centro buiding in Guatemala City. Victor’s partner,
Rocío Trkman studied folkloric Argentine dance with
Luis Guillon and modern dance with Mario Morales,.
Claudio Crecciente also holds occasional milongas at
the ArteCentro Paíz in Guatemala City.
In Honduras, Isadora Paz organizes La Milonga Tango
en at the Museo para la Identidad Nacional de Honduras
in Tegucigalpa which include classes.
Furher down the coast
in English speaking Belize,
cruise ships stop at
at the port city of Belize.
However, there is no
Belize tango community.
On rare occasions,
milongas are held at the
San Ignacio Hotel.
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Moving further South along the Carbbean Coast to
Nicaragua, María F Navarro holds monthly Saturday
milongas in Managua. They are organized in cooperation
with the Academia Pasión Latina Nicaragua. Occasionally,
they hold special milongas at the Hotel Seminole.
In San Jose, Costa Rica, there is a milonga held at the
Centro de Artes Promenade, on the first Saturday
of the month. It is called Milonga Promenade, Pamela
Camacho organizes the Festival de Tango Costa Rica
which is held in April. It always features live music and
visiting instructors from Argentina.
Tango Panamá is a non-profit and voluntary organization
with the mission to encourage and inform people
to enlarge the tango community and to support everybody
who helps on the growth of this art in the region
of Panama, They hold regularly scheduled milongas on
Wednesdays at the Hotel Riu Plaza Panama. Classes are
given at the Academia de Danza.
Along the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, in Caracas, Tango
Caracas holds milongas at the Centro Uruguayo Venezolano,
on Saturdays. On Sundays, Ivan Martinez organizes a
milonga at the Nuevo Circo de Caracas dance school. An
open-air milonga called La Mariposa is held at Parque Santa
Cecilia, This milonga is organized by Zoraya Baliache.
On Wednesdays, its Milonga del Uruguayo at the restaurant
Parrilla Uruguaya, organized by the Milagros Hance
association. Earllier in the afternon, the Arrebato Gotan
holds a practica at the Discovery Bar. On Fridays and Saturdays,
Milonga del Ungaro is held at the Casa Hungara
ballroom, organized by Elena Spakosky.
All along the Caribbean coast, there are pockets of tango,
some large, some miniscule. But, tango is living along the
edge this incredible sea, Each community is unique, and
worthy of attention, as tango evolves here.
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Cruising the Caribe
Percell St. Thomass
Today, there is no better way to discover the tango, its music and dance, than cruising; and, there is no
better place to tango aboard a cruise ship than sailing the beautiful Caribbean islands. After the resurgence
in popularity of the tango, it quickly became a highlight of many of many cruises. Throughout
the Caribbean from the United States to South America, the tango has been rediscovered
Of course, dance cruises of all sorts had been common.
Many cruise lines offered theme cruises which highlighted
a particular dance genre. There were ballroom and
Latin dance cruises, and swing dance cruises, but not
tango. One of the first groups to specialize in putting
tango on the high seas was Tango at Sea. They conducted
their first tango cruise to the Western Caribbean
in March 1998. Their primary focus was in bringing on
board the top names of the day, such as Gabriel Misse,
Leandro Palou, Miguel Zotto, Milena Plebs and others
almost exclusively from Argentina, to providing classes
and showcases.
It didn’t take long for the idea to catch on, Today, there
are several cruise lines and companies, including Tango
at Sea, Bailando Reisen, Greek Island Tango, and Tango-DanceKinesis
which continue to create one of the
greatest ways to visit these and other island paradises.
Tango and cruising were made for each other. Both
tango and cruising combine to provide a special kind
of escape. Dancers can lose themselves in the fantasies
of a life from the pages of a novel. Tango is, at its core,
a highly social dance. Dancing with a foreign strangers
for the first time is the norm.
Tango cruising the Caribbean in particular,
offers the perfect setting for a
daring, warm ocean intrigue, set beautiful
moonlit romantic evening.. Dancers
may take classes and attend milongas,
held weekly around their home cities.
But, the exotic escape of a Caribbean
cruise can create a tango fantasy.
This is a fantastic way to mingle with
people from around the world. What
could be more exotic, romantic, alluring,
mysterious, captivating, joyous, and personal
than the warm moonlit oceans of
the Caribbean, and the palmed cooled,
white sandy beaches of islands?
Finding the right cruise line and/or
cruise can be like finding the right
dance partner. There are many cruise
lines offering dance and even tango only
cruises in the Caribbean.
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There is always dancing on cruise ships. It is one of the
most favorite pastime for passengers. However, on
most cruises, there is not much tango. Increasing., tango’s
popularity has made many cruises now offer at least a
tango bar where a tango performers entertain nightly.
The most popular cruise lines for Caribbean travel for
the tango aficionado are the Norwegian Cruise Line,
the Holland America Line, the Royal Caribbean Line,
and Celebrity Cruises. The Holland America Line, once
was the tango leader, with top-of-the-line teachers,
classes, and shows.
One group known for its tango adventures is TangoKinesis.
It has unofficially become a staple of the Holland
America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line for teaching
and choreography. The teachers are very familiar with the
ships, their types of clientele, and the islands. In February,
TangoKinesis, a division of the body movement and dance
training group, DanceKinesis, conducts on their tango
dance cruise. TangoKinesis is dedicated to the teaching
of tango, not only as a concept or dance, but as a way of
life. TangoKinesis teaches pupils to dance tango by the
principles of natural movement and energies, and how to
relate those principles to its concept and to partnering.
TangoKinesis instructors prefer the morning hours, allowing
dancers to be free to explore the ship and the
beautiful Caribbean during sailing and docking times. In
the late afternoon or early evening, the first practica/
milonga is held. Fore some, this is first time that they
have the opportunity to discover the unexpected joys
of dancing aboard a cruise ship. The cruise is planned to
allow dancers time to relax, visit other dance venues, and
take in walks in the Caribbean moonlight
The third day is pretty much the same as the second —
classes in the morning. This will be the day for docking at
the first port-of-call in the Caribbean. Although there are
many islands where tango is popular, don’t expect to find
tango activities during the early hours.
And, don’t be surprised to discover that there might not
be any tango on a particular island, at all.. TangoKinesis
tries to hold their practica-milonga around 5:00PM.
Cruise ships are not very flexible to changing times.
On days four and five, the schedules are generally the
same as the previous days, save for one days, except
without classes. TangoKinesis offers a day of rest for allowing
the instruction to settle in.
It is a well sought after program, and is
becoming increasingly more popular. The
concept is simple —
If the definition of dance is natural
movement put to a specified rhythm,
timing, and styling, then just walking
can be a graceful dance.
