Getting Ready for Oliver and Silvina- One Day and Counting Down

A bit of a frenzy happened yesterday and my God, I can't thank enough all the people who have helped us pull off this coming tango weekend. Me, with my type A, everything-has-to-be-done right kicking in and Roscoe calling me the boss and saluting every time he sees me. Frank, the plumber and tango dancer, brings Frenchy to work on the outside commode. We feed them all lunch then Frank gets the itch to tango. Out of his car come his tango shoes. We are all dirty and tired, but gather in the tent.
Mike puts on the music and my lovely niece, Sue, shows up to watch and laugh at our craziness.
Off come my jeans and I wiggle into a skirt and 3" heels. Mike and I dance first. Not a good one, but I didn't expect much. Now Frank and I take the floor. Another one not so good. The milonga feels energetic and easy. Roscoe wants to give it a try so we do some walking. Roscoe is going to be a tango dancer, if he can settle down enough to learn. Sue, in a cast with a broken foot, declines a chance to walk around the floor, but I see the interest in her eyes. Frenchy steps on the floor last with his size 15 work boots.
Oh am I in trouble if he steps on my foot, but he catches on quickly to the tilt of his chest and his weight up and a bit forward. I tell him to walk as if he's on top of a pair of cross country skis and that he does- collecting the size 15's as he goes. This would have been a good one for YouTube. A sorrier looking group have never graced the tango floor, but what fun.... AND they'll all be back tomorrow.

Jerry Neri 1943 (CANCER SUCKS)- May 2009

Karen Lucey at 3:13pm May 24
Jerry changed our lives in the most interesting way. When we tango in our tent at our home in northeast PA we always think of Jerry and always will. How I teased him about the Sunday stop we made at his house in June 07, always saying "That was the most expensive stop I've ever made." And it was!!!!! Within weeks we'd ordered a concrete pad, Celina tent, clear sides, 20x 30 dance deck etc., etc. -ready to go by the end of September.
When Jerry made his lovely photoart of our tango, which was the last time we saw him in the fall of 08, we had it framed and now it hangs in our dining area where the sun hits it at the end of the summer. Last night at a small dinner party here, a new guest and his wife commented on the art. Mike and I got quiet and sad, but life goes on. The best part of the evening came next- their interest in tango started with questions about our trips to BsAs, we showed them videos of Oliver Kolker and Silvina Valz. They wanted to try some basic walking. The other friends already love the dance so we all headed to our tent for a little tango to tweak the music, check the soft lighting and start our summer season. Mike held me closer and closer. Just a little closer than usual. How I wish Jerry had come to BsAs with us! We have so much to thank him for and because we are HERE so much to be thankful for.
Tango.....y nada mas.

Vince and His Magic Eye

Vince misses nothing. Mike gets thrown off balance and Vince sees why as he carefully corrects my slight lean forward or my head sticking forward - that solves that problem. Vince never insults or hurts my feelings. Vince twinkles. Vince sees me studying my "Ways to Improve" list (now up to 17 items) from many talented instructors in Argentina and doesn't need to look at the list. I tell him what I'm working on and he tells me what I NEED to work on first. For me this usually comes back to posture and axis. All our efforts bounce back to Vince and his ability to analyze, correct and enjoy our enthusiasm as we all learn together- preparing us for our November trip back to the real world of tango.
Sometimes the dance is so comfortable and natural I can't do any better. What a joy to feel the music and get lost. All our Thursday night men are better- even the weak left arms that drive me crazy-feel more like the Zotto embrace. Matt moves like an Argentine. I like his pace. Mike A moves with a solid embrace. Tonight we announced the return of Oliver and Silvina in 2 weeks. This will become such a whirlwind weekend. Dance, food and and flying lessons somewhere in the mix. Their showcases left us breathless in October. Getting ready for the weekend has been moving forward thanks to Roscoe showing up here to work and to help us with the extras- the deck, the mulch on mulch, the garage and on and on. The weekend after the workshop on Sunday, June 7 our tango tent opens every Sunday for this summer. 5:30-8:30. We have more room this year and a few extra surprises for the season. Bring friends. Bring VINCE!

Dancing in the "AND"

Finally I understand the beauty of the "and". The "and" is the center of the dance and the 1, 2, 3, 4 just get us to the "and". The "and" is the place where Mike can pause and I might put in a tiny adorno. If there's no adorno, I might only stand there (slightly moving somewhere) with the concentrated anticipation I watch on the face of Marcela Duran during her Gavito days. The last adorno I learned from Jesus is a gentle circle of the foot only- no movement of the leg or ankle. This one is hard to accomplish- especially trying to keep the movement soft and continuous. More pause. Feel the music. I here this over and over in my head. When Mike and I had our last chance to practice at the Escuela on Florida on Tuesday before we left, "Malena" came on a D'Arienzo cd that we had never heard. ?Los Cantores de D'Arienzo? Mike was so taken by the emotion of the music and tango he said, "I'll never dance like that again." Yes, you will I think. Yes, you will, because now you understand the "and".
And one more thing.
Mike found this Gavito quote that he remembered from our year of Gavito infatuation. "The secret of tango is in this impossible moment of improvisation that happens between step and step. It is to make the impossible thing possible, to dance silence...A good dancer is one who listens to the music...We dance the music not the steps." Carlos Gavito