The Walking One

땅고(탱고)쁘락띠까후기 - Man vs Woman Part II / 남자 대 여자 Part II

2009-09-02T03:30:50Z

In the Monday night practica, I like asking people about the problems they have while learning Tango.

월요일 쁘락띠까에서 나는 사람들이 땅고를 배우면서 겪게 되는 문제점에 대해서 물어보곤 했다.

Last Monday I got this answer from a lady.

지난 월요일에는 한 여성분으로부터 이런 대답을 들었다.

"It is very hard for me to trust the men."

"나한테는 남자를 믿어야 하는게 너무 어려워요."

"I am an independent woman. I can take care of myself in my work and my life. I don't like listening to other people to tell me what to do."

"나는 독립적인 여자예요. 내 스스로의 일과 생활에 있어서 스스로를 책임질 줄 알죠. 나는 다른 사람들이 내가 해야 할 일에 대해 말하는걸 좋아하지 않아요."

"So in Tango, it is difficult for me to give up control to the men."

"그래서 땅고를 추면서도, 남자가 나를 컨트롤 하도록 나 자신을 포기하는게 쉽지 않아요."

I was not surprised to hear this. I have encountered many women with the same problem.

나는 이 말을 듣고 놀라지 않았다. 이미 여러 여성들이 같은 문제로 고민하는걸 보아왔기 때문이다.

How can they entrust their body (and happiness while dancing) to some men whom they barely know, especially when those men are also trying to learn how to dance themselves?

어떻게 여성들이 자신의 몸을 (혹은 춤추는 동안의 행복을) 스스로 컨트롤 하지 않고 어떤 낯선 남자, 특히 그 역시 리드를 배우는 중인 남자에게 맡길수 있을까?

* * *

Earlier that night, during the class we talked about how men should be leading the women instead of controlling them in the dance.

이날 저녁 일찍, 클라스 안에서 우리는 남자가 여자를 컨트롤 하는 대신 리드를 해야 한다고 이야기 했었다.

One of the students was new to our class and the difference was not clear to him. He asked us to clarify this point later in the practica.

이 날 수업에 처음 참가했던 한 남자 학생은 이 두가지의 차이가 분명하지 않았던 모양이다. 그는 나중에 쁘락띠까때 두가지의 차이에 대해 정확히 알려달라고 물었다.

Our answer was something like this, "When you control your partner you treat her like a piece of furniture."

여러 설명중 하나는 이것이었다, "여자를 컨트롤하는건 마치 여자를 가구 다루듯 하는것과 같다."

"You grab her with your arms and you move her to whatever place you like whenever you like it."

"여자를 손으로 잡고 장소에 내가 원하는 때에 내가 원하는 장소로 옮기는 것처럼 말이다."

"Instead, when you dance tango you should treat your partner like a person you care about."

"대신, 땅고를 출 때는 내가 소중히 여기는 대상으로서 파트너를 대해야 한다."

"You may suggest having some coffee together, seeing a movie, or taking a walk in the park. If she trusts you she will come with you."

"마치 커피를 함께 마시거나, 영화를 보거나, 공원을 함께 산책하자고 제안을 할 때 만약 그녀가 당신을 믿는다면 당신과 함께 갈 것이다."

"Whatever you guys do, you should do it together with her, and listens to her the whole time."

"남자들이 무엇을 하든지 간에, 여자와 함께 해야 한다. 그리고 그녀에게 내내 귀를 기울여야 한다."

* * *

The two problems I mentioned above are really two sides of the same coin.

지금까지 이야기 한 두가지의 문제점은 마치 동전의 양면과 같다.

In the dance, the more the woman does not trust the man, the more the man will try to control her.

춤에 있어서, 여자가 남자를 믿지 못할수록 남자는 여자를 컨트롤 하려 들 것이다.

And the more the man tries to control the woman, the less the woman will trust him.

그리고 남자가 여자를 컨트롤 하려 할수록, 여자는 남자를 더욱 믿지 못할 것이다.

헝얏 & 화이 강습안내 - http://cafe.daum.net/flordeltango

2009-08-20T02:13:48Z

Cafe: http://cafe.daum.net/flordeltango

Website: http://www.leoyflor.com/

땅고쁘락띠까후기 - Who Should I Listen to? (누구의 말을 들어야 할까?)