A typical TangoKinesis tango dance cruise
experience includes five days of classes with
two well known and respected instructors,
four milongas, and seven days at some of
the most beautiful places in the world.
On the first day, boarding day, the instructors
meet and greet the boarding passengers,
getting to know what their expectations
for instruction and dance are. They
spend time with them so that everyone
knows where the classes and milongas are
to be held.
The second day is usually a day at sea, a sea-day. It is the
perfect time for the guests begin with lessons typically
held after breakfast. Although many cruise lines hold
their lessons in the afternoon hours.
On the fourth day, TangoKinesis has a relationship with
the Norwegian Cruise Line that allows them to hold
classes at a very nice little dance hall on one of the islands.
Most other cruise lines do not offer this. It provided
a great opportunity to dance on the island with the local
tango dancers.
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All cruise lines and all cruise ships are not the same. Carnival
Cruise Line and Princess Cruises have begun operating
more and more in the Caribbean. They are both
known for their fun dance cruises and entertainment. But,
neither offers as many opportunities for ballroom, Latin, or
tango dancers. Single ladies are more likely to find dance
partners with dance hosts than single men, although some
ships provide dance hostesses, as well.
Wendy Olsen’s Dancers at Sea is in its 19th year. It is the
longest running program, offering dance lessons, parties,
and more formal or controlled, mostly ballroom-style dancing.
But, it is an industry leader in the nontraditional
genres including nightclub social dance, salsa, salon tango,
bolero, etc. They organize roughly ten dance cruises a
year. They are also known for having contracted teachers
for their tango themed cruises, rather than having
the classes taught by lesser qualified dance entertainers..
These cruises have one of the best ratios: one dance pro
or host/hostess for every three passengers.
John Ranivand, founder of Dancing at Sea, organizes four
to five dance themed cruises a year for sixty to ninety
guests on a variety of cruise lines. Some Dancing at Sea
cruises have a special tango focus, Tango. All are taught by
the group’s instructors, typically two to four per cruise.
Most Europeans love to dance, so you’ll find the dance
floors busy on European lines like Costa Cruises and
MSC Cruises. These ships feature more dance space,
too. While American lines tend to have larger casinos
than dance clubs, European ships divide up their space
the opposite way.
America Line regularly sails the Caribe offering dance
hosts, but not alwayss dance hostesses. These partners
are not always experienced dancers, although all of the
ships do require at least a knowledge of the basic steps
of the social ballroom dances. Mostly, they dance standard
ballroom variants of foxtrot. waltz, tango, swing, rumba,
cha-cha, and sometimes salsa. The salon tango, Argentine
style, is not a high priority on most cruises for the hosts or
hostesses, even when there is a live band playing tango,
Tango, on the Holland America Line ships, is considered
featured, or special entertainment.
Crystal Cruises offers more upscale Caribbean cruises
with a Ballroom at Sea program. The evening dance
is set at various lounges with orchestras. Dance classes
are mostly American ballroom style. They have had tango
teachers on board. But, they are not part of the normal
program. They are contracted for special Dance Theme
cruises. Although Crystal Cruises does not have as many
of these cruises, they do offer one of the highest rated,
and longest, music and dance cruises to the Caribe.
Tango is enjoying an ever-growing audience of enthusiasts
and dancers. And, it is growing throughout the Caribbean.
Visiting artists are helping expand the number of dancers
and the audience for tango. As long as there are tango
dancers ready to dance, the cruise ships of the Caribbean
will be ready to sail them away to the crystal isles.
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Caribbean Tango Guide
Milongas
Bahamas
Friday
17:00 - 22:00 Tango&Beyond Sunny Side Restaurant East Bay Street Nassau
Costa Rica
Sunday
17:00 - 22:00 Milonga de los Domingos Casa del Arcoirism Hospital Calderon Guardia San Jose
Wednesday
20:00 - 01:00 Milonguita de los Miércoles Costa Rica Tango Estudio, Setena Barrio Escalante San Jose
Saturday
20:00 - 01:00 Milonga Promenade Centro de Artes Promenade San Jose
Cuba
Wednesday
10:30 - 01:00 El Ojo de Ciclon Estudio Leo D’Lazaro Calle O’ Reilly Habana Vieja
Friday
10:30 - 01:00 Pedacito de Cielo Academia del Tango Calle J Habana Vieja
Saturday
13:30 - 16:30 La Milonguita L’Union Arabe Paseo del Prado Habana Vieja
Dominican Republic
Thursday
19:00 - 21:00 Milonga Milkeya Lebanese Syrian Palestinian Club Santo Domingo
Guadaloupe
Thursday
19:00 - 21:00 La Milonga Negra 156 rue de la Chapelle Baie-Mahault
Jamaica
Wednesday
21:00 - 23:00 Noche de Tango Hotel RIU Plaza Calle 50 Kimgston
Martinique
Wednesday
20:00 - 21:00 TangoFelino Espace DD Hauts de Californie Le Lamentin
Saturday
19:00 - 22:00 Madin’ Tango Centre de Danse Zecler, Bellevue Fort-de-France
Annual Events
February Puerto Rico Tango Marathon https://www.facebook.com/PUERTO-RICO-TANGO-MARATHON-138700429658044/
June Festival de Tango de San José https://www.facebook.com/TangoCostaRica/
September El Tango Abraza a Honduras https://www.facebook.com/events/302133633504744/
October Puerto Rico Tango Festival https://www.facebook.com/PuertoRicoTangoFestival/
November Encuentro Nacional Caracas https://www.facebook.com/tango-caracas-22063971470/
November Tango Maya Festival Cancún https://www.facebook.com/groups/932457080119684/
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Milongas
Mexico
Wednesday
20:00 - 00:00 Tango en Cancun Plaza Nayandei Cancun
19:30 - 22:00 Tango del Playa Parrilla Muchogusto Avenue 25 Playa del Carmen
Nicaragua
Sarurday
20:30 - 23:30 Tango Nicaragua El Garabato Hotel Seminole Managua
Panama
Wednesday
20:30 - 23:30 Jonkanoo Milonga Jonkanoo Lounge 77 Knutsfor Blvd Panama City
Puerto Rico
Wednesday
20:30 - 23:30 Milonga Realenga El Barril, 1302 Ave. Ashford, Condado San Juan
Friday
20:30 - 23:30 Milonga La Victrola La Casa del Tango Calle Domenech San Juan
Saturday
20:30 - 23:30 Milonga Tropical La Casa del Tango Calle Domenech San Juan
Venezuela
Sunday
14:00 - 19:00 Milonga del Nuevo Circo Nuevo Circo de Caraca, Zona Metropolitana Caracas
Monday
19:00 - 22:00 La Mariposa Parque Urb Santa Cecilia, La Carlota Caracas
Wednesday
20:00 - 01:00 Milonga del Uruguayo Centro Uruguayo Vernezolano, Av. Calvani 14 Caracas
18:30 - 22:00 La Practica Discovery Discovery Bar El Rosal, Chacao Caracas
Friday
20:00 - 02:00 Milonga del Ungaro Casa Hungara, Av. Alvarez Michaud Caracas
Saturday
20:00 - 01:00 Milonga del Uruguayo Centro Uruguayo Vernezolano, Av. Calvani 14 Caracas
WebSites
Caribbean Tango Events.................. https://www.facebook.com/groups/246889562067869/
Milonga In America ......................... http://www.milongas-in.com/milongas-in-america.php
Tango Info ..................................... https://tango.info/
These are some of the Internet resources that were used to build this guide.It is a consolidation of information
Please. check these resources in the future, as we all know - things change.
