Last Day in Buenos Aires-

There are times
 When the ecstasy 
Of one step of tango
 Could last a lifetime

Mike Lucey
13/1/13

BUILDING a TANDA like an Argentine DJ- MORE LISTS!

Some notes about building a tanda from Jose Petrisko

1. In the tanda it works to mix the artists,  but keep the pieces of music within 1 or 2 years of the release date of the other pieces.

 2. Build from a slower piece to a faster, faster and faster piece in one tanda. Jose counts the beats for about 30 seconds to organize the music in this way.

3. In the next tanda reverse from the faster pieces and end with something slower.

4. Don’t mix vocals with instrumentals.

And my one addition to this is to play music we love. With so many to choose from in our extensive collection this should be easy.  Jose thinks that most dj’s use the same 200 pieces over and over. But why when there are so many great tangos?

Jose Petrisko- Substitute Teacher for Sonia Peralta

Today was my last chance for another lesson with Sonia Peralta- one of those teachers of tango who pays a great deal of attention to the woman. I scurried to write down her corrections from our lesson of 19 November- almost 2 months ago when we first arrived.
    1. more pressure on Mike's right hand
    2. more flexion on my standing leg
    3. freer free leg and hip
    4. don't go up and down. Johana tells me not to "jump"
    5. don't collapse my left side
Again we took the 23 colectivo to San Jose 224 where the Coqueta de Recoleta ( another Pennsylvania) runs the Monday afternoon milonga after the lesson.  Sonia had a substitute today. The profesor was Jose Petrisko (ANOTHER Pennsylvanian).  The name Jose came from Joseph somewhere along the way.
 Here we are in the middle of Buenos Aires with 4 people at the Casa de Galicia and all of us with one thing in common. We are all from Pennsylvania. Is this a little strange?
Now a list of Jose's thoughts. The lists go on and on.
For me:
    1. Allow myself to be lead.
    2. Stay centered and connected.
    3. Do what is lead when it is lead.
    4. Don't anticipate, stop or change weight without the lead.
For Mike: KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!
    1. Choreograph the woman's part and lead it.
    2. Chorepgraph your steps to fit hers.
    3. Listen and move to the music
    4. Watch the traffic.

Hopalong CATASTROPHE

 A good name for Mike near the end of his 3rd tango lesson last Friday while practicing a TRASPIE to Canaro.

AUGUSTO asks????

Augusto Balizano speaks English. We are able to understand much more when he finally gets to the fine points in English of his lessons.  Last week at the end of the lesson ( 1 1/2 hours) at the Galerias Pacifico- Escuela Argentine de Tango- he asked his usual. " Are there any questions?"  He next asked for specific questions or complaints about the embrace. Every decent lesson starts with a review of the embrace and the posture, before we start the next part of the lesson- walking, balance and pivoting exercises to music. Since we were dancing with 6 couples who love the tango the same way we love the tango everyone listened and added something to think about.
The men:
They do NOT like the women's arms wrapped around their necks.
They do NOT like the women's arms over their shoulders with the hand pointed down-    fingers looking  like a bunch of bananas.
           I think Alberto Paz calls any form of this one the "kidney grabber".

The women:
They  do NOT like the men pulling them in.
They do NOT like the men's right hands limp on their backs.
They do NOT like their right arms raised above their shoulders. This one      
    throws women off the axis.
They do NOT like the men's heads pressing on their heads.
           What to do?  Embrace like a warm hug and dance the dance.

LESSON - PABLO VERON- A MASTER TEACHER

Keep my body relaxed and comfortable.  Stand in a normal position. There is no need for me to tilt forward or lean my head into Mike. Relaxing my body and breathing naturally helps me keep my free leg free, free from the hip, to move with the intention that starts from Mike's back. This generates every step. First the intention which starts my movement and then his torso to lead the direction. It all looks like one movement, but EVERY step is a tango. At times we change the embrace from close to a little open to even more open. Now all this with what seems like a contradiction or an impossiblbity - my energy from the waist up is upward, like I'd won a prize- boastful. My energy from the waist down goes into the floor.
And I thought learning to fly a plane was difficult.
Ever so slightly we pause and breathe in at the end of the forward, side, back or change of weight before moving on to the next step. Alberto Paz told Mike over and over not to run.
Now Mike is no longer a runner. He's a leader and a pauser, but still dancing the "silence". Impossible? Simple and beautiful? But what about the beat? Another year of work to find THAT.

WINDING DOWN / FALLING DOWN

Our one touristy adventure this trip ended with a really scary, honest-to-goodness TRIP. Today when I looked down there was Mike, sprawled on the floor of the gorgeous Teatro Colon. He was shaken, but I was shaking. When Mike falls he rolls into a ball on his side- says he learned this when he played football and when he was in the Navy practicing parachute jumps from a tower. There he was at the bottom of the stairs- missed the last step- thank God only one step, and landed on the inlaid marble floor. The guard, the guide and the other tourists gathered around with great concern. There was no injury, but my stomach did twists and jumps. Had to sit around for about 15 minutes to make sure all was well. Mostly with me I think. As usual, I ended up crying, but this time over "spilled Mike".
Our trip is winding down- OH NO!- We have shed all the bad habits  learned in our first year of tango in the states. On New Year's Day we literally ran up Tucaman to catch the 23 bus and  head out to a NO TOURIST milonga- Nuevochique on San Jose. The dance room was packed- women lining one side, men lining the other side, all jammed in double deep with couples packed into tables at the ends.  Our early arrival secured us one of the last good tables. We danced and danced- corazon a corazon to the mournful music. The women dancing with feet on the floor and the men navigating around tight little spaces. Mike was an Argentine- January 1st, 2013.  We have been waiting  7 years to tango like  portenos in a crowded milonga. Nothing mattered but the music and the connection.  Another amazing day here in Buenos Aires where I will always have an enormous part of my heart.
 As usual, these posts tie into tango. When we practiced "the borrachito" with Augusto on Friday he said you need to practice in both directions. Message to Mike:
 BUT Mike, not on the steps of the Teatro Colon.