2009-08-01T01:56:03Z

A couple more stories from the Monday O Nada practica:

월요일 오나다 쁘락띠까에 대한 몇가지 이야기가 더 있다.

I danced with a woman for a couple songs. She hasn't been dancing for too long, but she is eager to learn.

한 여자분과 몇곡의 춤을 추었다. 그녀는 춤을 춘지 그리 오래 되지 않았지만 열성적으로 배우고 있는 중이었다.

She asked me, "What should I do with my right arm?"

그녀가 나에게 물었다. "내 오른쪽 팔을 어떻게 해야 해요?"

"Some men asked me to give him more pressure with the arm. Without the pressure they could not lead certain figures. But some other men told me they don't want any pressure at all. The pressure made them feel uncomfortable."

"어떤 남자는 팔에 힘을 더 주라고 요구해요. 팔에 힘이 없으면 어떤 동작은 리드를 못하겠대요. 하지만 어떤 남자는 오히려 팔에 힘을 빼달라고 해요. 힘을 주고 있으면 불편하대요."

"And then a teacher told me to do it like this," she demonstrated certain position with her right arm.

"그리고 어떤 선생님은 이렇게 하라고 하지요," 그녀는 오른팔로 어떤 팔의 모양을 보여주었다.

"What should I do?"

"어떻게 해야 하나요?"

I hesitated for a while before saying anything because why should I give her another answer to further confuse the picture?

나는 대답을 망설일 수 밖에 없었다. 왜냐하면 내 대답은 그녀에게 또 하나의 다른 혼란을 줄 수 있기 때문이었다.

* * *

Later that night I practiced with a man. He is also a beginner. While dancing with me he wore this frustrated look on his face.

그날 저녁 늦은 시간에 나는 한 남자와 춤을 추었다. 그도 역시 초보자였다. 나와 춤을 추는 동안 그는 불만족스러운 표정을 지어 보였다.

I asked him what was bothering him. Maybe I am too heavy or slow?

그에게 뭐가 그를 힘들게 하는지 물어보았다. 내가 너무 무겁거나 느리게 움직이고 있나?

He said, "I am trying to learn Tango, but it is very difficult."

그는 대답했다. "나는 땅고를 배우려고 노력하지만, 솔직이 너무 어렵네요."

"Many people tell me many different things. They tell me I should lead an ocho like this, or I should walk like this."

"많은 사람들이 나에게 다른 것들을 이야기 해요. 그들은 나에게 오초를 이렇게 리드하라고 하거나 이렇게 걸으라고 하지요."

"They tell me so many different things I am just confused. I feel I cannot do anything."

"그들 모두 다른 것들을 나에게 이야기해서 너무 혼란스러워요. 마치 나는 아무것도 제데로 못하고 있는 것 같아요."

* * *

I feel for these two people because I went through similar frustrations when I started dancing in San Francisco.

나는 이 두 사람의 상황이 이해가 되었다. 왜냐하면 나 역시 샌프란시스코에서 땅고를 시작할 때 비슷한 혼란을 겪었기 때문이었다.

In San Francisco there were many teachers and many people who seemingly danced well. Who should I listen to? Who can help me to become a good dancer?

샌프란시스코에는 많은 선생들이 있고 많은 사람들이 춤을 잘 추는것 처럼 보인다. 그중 누구의 말을 들어야 할까? 누가 나를 더 나은 댄서로 만들어 주는데 도움이 될까?

I decided to take classes from all the teachers.

나는 일단 모든 클라스를 들어보기로 했다.

In class I listened earnestly to what they had to say. I tried hard to practice the class material, and watched carefully how the teacher danced.

클라스에서 나는 그들이 시키는 것들을 진지하게 들었다. 그리고 그 내용을 가지고 열심히 연습을 하며, 그 선생들의 춤을 주의깊게 관찰하였다.

Did what they say make sense to me? Did I enjoy working on the class material? Did the teacher actually dance the way they preach? Instinctively did I feel a connection to the teacher and his teaching?

그들이 하는 이야기가 납득할 만 한가? 이 수업 내용을 내가 즐길 만 한가? 그 선생들은 솔직이 그들이 말하는 대로 춤을 추고 있는가? 본능적으로 그 선생들과 그들의 가르침이 나와 잘 맞는다고 느껴지는가?