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Caribbean Tango Guide
Classes
Bahamas
Tango & Beyond Via Caffe, Parliament Street Nassau +1 242 322 7209
https://www.facebook.com/TangoBeyondBahamas-769542383166376/
Barbados
BooGaLoo Studio 1 Rockley Main Rd,, Bridgetown +1 246 263 2040
https://www.facebook.com/BoogalooRecreationStudio/
Costa Rica
Café Cambalache El Portón Rojo ,Avenue 16 San Jose +1 506 2253 2794
https://www.facebook.com/cafecambalachecostarica/
Le Chateau Parque de Guadalupe San Jose +1 506 8311 1070
https://www.facebook.com/events/283134618529357
Boga Dance Studio Heredia Province San Pablo +1 506 8345 7060
https://www.facebook.com/bogadancestudio/
Malajunta Tango Casa del Arcoiris . Avenida 9A San Jose +1 506 2221 8480
https://www.facebook.com/groups/599711200048819/
Costa Rica Tango Estudio Setena Barrio Escalante San Jose +1 506 8869 6899
https://www.facebook.com/crtango/
Prometango Entrelazados Centro de Artes Promenade , 113 del ICE San Jose +1 506 82283 6421
https://www.facebook.com/prometango
Fantasía de Tango Costado este Outlet Mall , Calle 59 San Pedro +1 506 2280 3173
https://www.facebook.com/fantasiadetango
Tango Saudade Academia Ave Shanti , Paseo Colón San Jose +1 506 2280 3173
https://www.facebook.com/TangoSaudade/
Cuba
Casa del Tango Calle Neptuno No.309, Habana +53 7863 0097
http://www.lahabana.com/guide/casa-del-tango/
Caseron del Tango Calle Justiz #21 Habana +53 7861 0822
http://www.caribbeanlocalpages.com/listings/caseron-del-tango-in-la-habana53-7-861-0822/
Union Arabe de Cuba Prado, entre Trocadero Habana +53 7861 0582
http://www.unionarabecuba.org/
El Ojo de Ciclon Calles O’ Reilly y Villegas, N. 501 Habana +53 7861 5359
https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Ojo-del-Cicl%C3%B3n/650757111628313
Academia del Tango Calle J, entre 17 y 19, N. 534 Habana +53 5361 0615
http://www.tango.bild-art.de/classes.html
Dance Studios Canada 450 Rideau St Habana +1 613-884-9869
https://www.facebook.com/groups/26905865335/
Circulo Amigos del Tango Calle Madrid #74 Santiago de Cuba +1 613-789-9996
https://www.facebook.com/C%C3%ADrculo-Amigos-del-Tango-de-Villa-%C3%81ngela-1706460096284569/
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Classes
Curaçao
TangoCuracao Brionplein 1 Otrabanda Waterfort Willemstad +599 9514 9933
https://www.facebook.com/TangoCuracao/
TuTu Tango Kaya Jombi Mensing Willemstad +599 9461 7888
https://www.facebook.com/TuTu-Tango-204576411411/
Dominican Republic
Tango Milkeya Melo Lebanese Syrian Palestinian Club Santo Domingo +809 840 2572
https://www.facebook.com/tangomilonga.milkeyamelo
Grenada
Tango Grenada Dodgy Dock, Old Mill Road, True Blue Bay, Saint George’s +1 473 415 6000
https://www.facebook.com/Tango-Grenada-352761218132933/
Guadaloupe
Tango Guadaloupe 156 rue de la chapelle , ZI de Jarry Baie-Mahault +1 590 6907 0157
http://www.tangoguadeloupe.com/
Honduras
Tango en Tegucigalpa Lomas de Boulevard Centro Comercial, Tegucigalpa
https://www.facebook.com/La-Milonga-Tango-en-Tegucigalpa-276757242003/
Jamaica
Salsa Society Jamaica New Kingston Centre, Dominica Drive Kingston +1 876 906 0856
https://www.facebook.com/groups/salsasocietyjamaica/
Peppers Lounge n Gri 31 Upper Waterloo Road Kingston +1 876 289 2487
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peppers-Lounge-n-Grill/1437429739806519
Martinique
Vaya con Tango Ecole 80 rue Prof Raymond Garcin Fort-de-France +1 596 559 850
http://vayacontango.e-monsite.com/
Tango Bar Place Félix Boisson Saint-Pierre +1 596 696 373 102
https://www.facebook.com/otango97250/
Association TangoFelino Espace Dd - Hauts de Californie Le Lamentin +1 596 696 740 102
https://www.facebook.com/tangofelino/
Centre de Danse Zecler Centre Commercial de Bellevue Fort-de-France +1 596 696 937 609
https://www.facebook.cm/events/215695388867558/
Mexico
Tango para Todos La Capilla Restaurant, Blvd. Kukulkan Cancún +1 52 998 578 0509
https://www.facebook.com/tangocancun/La Capilla Argentin
Tango en Cancún Parque Sor Juana del Palacio Municipal Cancún +1 52 998 881 2062
https://www.facebook.com/TangoEnCancun/
Tango Playa del Carmen Av.25 entre calles 28 y 30 Playa del Carmen +1 52 984 807 1549
https://www.facebook.com/Tango-Playa-del-Carmen-212667272165521/
Centre de Danse Zecler Centre Commercial de Bellevue Fort-de-France
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Caribbean Tango Guide
Classes
Nicaragua
Tango Nicaragua El Garabato, Hotel Seminole 2 1/2 al Sur Managua +1 505 2278 2944
https://www.facebook.com/TangoNicaragua
Panama
Tango Panama Hotel Riu Plaza Panamá,Calle 50 Panama City +1 507 378 9000
http://www.tangopanama.com
Puerto Rico
Y Entonces Tango Escuela Casa del Tengo, 374 Avenida Domenech San Juan +1 787 312 6760
https://www.facebook.com/La-Casa-del-Tango-Puerto-Rico-160410362624/
Saint Lucia
Tango St Lucia Harmony Suites, Rodney Bay Gros Islet Rodney Bay +1 758 452 8756
https://www.facebook.com/tangostlucia/
Trinidad & Tobago
Tango en Trinidad Cafe Beyruti Tango Lounge, Santisima Port-o-Spain +1 598 4364 2929
https://www.facebook.com/clubdetangoflores/
Cruises & Cruise Organizers
Bailando Reisen ................... +49-821-31 96 570
Celebrity Cruises ............... +1-800-647-2251
Costa Cruise Lines ............ +1-800-462-6782
Crystal Cruises ................... +1-888-722-0021
Dancers at Sea .................... +1-888-791-2918
Dancing at Sea ..................... +1-954-439-4444
Holland America Line ........ +1-877-932-4259
MSC Cruises ........................ +1-800-338-4962
Norwegian Cruise Line ..... +1-866-234-7350
Princess Cruises ................. +1-800-774-6237
Royal Caribbean Line ........ +1-866-562-7625
Tango at Sea ......................... +1-301-365-9285
Tango-DanceKinesis ........... +1-601-297-2185
http://www.tango-cruise.com/
http://www.celebritycruises.com/
http://www.costacruise.com/
http://www.crystalcruises.com/
http://www.dancersatsea.com/
http://www.dancingatsea.com/
http://www.hollandamerica.com/
http://msc.cruiselines.com/
http://www.ncl.com/
http://www.princess.com/
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/
http://www.tangoatsea.com/
http://www.dancekinesis.com/
