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LINKS...
Eduardo Smissen's Tango Mendocino
T-shirts are available at
Red Rooster Records
in Mendocino
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BEGINNING TANGO CLASSES
If you are interested in future beginning classes in Argentine Tango, please contact us by sending email to tangoclass@tangomendocino.com. Be sure to include your name and how best to contact you (email address and/or telephone number), and we will add you to our mailing list.
Argentine Tango is not the tango you see in Ballroom Championship dancing on TV, nor is it what you might have learned in a Ballroom tango class. Rather, it's the social partner dance that is practiced in clubs in Buenos Aires and all over the world, with an emphasis on the relationship between you, your partner, and the music. It is more sensuous and more intimate than other derivative forms of tango. The movie The Tango Lesson has good examples of both club style and stage Tango. Many ballroom dancers (ourselves among them), once introduced to Argentine Tango, have forsaken the study of other dances to focus solely on this exhilarating, romantic, and intensely passionate dance: the Tango.
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Tango in the Redwood Ballroom at the Weller House Inn
Weekly practicas and special Milongas |
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 A new tango venue is opening in Fort Bragg in April. The Weller House Inn will be holding weekly practicas on Wednesday nights, and special milongas on select Saturday nights in April and May. All events will be held in the historic Redwood Ballroom of the Weller House Inn.
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PRACTICAS: | Every Wednesday night, 6 - 9 pm, $5 at the door. |
| MILONGAS: | April 12th and April 26th
May 10th and May 31st |
| | All milongas will be held 7 - 10 pm. Refreshments will be provided. |
The Weller House Inn is located at 524 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg.
For more information contact Vivien at 707.964.4415, or toll-free 1.877.8WELLER (877.893.5537), or by email at tango@wellerhouse.com.
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Beatrix & Michael on YouTube
La Manzanilla, Mexico, January 2008 |
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 Beatrix & Michael, well known to most of us in Tango Mendocino, recently concluded two weeks of tango workshops in the seaside town of La Manzanilla, Mexico. The workshops were hosted by Nansee New & Richard Rasmussen and held on the palapa-covered roof of their newly constructed home.
One of the attendees of the intermediate workshop, Max Harper, made a video that captures interviews, teaching sessions, and moments of tango ecstasy. He has posted this beautifully composed and edited effort on YouTube. (To view it I recommend a high speed Internet connection, although patient dialup users can allow the entire file to download -- turn off your sound while it loads -- and then replay it to watch it uninterrupted.)
One member of our tango group in attendance was interviewed by the filmmaker and makes an eloquent affirmation of Beatrix & Michael's teaching abilities.
Here is the YouTube link: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6er8yI8vTmo
Enjoy!
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THE TEMPTATION TO TANGO
A new book by Irene D. Thomas and Larry M. Sawyer
Two of Tango Mendocino's resident milongueros have written a fascinating book about the attraction of tango and what it's like to learn this complex and engaging dance.
A unique feature of this book is that it includes both a man's and a woman's point of view. Irene's essays give newcomers an idea of what they will encounter, both physically and emotionally, in the process of learning this dance; advanced dancers will recognize themselves and the experiences she describes. Larry's short stories offer vignettes of the tango experience from a variety of perspectives and add an extra dimension that enhances the reader's understanding of the alluring world of tango.
Part essay, part memoir, part history, part fiction, The Temptation To Tango appeals to experienced dancers, beginners just starting their tango journey, those who aren't yet sure if tango is for them, and those who are simply curious about why this dance is so compelling to so many.
Excerpts from the book are available online. Visit their website, http://TheTemptationToTango.com, for more information and to order your copy.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF LEAD AND FOLLOW ROLES
Leaders:
Some may say that Leading is the more challenging role in tango, because from a kaleidoscope of options, continuous split-second decisions require pleasing a partner, interpreting the music, maintaining safety & direction, and uniquely expressing oneself.
Followers:
Some may say that Following is the more challenging role in tango, because it requires near-psychic sensitivity which must be slightly subdued, while making continuous accurate split-second responses to match a partner, enhance the music, maintain balance, and uniquely express oneself.
With thanks to Polly McBride of Portland, OR -- from her All Things Argentine Tango website.
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TANGO DANCE ETIQUETTE
An interesting explanation of the etiquette of the Tango can be found on Bay Area Tango instructors Ken & Natasha Delmar's web site, San Francisco Tango (sftango.com). This is especially good information for new dancers who haven't yet had much experience at milongas or Tango dance workshops, with lots of good general tips plus specific advice for leaders and for followers. More experienced milongueros probably know much of this already, but it's still a good review.
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WHERE DO WE DANCE?
Here are maps and driving directions:
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