I kept taking classes and listened to my reaction to these classes. Very soon I lost interest in all of the teachers except one.

나는 수업을 들으면서 그 수업들에 대한 나 자신의 반응을 살폈다. 얼마 지나지 않아 나는 한 선생을 제외하고는 모든 다른 수업에 흥미를 잃게 되었다.

The other teachers were not necessarily bad, it was just that I could not learn from them.

다른 선생들이 나쁘다는 것은 아니다, 단지 내가 그들에게 배우기 힘들다고 판단되었을 뿐이었다.

Teachers are like friends or books, I could only connect to a few among the many that were available.

선생님은 친구나 혹은 책과 같아서 많은 가능성 중 몇가지만 진실로 나와 연결될 수 있다.

I had to listen to my mind and my heart and choose the ones that speak to me.

나는 나의 마음이 가는대로 그 중 한가지를 선택하였다.

* * *

So what did I tell the lady who was puzzled about the right arm?

그래서 결국 오른팔을 가지고 고민하던 그 여자분에게 나는 뭐라고 말을 했을까?

My wife had the perfect answer, "Give as much pressure as the man gives."

내 아내가 완벽한 대답을 주었다. "남자가 나에게 주는 힘만큼만 주면 된다"

"If a woman decides to dance with a man, she has to adapt to the man."

"만약 여자가 한 남자와 춤을 추기로 결심을 했다면, 그 여자는 그 남자에게 완전히 적응해야 한다."

"She has to balance the embrace and the dance by giving just as much pressure as the man with the right arm."

"여자는 남자를 안고 춤을 출 때 그 남자가 주는 그만큼의 힘을 오른팔에 주고 남자와의 동등한 에너지로 춤을 추어야 한다."

tag : 춤, 댄스, 탱고, 아르헨티나, 땅고

땅고(탱고)쁘락띠까후기 - Man vs Woman / 남자 대 여자

2009-08-01T01:55:02Z

We have been running the Monday practica at O Nada for a few weeks now.

우리는 요즘 월요일마다 오나다에서 쁘락띠까를 열고 있다.

In the practica sometimes women ask me to dance.

쁘락띠까에서 가끔 여자분들이 나에게 춤을 청하곤 한다.

Often the way they ask is this: they put up their index finger and say, "Can you dance one song with me?"

그들은 자주 나에게 이렇게 청한다 : 검지 손가락을 세우고 "저랑 딱 한곡만 춰 주실래요?"

And I always say, "One song? No!!!! We have to dance at least a few songs ^^ !"

그럼 나는 이렇게 대답한다. " 한곡? 안돼요!!!! 몇곡은 춰야지~! ^^"

* * *

이어지는 스토리:

In the practica I practice with both men and women.

쁘락띠까에서 나는 남자 여자 모두와 연습을 한다.

Usually, after I lead a man for the first song he will say, "Ohhhhhhhh, it's fun ^^!"

대게, 남자를 리드하고 나면 그들은 이렇게 말한다. "오오오오오. 너무 재미있어요 ^^!"

But for women, after the first song they will say, "Mmmmm it's so difficult T.T..."

하지만 여자들은 첫번째 곡이 끝나고 나면 이렇게 말한다, " 우웅, 너무 어려워요 T.T..."

The funny thing is, the women are the better tangueras and they followed everything I led, but most of the men could not do an ocho properly!

재미있는 것은, 여자들은 거의 춤을 잘 추는 땅게라들이고 내가 리드하는 모든 리드를 거의 다 한다. 하지만 남자들은 심지어 오초 조차 제대로 하지 못한다!

* * *

I think the women are putting too much pressure on themselves.

내 생각에 여자들은 스스로에게 중압감을 주고 있는것 같다.

Isn't it a privilege for men to embrace you and hold your hand?

남자에게 있어 당신을 안고 손을 잡을 수 있는건 일종의 영예이지 않을까?

Shouldn't it be more pleasurable for you to dance with a more experienced tanguero?

좀 더 경험 많은 땅게로와 춤을 추는건 당신에게 있어 더 큰 즐거움이어야 하지 않을까?

If it is more pleasurable, shouldn't you try to dance with him as much as possible?