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Cuba’s Special Painter
Pedro Álvarez Castelló
Pedro Reinaldo Álvarez Castelló (1967-2004) was a Cuban painter who rose to prominence
during Cuba’s Special Period. Alvarez was a native of Havana, Cuba. He studied art at the Escuela
Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro from 1980-1985 and the Instituto Superior Pedagogico Enrique
Jose Varona from 1986-1991. He was a member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of
Cuba. He married a Cuban woman and had a child. When he wasn’t travelling to promote his work,
he divided his time between Malaga, Spain and Havana, Cuba.
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Alvarez’s painting style, like those of many other Cuban artists
of that era, was highly influenced by the development of
popular culture in Cuba during the feverish Special Period. His
paintings are shown in museums around the world, including
the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana in Havana,
Museo Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo in Seville, Spain,
Arizona State University Art Museum in Tempe, Arizona, Museum
of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Museo de la Universidad
de Alicante in Alicante, Spain. He has had more than
eight personal exhibitions in Cuba and Spain and has been in
more than fourty group exhibitions in Germany, Canada, Spain,
England and the United States.
Among his more notable personal exhibitions were Exposición
de Paisajes (1985) at the Galería de Arte Universal, Trinidad,
Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. His group exhibitions have included Arte
Cubano en Boston (1988), Massachusetts College of Art, Boston;
Misa por una Mueca (1993), Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes
Visuales, Havana; Bienal de Pintura del Caribe y Centro América
(1994), Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican
Republic. Álvarez died on February 12, 2004, just five days after
the beginning of a major solo exhibition of his work, Landscape
in the Fireplace, at the Arizona State University Art Museum.
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Martin Delgado
— San Telmo Lounge
interview by Marco Buso
San Telmo Lounge is a one of its kind Argentinian electrotango musical project, combining elements
of tango, jazz, rock, and electronica in a unique and smooth way. We at Modern Tango
World had the pleasure to talk with guitarist and composer Martin Delgado, founder and
leader of the band, about his experience.
MTW: Martin, first of all thanks for being here and
talking a bit about San Telmo Lounge with Modern
Tango World.
Martin: Thanks to you Marco! It’ss my pleasure.
MTW: Let’s start from scratch. We would like to know
something about your musical background.
Martin: Oh well. I fell in love with music as a teenager,
when I enjoyed to tears listening to Sting and The Police’s
music besides of classic rock, mainly from the 70s.
At fifteen, I was moved by the influence of artists like Led
Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and
yes, Jethro Tull, EL&P, John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola, I
started playing guitar and studying ear training and musical
theory. After high school, I continued my musical studies
at the University of Litoral in Santa Fe, where I graduated
as Professor of Guitar and Composition in Traditional Classic
Music. In that period, I got more involved into jazz and the
work of composors, such as Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok,
Olivier Messiaen. I began studying classical guitar as well,
playing Abel Carlevaro arrangements of Astor Piazzolla’s
compositions among the others. This was my very first introduction
to tango. Today I still get inspiration from classic
albums from the 70s. I listen to all kinds of music. But,
I always end up amazed by classic artists such as Miles
Davis, Astor Piazzolla, Antônio Jobim, Anibal Troilo, and
the Beatles.
After graduation in 2001, I continued studying guitar and
harmony at the New Jazz School in New York City and
attended many courses in Argentina and abroad in music
production, tango, jazz interpretation and private lessons
with Rodolfo Mederos, Manfred Swazrskopf, Marcelo
Braga Saralegui, Pablo Lopez Ruiz, Dante Grela, Julian
Peralta, Claudio Lluan, Gabriel Data, Pablo Deluca, Turco
Josami and Cacho Hussein among others.
MTW: How was the San Telmo Lounge project born?
How did you meet, how did you start working on it?
Martin: In 2001, I moved to New York city to study
jazz. There I realized that my musical identity made me
different from the american jazz guitarist. For some
reason, my sound had something that had to do with
tango. When I came back from the USA, I told myself:
You got to do something with tango. On the other hand
I couldn’t see myself playing in a traditional tango orchestra.
In those years, there were not as much tango
orchestras and musicians as there are today. I decided
to build a project based on every kind of music I liked
— rock, jazz, tango, combined with the electronica that
I heard so much of in the USA. I did this without even
knowing that there was a growing electrotango movement.
It wasn’t until I started building the first San Telmo
Lounge demos did I find out about Bajofondo and
thw other electrotango groups.
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In 2003, the band was fully formed with bandoneonist
Pablo Gaitan, keyboardist Lucas Polichiso and violinist
Maximiliano Natalutti.
MTW: Musically speaking, your project is very rich and
dense, combining elements of tango, jazz, electronica,
rock, pop. How did you set such an intriguing mix up,
and how do you approach composition? Did you have
any particular musical inspiration from other artists?
Martin: I believe that in each composition, I try to
merge diverse genres, but end up emphasizing one element
or the other, pulling the music towards a particular
aesthetic. In this sense, the influences are diverse,
which is both a luck and a problem. What mixes all together
is the tango thread, that comes in different doses.
At the time of writing, I am approaching composition in
the style of European classical composers, in front of a
computer with guitar and piano at hand. I start developing
a basic idea by playing around. Once a basic theme
comes up, I proceed writing a first arrangement in digital
score for quintet — violin, bandoneon, guitar, piano and
bass. After that is done, I make a demo with a drum
sequencer. Usually 95% of the composition is done and
finished before I proceed to rehearsal. The composition
may sound a lot more tango-like if the typical elements
of this genre prevail, or it may just suggest an idea of
tango with the mere presence of the bandoneon.
Anyway, I think that the main definition of genre is given
by the rhythmic structure. For example, you can recognize
tango looking at the bass patterns, at the accompaniments
of piano and guitar, and at the melodic structures. A strong
tango rhythm makes it possible to clearly identify tango
even if there are no traditional acoustic instruments, such
as the bandoneon, to incarnate that tango feel. In the case
of San Telmo Lounge, I can identify the top tango influences
in Astor Piazzolla, Anibal Troilo and Osvaldo Pugliese.
Beyond tango, I am inspired a lot by English rock artists
such as Pink Floyd and by certain elements of European
folklore which you can find in Sting’s music. I sometimes
find myself very close to the aesthetics of Tom Waits, Nick
Drake and Fito Paez. From a jazz perspective, I am drawn
to cool jazz. The idea is has always been to tighten a little
the limits of genres. San Telmo Lounge originated as an
experiment, and I think this innovative desire accompanies
us in all our records. It is also true that all electrotango
bands are beginning to sound quite the same. We want
to differentiate ourselves from this trend, trying to always
surprise our listener by expanding the possibilities of the
musical genres we work with.
MTW: What about your lyrics? Where do they come
from? Do you get inspiration from tango classical lyrics
subjects or those from any other musical culture? Or do
they rather come directly from you and your life experiences?
Or maybe both? How do you approach and develop
lyrics composition?
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Martin: I am a fan of American Beat Generation writers,
mostly William Borroughs. Starting from that point,
over the years, I have discovered Henry Miller, Charles
Bukowski and other self-biopic writers. I use to imagine
the existence of a link between these writers and
some cosmovision of the Bohemian tanguero. It could
be that nocturnal character, those dreams suggested by
the sunset, a lament for a lost love or for a wrong life.
Sometimes, it is better for the story not to know the exact
original sin. I have written fictional lyrics. I don’t take
any inspiration from my real life. As for lyricists, I worked
with Adrian Abonizio in my project TANGOMORFO-
SIS. Sometimes I try to steal ideas from him, because
he’s by far the best lyricist I ever met.
We never ask our guest to sing in a style different of their
own, and even less to sing as tangueros. We have also worked
with Palo Pandolfo and Juan Subira, rockers with aesthetics
very close to tango. As a matter of fact, I think that Palo was
an important influence on the fusion of rock, song and tango
at the beginning of this century. We have invited Laura Cardini
on different occasions. Laura does not dedicate her life
exclusively to singing, which we find to be an advantage. She
is an anthropologist. She is also very theatrical in her live
performances, and people really like that.
MTW: What do you think about dancing to San Telmo
Lounge songs?
Martin: That is not so easy! I do not create
the music of San Telmo Lounge with the
idea of this must be danced, because I am
not a dancer. I started to learn to dance
tango this year, I think dancers have a very
different approach from musicians. In spite
of this, we used to play at many milongas,
mostly in Europe, where people enjoy
dancing to our music, maybe because of its
mix of traditional and new ways.
MTW: Today’s tango scene is complex,
looking both at tradition and absorbing a lot
of influences coming from contemporary
musical styles. How do you feel about today’s
tango and neo-tango scenes? Where
do you think we’re going in the future?
MTW: San Telmo Lounge has featured many guest artists,
especially singers. Can you tell us something about
these partnerships? Do such artists have any tango or
tango-fusion background, or do they come from other
musical styles? How did they react to the experience
with your project?
Martin: Our two first guests where Noelia Moncada
and Lidia Borda, two great tango singers. We then invited
Sandra Corizzo, Adrian Abonizio, Fabian Gallardo
and Coki Debernardi, rock and pop musicians. For each
of them, we managed to arrange a song close to the
aesthetics of what they usually sing.
Martin: Today’s tango scene is really big,
with a great diversity of subgenres and formations.
There are traditional groups trying
to play as near as they can to the original
styles of Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese,
Carlos Di Sarli or Horacio Salgan. Then there are the new
songwriters like Acho Estol from La Chicana and Cucusa
Castiello among the others. On the other hand you have
more new orchestras like Astillero, Rascasuelo or Julian
Peralta, which compose new repertoires of instrumental
pieces for orchestra. Here in Rosario, there are many musicians
engaged in tango who started studying more than ten
years ago. Among the others, I can name guitarist Martin
Tessa and pianist Gerardo Martinez Lo Re. They both teach
at the Municipal Tango Orchestra, a project in which they
prepared new tango musicians. All in all, this is a very good
moment for the tango scene. The future is ours.
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MTW: What can you tell us about your future and the
future of San Telmo Lounge? Do you have any particular
short and/or long term projects for new albums or live
concerts/tours?
Martin: A few months ago we released our sixth album
Doble Imperfecto with a partially new line-up adding
to our members Ariel Aguilar (bandoneon), Laura
Cardini (vocals), Sebastian Mamet (drums), and Tutu
Rufus (bass). We played it at Sala Laarden in Rosario in
November. The idea is to play in Buenos Aires in March
and then to repeat the event everywhere we can. At
this time we don’t have in mind any tour. Maybe in the
second part of the year. Now I am thinking about our
next album, which I am sure will not be a double one, no
more than ten songs!
MTW: We at Modern Tango World can’t wait to hear
it, and to get more info about your future project. We’ll
surely stay in contact. Martin, thanks a lot for sharing the
San Telmo Lounge experience with us!
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Top 10 Ways to Get Asked to Dance
Karen Kaye
I’m not getting asked to dance she said. And I could see why. She was a skilled follower
and a beautiful woman with the warmest soul. But no one noticed because she sat
buried in the corner of the room looking royally annoyed.
10: Stand up. If you REALLY want to dance, don’t sit
down. It gives the impression that you are resting and
taking a break. Stand up and position yourself at the
edge of the dance floor.
9: Start moving. Whether you are standing by the
dance floor or sitting down, moving your body and
your feet to the music shows that you are feeling the
song and want to dance to it. The fastest way for me to
get asked is to go onto the edge of the floor and begin
moving to the music.
8. Be less social. This isn’t the time to get into a deep
conversation with a friend. If I am chatting with someone,
I keep my eyes on the dance floor, and actively
convey that my interest is not in the conversation, but
on the possibility of dancing. I show this by smiling at
people who walk by and being interested in what’s
happening on the floor.