만약 그렇다면, 당신이 할 수 있는 최대한 그 춤을 "즐겨야" 하지 않을까?

tag : 춤, 댄스, 탱고, 땅고

Tango Music in Japan / 일본의 땅고(탱고) 음악

2009-07-07T01:48:21Z

I have been curious about the Tango music scene in Japan for quite a while. Finally this past weekend I got the chance to go to Tokyo to see 2 orchestras play.

The occasion was the 2009 Asian Tango Championship in Tokyo. For the final gala event, they invited 2 tango orchestras to perform. The first one was the Orquesta Tango Waseda, which is the tango orchestra of Waseda University. If I remember correctly, they played with 3 bandoneons, 2 violins, a piano and a contrabass. The quality of their music was certainly very good, and the incredible part was that they switched musicians every song! Later I found out that they have around 40 musicians, many of which got to play a few songs that night. Maybe they only have 3 bandoneons in the orchestra, but it looked like 10 different bandoneon players played. This orchestra has actually been around for 40 years, if you can read Japanese you can find out more here:

http://www.waseda.jp/L1-tango/

The second orchestra was Orquesta AurorA, which is probably on par with most (if not all) professional tango orchestras in the world. Some of their musicians used to be members of the Waseda University band. Here is their website:

http://www.latina.co.jp/html/aurora/

I think they use their own musical arrangement, and they even compose new tangos from time to time. They just published their first CD called "Puerto a Puerto".

And I learned that there are not a small number of other high quality professional or semi-professional tango orchestras in Japan, and they play regularly in concerts around the country. For me it is truly a blessing that Japan has a long history of tango music, and there is a high level of appreciation of this genre not just for tango dancers but among the general popluation as well. I hope it will be possible to share this part of their culture in Korea in the future.

tag : 춤, 댄스, 탱고, 아르헨티나, 땅고

Tango in South Korea / 한국의 땅고(탱고)

2009-01-30T08:53:26Z

Friends have asked me about the Tango scene in South Korea often, so I have decided to write down a few of my impressions here. For your information, I have lived in Seoul for two and half years and I plan to continue to live there for the foreseeable future. I work full-time as a Tango teacher and organizer, and I visit the local milongas often.

Tango in Korea started around 2000 and it has grown rapidly since then. In Seoul, the capital city, there are 3 venues solely devoted to Tango and they open 7 days a week. There are also other weekly or semi-regular milongas and practicas, and an assortment of annual events and parties. On a good night of a popular milonga you can easily find between 80 to 100 dancers. Special events can draw up to a few hundreds or more. Outside of Seoul, there is also Tango in half a dozen other cities, including Busan, Daegu, and Daejeon. Tango in these places are not as big, but they are healthy growing communities with plenty of activities as well.

A distinct feature of Tango in South Korea is the dominance of Tango clubs (동호회, Dong Ho Hoi, or "Common Interests Association"). The bigger Tango clubs are very well-organized, with an elected staff and regular member meetings. Membership is usually obtained by joining the beginners/initiating classes that the clubs offer. Each series of such classes typically last 2 months, during which the club also organizes plenty of out-of-class social activities for the participants to mix and mingle.

Each series of classes is labeled by a number called "Gi". When a member from 30 Gi meets a member from 36 Gi, he will know that he is 1 year more senior than the other member because they are separated by 6 Gi's. After the 2-month beginner's series, the club typically offers a program of more advanced classes for the members to grow. Some clubs have designated teachers who teach all the classes (in some cases they are the founders of the clubs), and some clubs have the more senior members rotate as teachers.

There are also smaller clubs which do not follow this structure. They are based on other purposes such as coming together to practice and study, or they are all students of a particular teacher or style. New members of this kind of clubs usually have already danced for a while. Whether big or small, most clubs are not for profit and are organized by enthusiasts who volunteer their time, which helps to keep prices low. In Seoul, there are about a dozen such Tango clubs, with half of them being the bigger kind.

Members of the same club generally tend to socialize and dance with each other. In fact, club membership offers a kind of social identification that many people find essential and natural. For example, when a person introduces himself in public situations, he often mentions his club affiliation together with his name. There are of course exceptions - some people do not belong to any club (or do not advertise which club they belong to) and carry themselves as "independents".

Most Tango dancers in Korea are of a younger generation, say people under 40. This may have to do with the fact that social dancing was not well-accepted (or even legal) in Korean society until recently. I have met people who have visited milongas for years but they never tell their family or co-workers about their interests in Tango.