7. Be more social. Find someone you want to dance with
and strike up a conversation with them. Comment on how
much you love the band or DJ tonight. Ask if they like the
wine they are drinking. Or simply go up and say, “I don’t
believe we have met, I’m Karen….”. Making a new friend
this way will almost always lead to them asking you dance –
either then or later.
6. Check your attitude. You have to look receptive, so drop
the crossed arms. Confidence is great thing, but don’t strut
around and watch the floor with an attitude that suggests
you are too good to dance with anyone there. Some people
appear to be always judging what’s happening on the
floor. Don’t be that person. It suggests you will do the same
when you dance with them. Lastly, be gracious regardless of
who asks you to dance. People will notice how you respond
when asked to dance – and will watch your attitude while
you are dancing with other dancers. Stay gracious!
5. Drop your ego. You aren’t entitled to being asked
just because you showed up. Your 10,000 hours of
lessons and practicing doesn’t guarantee you a thing.
If you want to dance, sometimes YOU have to ask.
Make a guy’s night and approach him or initiate the
cabeceo. Some guys love this far more than we ladies
realize.
4. Make it easy. Don’t play hard to get. Don’t make
it difficult or awkward for the guy to ask you. Ensure
you have plenty of moments when you are alone so
he doesn’t have to awkwardly interrupt a conversation.
Smile at them. Make eye contact. Even if you
have to fake it, appear to be enjoying your night. No
guy wants to take on the challenge of flipping an attitude
from “bitter bench warmer” to happy dancer.
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3. Be the first to say hello. When you walk into a room
or pass people, take the initiative to be the first to say
hello. Greeting people shows them that you are friendly
and receptive. Upon arrival, I do my best to walk the
room greeting everyone I know in the room. At that
point, I oftentimes say, “Save me a dance later” – which
basically fills up my dance card right away.
2. Master the mirada. When I want to dance, I smile
and make my intention clear in my gaze. I position myself
where I have a clear line of sight to dancers and they
have a clear sight to me. Gaze as much as you want; the
contract doesn’t happen until the cabeceo (the nod), so
don’t be shy with looking around. Gaze the room as if
you are holding an amazing secret that you are simply
dying to share with the right person.
And if you really want to guarantee getting asked to
dance all night….
1. Take a private lesson. If people are still skirting around
you and focusing on blank walls when they see you, find a
pro who is a master at teaching social dancing technique.
Find a pro who has the courage to teach you what you
need, not what you want. There’s a tendency to believe
our technique is better than it truly is, and it’s easy to get
a little sloppy over time. Committing myself to regular
coaching has made a massive difference for me.
Lastly, some nights I’m simply feeling more demure or shy,
especially if I am feeling intimidated by the skill level of the
room. In that case, I ask friends, the DJ, host or promoter
who they recommend I dance with. Most people are
more than happy to make an introduction or point out a
warm, friendly dancer who will put me at ease.
At the end of the day, keeping your skills sharp is key.
However, a big part of getting asked is simply about exuding
good vibes. Change your vibe - and it will definitely
change your night.
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100 Years of Recorded Tango
Raymond Lauzzana
2017 marks the 100th anniversary of recorded tango. Roberto Firpo’s La Cumparsita was the the
first recording of a tango that was ever made. It was recorded in November of 2016 at the studio of
Max Glücksmann in Buenos Aires. for Odeon Records. The record was released to the public in a
performance at the café La Giralda in Montevideo where Firpo frequently performed.
La Cumparsita was originally written as a march. It
was composed by an 18-year-old architecture student
named Gerardo Hernán Becho Matos Rodríguez.. Early
in 1916, he showed the song to orchestra leader Roberto
Firpo. When Firpo looked at the music, he saw ita as
a tango. Originally, the song had two parts. Firpo added
a third part taken from his earlier tangos — La gaucha
Manuela and Curda Completa. He also added parts of
Giuseppe Verdi’s Miserere from the opera Il trovatore.
Although it was among the few tango recordinsg, it
did not gain much popularity until lyrics were added
in 1924 by the Argentine Pascual Contursi. The song
soon became an international hit, and is considered the
most widely known tango song in the world.
It is also the most widely recorded tango song of all time.
It has been performed and recorded by small trios and
large bands everywhere in the world. Having moved to
Paris, Matos Rodríguez spent the nearly two decades in
various court battles over royalties, finally succeeding in
secure title to the rights for La Cumparsita.
This year, there will be major events thoughout Uruguay
celebrating this 100th anniversary. of La Cumparsita.
Montevideo begins the celebration with a musical
show in Plaza Independencia with the participation of
numerous artists. An open-air event called Bienvenido
Cumparsita, by Intendance, is followed by an event at
the Salvo Palace, where the La Giralda Café used to be,
where the song was first performed.
Performers will include Ricardo Olivera, Valeria Lima,
Maia Castro, Triple Nelson, Gabriel Peluffo, Néstor
Vaz, Laura Legazcue, Roberto Herrera, Monica Navarro
and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Montevideo.
Admission to any of these events will be with free and
there will be a fireworks!
Uruguay can rightfully claim that the tango was originally
made in Uruguay. Argentines, from the other side
of the Rio Plate, surely will claim that that is Argentines
that brought the erotic dance to the sensual music.
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This argument will never end. Tango exists. It is world
music in the truest sense. It has incorporated or been incorporated
into other musical forms around the world.
Today, dancers enjoy dancing to tango from Sydney to
Paris, from Rome to Tokyo, and everywhere in between.
Tango, itself, is more than 100 years old. The first known
tango was composed in 1886, by Angel Villoldu — El
Choclo. Everybody knows tango when they see it —
beautiful men and women in elegant dress with sensual
movements. But, that is just the surface of the tango.
There is a deeper tango. that takes you through the
sadnesses of life — the River Plate Blues. Tango lyrics
often deal withe the problems of life.
The power of tango laliesys in transforming these existential
problems into pure energy and joy of life. They
are filled with jealous women swearing revenge, men
who have been betrayed; abandoned women crying
for their lost loves . — love, hate, emotion, madness,
fears, sorrow — passion.
As with almost all popular dances, the tango was considered
vulgar and not suited for polite society. It was
a working class dance that was danced in brothels ond
on the street, where the erotism of the dance was
usedseductive strategy to increase sales. Honest women
would not dance the tango. But, men danced tango with
other men, perfecting their skills.
After the advent of radio,
recorded music and the
Victrola, this all changed.
By the twenties, the
tango became socially
acceptable, not only in
Uruguay and Argentina,
but in North America,
Europe and Asia. It conquered
all the dancing
halls of the world. By the
Golden Decade of the
fourties, when tango was
no longer regional. It was
everywhere.
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New Tango Music
Arndt Büssing
El Cachivache Quinteto: Tango Punk Vol. II
With their album Tango Punk Vol. I the El Cachivache Quinteto surprised their audience. They revitalized
nine traditional compositions and
underlined that each generation has to
find their own approach to reconnect
with their history and carry it further.