Like any other big communities, people in Korea dance in many different ways. In the milongas, especially when it gets crowded, people generally dance close embrace. In recent years many top-level teachers have visited Korea and they bring with them their distinct influences. It has been very exciting for me to be a part of Tango in Korea for the past couple years, and I look forward to see how it grows in the future.

tag : 춤, 댄스, 땅고, 아르헨티나 탱고

Performance photographs at milongas

2008-12-21T06:17:05Z

2008-11-11 Alberto Podesta at Porteno y Bailarin

2008-12-11 Andres y Isabel at El Dia de Tango Milonga

2008-12-11 Javier y Andrea at El Dia de Tango Milonga

2008-12-18 Fabian y Virginia at Canning

2008-12-18 Osvaldo y Coca at Canning

Esta Noche de Luna

2008-11-17T07:24:14Z

Last night Hwayi and I heard a live translation of the lyrics of Esta Noche de Luna (Carlos Di Sarli with Rufino, 1943, composed by José García and Graciano Gómez, lyrics by Héctor Marcó). By "live translation", I mean an Argentinian played the song verse by verse and translated it along the way. It was a great translation because the translator not only told us the meaning of the words, but also conveyed to us the context and the poetry of the song. He was moved and emotionally connected to the lyrics as he translated, and we were feeling the power of song in our body as well. It was as close to experiencing a tango like an Argentinian as I ever have.

Here is our best recollection of the translation. It is of course not like the "real thing", but here we go:

Espan~ol

English

한국어

Acercate a mi
y oirás mi corazón
contento latir
como un brujo reloj.
La noche es azul,
convida a soñar,
ya el cielo ha encendido
su faro mejor.

Si un beso te doy,
pecado no ha de ser;
culpable es la noche
que incita a querer.
Me tienta el amor,
acércate ya,
que el credo de un sueño
nos revivirá.

Corre, corre barcarola,
por mi río de ilusión.
Que en el canto de las olas
surgirá mi confesión.

Soy una estrella en el mar
que hoy detiene su andar
para hundirse en tus ojos.
Y en el embrujo
de tus labios muy rojos,
por llegar a tu alma
mi destino daré.

Soy una estrella en el mar
que hoy se pierde al azar
sin amor ni fortuna.
Y en los abismos
de esta noche de luna,
sólo quiero vivir,
de rodilla a tus pies,
para amarte y morir.

Come close to me

and listen to my heart

happily beating

like a magic clock.

The night is blue

it inspires me to dream,

the sky is burning

in its best light.

If I kiss you,

it is not my fault;

the night is guilty

of inciting my desire for you.

Tempt me with the love

Make you come close to me

in this instance of the dream

we are revived.

Hurry, hurry little boat,

along my river of illusion.

In the song of the waves

emerges my confession

I am a star in the sea

today I stop my travels

to sink deep into your eyes.

By the spell

of your very red lips,

to arrive at your soul

I bet my destiny.

I am a star in the sea

today I am lost in this disaster

without love or fortune.

And in the absymal

of this night of the moon,

I only want to live,

with my knees at your feet,

to love you and to die.

내게 가까이 와요

내 심장소리를 들어봐요.

마치 마법의 시계처럼

행복하게 뛰고 있죠.

이 밤의 푸르름이

나를 꿈꾸게 하네요.

하늘이 불타오르고

당신의 빛을 더 밝게 만들어요.

만약 내가 당신에게 키스한대도

그건 내 잘못이 아니예요.

나로 하여금 그런 열정을 품게 한

하늘의 잘못이죠.

나를 사랑에 빠지게 하고,

당신을 내게 보내고,

꿈 같은 이 순간에

우리는 다시 태어나는거예요.

어서, 어서 작은 배여

내 환상의 강으로 들어와요.

파도가 만들어내는 노래가

나의 고백을 이끌어 내네요.

(아래는 그의 고백)

난 바다의 별 하나.

오늘 난 걸음을 멈추었어요.

당신의 눈속에 빠지기 위해서죠.

그리고 당신의 붉은 입술의

주문에 걸리고 말았죠.

당신의 영혼에 다다르기 위해

내 운명을 걸었어요.

난 바다의 별 하나.

오늘 사랑도 미래도 없이

어디로 갈지 길을 잃었어요.

끝없이 깊은 이 나락에 빠져

달빛이 가득한 이 밤,

바라는 건 단 하나,

당신 발앞에 무릎을 꿇고

당신을 사랑하며 죽고 싶어요.

This morning I looked up who wrote the lyrics, and it was Héctor Marcó. It turns out he had worked with Di Sarli extensively and he also wrote Porteno y Bailarin, Nido Gaucho, La Capilla Blanca, Con Alma y Vida, Rosamel, and many others. I think this is a good starting point for us to go deeper into the poetry and poets of tango.

One important lesson I learned from this experience is the power of imgaination. This "live translation" was so powerful because the translator was using his imagination. He was painting a picture in his head as the song goes on, and from his description I could see what he saw in his mind. It was so vivid and direct!

CarlosDiSarli-4-EstaNocheDeLuna.mp3

Cooking in Buenos Aires

2008-11-17T06:53:55Z

Eating in restaurants is not so cheap in Buenos Aires anymore. Because of this, I am trying to cook as much as possible. Groceries at supermarkets are still very affordable - you can easily find a really nice steak for less than 10 pesos (US$3).

Here are some of my creations in the past 2 weeks. Enjoy!

2008-11-10 Chicken pasta in white sauce

2008-11-13 Baked drumstick with vegetables & fries

2008-11-13 Beef salad

2008-11-16 Sphagetti with meat sauce

Alberto Podesta

2008-11-14T23:26:02Z

Alberto Podesta was going to sing at Porteno y Bailarin on Wednesday night. Even though Hwayi and I were taking a class until 11:30pm, we still made our way over to PyB to hear him. When we arrived, the milonga was packed but quite uncomfortable. The floor was chaotic, the atmosphere noisy and rowdy, and the music unpredictable. We were tired and thirsty, but waited patiently for our star.

Podesta took the floor at around 1am. He was 89 years old, and it showed. His body was stiff and his steps were small and careful. He greeted the crowd with good spirit, but we could all see his age. When he opened his mouth to sing, I was shocked by the power and conviction in his voice. It seemed he was singing with every muscle in his body, and tango was just a part of his soul, ready to touch us at any moment through his voice. He was not trying to show off his ability or to please the crowd, in fact his voice was hoarse and he could not hit all the notes no more. But I was certain everyone in the room was quite moved.

We were very glad to hear him sing, but also amazed and somewhat uneasy about the fact that this 89-year-old man is one of our last living connections to that golden era of tango. I was imagining the man in front of me singing with Di Sarli, Calo, and Laurenz. He mixed and mingled with the tango greats, and he entertained tango lovers for so many generations. Now we are left with a bunch of recordings, and him, the great Podesta.

(Here is video Hwayi put up on Youtube)

10 Recommendations for Someone New to the Milongas

2008-10-05T05:59:03Z

Someone in Seoul is new to the milongas and asked me how he can enjoy himself. Here are my 10 recommendations:

1. Listen to the music, whether you are dancing or not. Find out what music you like and what music you don't like.

2. When you like the music, dance; if you don't like the music, don't dance.

3. Dance with the people you like dancing with, try not to dance with people you don't like dancing with.

4. About inviting people to dance:

a) Do not invite someone who doesn't know anything about you to dance. The less a person knows about you, the less likely he or she will dance with you.

b) If you want to dance with someone you don't know, try to get that person's attention first by 1) looking at the person; 2) smiling at the person; 3) saying hello to the person; 4) have your friend who knows that person introduce you to that person. There are many ways, but if you don't try, that person will never know you exist.

c) If you want to dance with someone you already know, try to get the person's attention first by (1) or (2) or (3) above. Then try to invite that person by your eyes or by small gestures (instead of by words). Before making a move, imagine what will happen if you get turned down.

d) Do not invite people who don't look like they are ready to dance (with you). Some telling signs: they don't have their dance shoes on, they are deeply involved in a conversation with their friends, they see you coming but they look away, ...

e) When you turn down an invitation, try to be polite and considerate.

5. Show people you can dance by dancing with your usual partners first. If you think you cannot dance well (yet), do not dance too much. Find a practica to practice.

6. Leaders: follow the line of dance by following the couple in front of you.

7. Do not introduce people to each other and make them dance together. if you think two people will enjoy dancing with each other, just make an introduction and let them figure out whether they want to dance or not.