Now their album Tango Punk Vol. II is out,
and no, it is not a sampler with some
more traditional tangos. They intend to
convince us with eleven of their original
compositions.
Six tracks are from pianist Pablo Montanelli,
four by guitar player Vito Venturino,
and one by Argentine composer-guitarrist
Julian Graciano. Again, the quintet
plays with verve and enthusiasm and
can easily convince a young audience.
Of course, I have my favourite songs,
namely the lively and propelling El Viajero
and Se hizo de Noche which are irresistable.
One of their strange compositions,
Fetiche, is more post-rock than anything
else. Transylvanika is a really beautiful
vals that invites you to dance. Although, I
didn´t care so much for the bottle neck
guitar parts.
Víto Venturino said that they wanted a live sound for this recording and all tracks were recorded simultaneously.
However, this means that also several problematic moments of intonation on the violin
were also retained, which decreases one’s listening pleasure in some tracks, such as Celosamente.
Nevertheless, with their dauntless and forceful approach, the El Cachivache Quinteto will surely become
one of the next influential ensembles in the contemporary tango scene. Definitely go and see
this band perform!
Overall Scoring (1-5 stars): ****
Dancer´s pleasure = Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 35 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.elcachivache.info
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Orquesta Tipica Andariega: Balliamo
This is the third album from Orquesta Tipic Andariega, featuring singer Walter El Chino Laborde with
the rich sound of three violins, three bandoneons, a double bass and a piano. Compared to their 2014
album of new compositions, Andiamo, this time around the ensemble chose to play tangos from the
past. With new arrangements, mostly from their director and bass player Luigi Coviello and one by
bandoneon player Adrian Argat.
All of these Golden Age tangos live through
the contrast of rhythmically accentuated
stride ahead parts followed by elegiac
melodies, and the straightforward arrangements,
reduced to the essential, support
this impression. This clearly is the beauty of
these songs.
Listening to Esta Noche de Luna, composed
1943 by José Garcia and Graciano
Gómez-Marcó, I like very much how arranger
Luigi Coviello deals with the beautiful
melody and contrasts it with the rhythmic
orchestral accents with strict compass.
Compared with Francisco Canaro´s version,
they also have these accents. But Canaro
seemed to be more interested in the
elegiac melodies to please the dancers. In
Coviello´s arrangement the melodies have
more space to shine, and the accents are
more aggressive.
Luigi says that for him the balance of groove and rhythm is important, and that means having these clear
differences between the rhythm parts and the melodic legato parts so that the musicians can be like an
angel in the legato and a devil in the rhythmic parts. These devils are quite friendly but nevertheless seductive.
Te Aconsejo que me Olvides, written in 1926 by Pedro Maffia and Jorge Curi, is a highly accentuated
song with an attractive syncopated beat and a performance of singer Walter Laborde. Nothing
against the Aníbal Troilo version with Francisco Fiorentino. It has its own charm. But, the Orquesta
Tipica Anariaga version is more strict in its route. The singer El Chino Laborde plays his cards to
phrase the lyrics, slowing the tempo, raising the dynamics and thus wakes the heart of this song. Outstanding!
The same is true for Rodolfo Biagi’s well known Humillación from 1941. Laborde lives this
song with an intensity that hurts. I hate this love! When it broke my will, it reduced me to begging for your
warmth. Great. A clear recommendation to join their shows and listen to their music.
Overall Scoring ****
Dancer´s pleasure = Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 31 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.andariegatango.com.ar/
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Juan Pablo de Lucca Quinteto: Después de todo
The quintet’s debut album has 8 tracks, most of which are written and arranged by their pianist
Juan Pablo de Lucca, grandson of famous tango-singer Alberto Castillo. We hear Juan Pablo de
Lucca (piano), Santiago Cirmi (bandoneon), Manuel Villar Lifac (contrabass), Mauro Caracotche
(drums). Juan Pablo di Leone (transverse flute), Gabriel Wolff (viola), Emanuel Aguirrez (cello),
Luis Caruana (bandoneon), Maia Perduca (flute), Emiliano Lorenz (bass), and Luciano Sellan (guitar)
also appear on some tracks.
The compositions and their arrangements
explore the narrative textures of
contemporary jazz and rely on the rich
and vivid tango history, yet they remain
in the usual spectrum. The transverse
flute and bandoneon as solo instruments
are played elegantly and avoid
the annoying melodic patterns that can
be found quite often in jazz-oriented
tango ensembles. This is one of the
strengths of this ensemble, they rely on
their own music rather than making the
100th resuscitation of tango standards
from the crypt.
The musicians present these new compositions
very cautiously and provide a
beautifully relaxed atmosphere, even in
the more energetic, drum-supported
end of Nuestras ilusiones. No need to
hurry. There is time to get down to the
essentials.
This music fits quite well to a comfortable café, but may be a challenge for non-professional tango
dancers at the weekend milongas. For my part, I would prefer my café with the Juan Pablo de
Lucca Quinteto!
Overall Scoring ****
Dancer´s pleasure < Listener´s pleasure
Duration: 38 min.
Artist´s website: http://www.juanpablodelucca.com
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Tango Moves
Raymond Lauzzana
Promenades — The most common walk in tango is with the partners facing each other, with the
leader walking forward and the follower walking backwards - caminando. However, this is not the only way
in which tango dancers can walk. The dancers can both walk forward side-by-side, as in a walk in the park —
a promenade or paseo. Normally, dancers would only walk in promenade for a few steps, more than
four. But, in canyengue style, they may walk forward together, cheek-to-cheek, throughout the dance. As always,
it is important to dance with the music. In more modern styles, promenade should be used to express
specific musical phrases and always ‘in time’.
Basic Promenade (Paseo)
In all promenades, both partners face the same direction,
side-by-side. Typically, the follower is on the leader’s right side.
The leader’s left and the follower’s right hand may be joined
in front. In this case, the leader’s right arm would be around
the follower’s waist, while the follower’s hand is on leader’s
shoulder as in a normal close embrace. However, both dancers
face the same direction towards the leader’s left hand.
Obviously, there are numerous variations on this position. But,
this is a good basic reference. There are many ways to get to
this position from the zero position. Here are a few.
Sashay (Chassez)
A casual normal walk in whch the active foot collects with
the standing foot as it passes by. The dancers may walk may
be either in parallel or cross system. That is, they may step
together in parallel, on their right, then their left, or they may
step together in cross system, , on the inside feet, then the
outside. Weight is gradually transferred from the standing foot
to the active foot. The next foot is lifted only after the active
foot is loaded and the axis has been transferred to it. This is a
slow smooth walk without a bounce.
American Start (el Americano)
The so-called America Start comes from American Ballroom
dancing. It occurs at the beginning of the dance, when the
couple first embrace, with the leader is facing the outer rim
and the follower is facing towards the center of the dance
floor. The leader initiates the move into a promenade by stepping
with left foot across behind to a toe tap, swivels 90°
counter clockwise on right foot, before stepping forward with
the left foot. The follower steps forward with the right foot in
the direction of the line of dance, Their hips are engaged as
they continue to step forward.
Cut Sidestep (Corte a Lado)
The leader sidesteps left. As the follower steps, the leader
rotates 90° counter-clockwise. The follower opens clockwise
rotating into a promenade position. The follower’s left hand
remains on the leader’s shoulder., with her right hand at her
waist. They both lean back and extend their legs and step
forward. They walk with opposite feet, outside, with outside,
inside with inside — cross system
Outside Swivel (Giro a Fuera)
The leader steps thru in front and across with right foot,
changing weight to left foot that is crossed behind. and swivels
counter clockwise. on the lft foot The follower swivels on right
foot with upper body torque, and then brush steps backward
to a cross. This leads to a promenade, in which both dancers
step with same foot, side-by side — parallel system.
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Half Vine Promenade (Paseo Medeo Vid)
The dancers step sideways to open, cross in front. step sideways,
cross in front again, and repeats. They do not cross behind.
This gives the opportunity for a variety of adornments
and moves, such as sacadas or barridas, during the promenade.
Crab Walk (Congrejo)
A promenade mirror walk in which partners face each other.
Cross step in front, rotate to promenade, side step to face,
cross step again, and repeat. The walk is sometimes done with
inside hip contact at the rotation.
Closed Promenade (Paseo Cerrado)
This is the most common form of promenade. It taken from
canyengue style, but also popular in ballroom tango. In either
close or closed embrace and in mirror image, the dancers step
thru to the leader’s left. To lead the follower to walk in promenade,
the leader may use a quick turn of the head, brusco, to indicate
the direction of the promenade.The upper bodies of the
dancers are torqued towards each other, as they walk in mirror
image. In ballroom tango, the lead arms are extended forward. In
canyengue, they are frequently lowered below the waist.
Open Promenade (Paseo Abierto)
More common form of promenade in modern tango or tango
nuevo. Although the follower is usually to the right of the
leader, the dancers may be on either side. The type of steps
they may take vary widely and may be in parallel or in cross.
The speed or pace of movement can me much greater in an
open promenade; It is an excellent move to take advantage
of available space on the dance floor. n the other hand, it is a
bad move on a very crowded floor..
Promenade Rock Step (Cadencia Paseo)
Just as in the caminando, any step can be turned into a rock
step during a promenade, simply by reversing and repeating.
This can be done to change the pace of the walk, if the tempo
of the music changes, or as regular repeat to a syncopation.
Reverse Promenade (Paseo Atras)
Beyond a single rock step, any promenade may be danced
backwards, but only for a few steps. Sometimes, this may be
necessary because of traffic in the ronde, or that the dancers
have reached a some sort impasse, either in the music or
on the dance floor. This can be an excellent ocassion for the
dancers to reverse sides, as well.
Grapevine Promenade (Paseo Vide)
This is the molinete in a straight line. Like the molinete it is a sequence
of rour steps — step sidewaysl, cross in front, step sideways,
cross behind, and repeat. The dancers walk in mirror image
of each other. It is most appropriate for quick tempo music, for
a maximum of two repeats. Once again, this should be reserved
for ocassions when there is adequate room on the floor.
Serpentine Promenade (Paseo Serpeante)
Similar to the grapevine or crab walk, but hands are held high
as in a butterfly or mariposa. The steps are side,step, cross
behind, side step, cross behind, repeat. During the back step,
both dancers lower their bodies to make a large fan with their
free leg as they move it backwards.
Scissors Promenade (Paseo Tijera)
The partners interlace their legs, scissoring as they walk. The
partner that is behind sweeps their inner leg around so it is
in front of their partner’s leg. The dancer that is in front must
step wide enough to provide space for their partner’s step.
They walk in a zig-zag pattern as they move forward.
Running Crawl (Corrida Gateo)
A promenade mirror walk in which partners start facing each
other. They then lower their bodies and take a long cross step
in front, rotate to face each other once again. This is repeated
rapidly, but no more than three times. This is almost a running
move. So, there must be adequate space ofn the dance floor.
Spinning Promenade (Paseo Vuelta)
As the promenade proceeds, the leader may take the follower’s
hand and raise it above her head to spin the follower as
they walk. This can be done from any promenade.
Hairpin (Horquilla Contra Paseo)
From any promenade, the follower is led across the front
of the leader. The follower ends up on the opposite side,
facing the opposite direction. They may then promenade
in rotation about their shared axis.
Rolling Hairpin (Horquilla Rodante)
From any promenade, the follower is led scross the leaders.
The follower rolls and rotates over the front of the
leader and ends up on the opposite side, facing the same
direction. This is appropriate for any of the promenades.
The rolling hairpin is a common way to change sides.
Its obvious that there are many variants on promenades. The
reader should definitely experiment with their partner(s)
on other possibilities. These were just a few of them. One
issue remains to be discussed — How to end a promenade.
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Switchback (Cambiando Paseo)
From any promenade position, the partners rotate out
away from each other, and then back towards each
other in mirror reflection to an embrace.
Natural Promenade Finish (Final Paseo Natural)
Starting from any side-by-side promenade position, the
leader steps left diagonal, right forward thru, left diagonal
again, then to right collect in a touch instep. That was a full
360° counter-clockwise rotation by the leader away from
the follower. The leader sends the follower into 360° clockwise
spin. The dancers finish facing each other in an upright
position, with their feet collected, with the follower facing
towards the center of the floor.
Promenades are a very fun wat to add variety to your
dance from the usual caminando. However, they require
more space amd should be limited to musical phrasing
that is appropriate to the feeling of the promenade.
They are most appropriate with milongas.
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Letters
Fabulous music! Graphic design is marvelous also. I’m
subscribing to the internet version. Thank you.
.— Beverly Reiser
Bravo, some very good articles on the stage of tango
in Montreal.
— Katie Chaunier
I am glad that my tapestry of CD of tango of Montreal
has been able to find a place in your edition.
— Daniel Saindons
Thx so much. looks great...abrazos
— Terry
I love neo and the creative space and freedom partners
get in it.
— Tatiana Nigout
It’s great. Awesome!
— Mike Herrera
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important project
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— Anna Stąpór
GREAT ARTICLES ...nicely written...
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locally, and distribute them. In exchange
for distributing our postcards, we will give you a
free sixth page advertisement in the magazine.
— MTW
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