8. When you are not dancing, do not be bored or look bored. Listen to the music. Watch other people dance and criticize them in your head. Gossip with your friends. Drink some wine. If nothing works, go home.

9. Before going to a milonga, pay attention to your appearence and personal hygene. Imagine you are going to a date or meeting some new friends you want to impress.

10. When you are not in the milonga: listen to the music and try to improve your dancing. It will make the milonga better for you.

10 Rules of My Milonga

2008-10-03T06:28:56Z

If I have the money to open a nice tango bar in Seoul right now, these will be the 10 rules of my milonga:

1. Anyone who dances in t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers pays double entrance fee.

2. Anyone who invites somebody to dance during a cortina gets turned down automatically.

3. Anyone who invites somebody to dance verbally and got turned down cannot make another invitation for 3 tandas.

4. Leaders: while dancing you have to follow the same couple from the beginning to the end of a song. If you fail to do so you have to leave the dance floor immediately even if it is in the middle of a tanda. You are exempted from this rule only when you allow a new couple to enter the dance floor in front of you. In that case you must follow that new couple until the end of the song.

5. If your partner talks to you during a dance, you have to stop dancing with him or her after the song even if it is in the middle of a tanda. And you cannot dance with him or her again for the rest of the evening.

6. If at any time during a tanda, your partner solicits criticism or suggestions for his or her dancing, you have to politely decline.

7. If at any time during a tanda, your parnter criticizes your dancing in any way or gives you any suggestions about how to dance, you have to stop dancing with him or her immediately and leave the dance floor. Exceptions only for dance partners, no exceptions for friends or teachers.

8. You are entitled to stop dancing with your partner at any time if you believe your partner did not use deodorant.

9. Any person who walks close to the dance floor and bumps into a dancing couple has to sit down and remain sitted for 1 hour, even if he or she was trying to go to the bathroom. Any non-dancing person who walks across the dance floor during a tanda has to do the same.

10. Anyone who asks the DJ any information about the music being played (title of a song, name of an orchestra, ... etc.) automatically receives a piece of chocolate. If this happens 3 times the DJ automatically receives a glass of wine.

Javier & Andrea's visit to Seoul, May 2008

2008-06-12T16:26:46Z

Javier and Andrea came to Korea for the first time in 2007. They visited us again last month for a week of workshops and milongas. I feel this visit was even better than the first - here are some photos, observations, and even a little video.

*****

Before the big event there was a planning party with "Korean-style Chinese food" at our home (for those of you who have had real Chinese food this is not really the same thing, but believe it or not I am getting used to it). Thanks again for all the friends who helped us out. They did everything from setting up tables, collecting class fee, shopping, cooking, to taking the pictures that you are looking at. This assortment of red and black "Chinese food" simply cannot express our gratitude. In case you are wondering, the tall white guy between me and Hwayi is Dan Boccia, our guest DJ from Alaska.

*****

We organized 10 classes over 4 days, each with a limit of 20 couples. Three classes were all level, three were intermedaite, and four were advanced. The classes filled up fast - they were all full within a couple of weeks of announcement.

When the students signed up for classes we tried to prevent them from taking classes of the wrong level. It worked better than last year (which was basically a free for all), but there was still room for improvement. One problem was that some experienced dancers who had never taken classes with J & A before (and did not know their basics) wanted to start at the intermediate or advanced level, but Javier & Andrea did not want to move onto the advanced material until people can execute the basics reasonably well. So those classes moved along slower than expected.

After each class Javier & Andrea would do a demo (to an entire song) to illustrate the class material. I think that's a great way to teach - showing the students how to put what they learned into a dance. It of course led to the quintessential Korean moment of everyone filming the demo with their cellphone or camera.

A group photo after one of the classes. Yup, I am the one lying in the middle. Most participants were from Seoul, but we also had people coming from as far as Busan, Japan, and Taiwan!

*****

On Saturday night we had a big milonga at the same studio where we held the classes. The studio (called RingoPop) only opened two months ago. We were very lucky to be using this brand new venue.

We decided to put tables and chairs around the room to create a rectangular and clearly-demarcated dance floor. Sure enough the line of dance was quite orderly. It was not crowded like Buenos Aires, but as more and more people got onto the floor navigation was still very manageable.

The DJ of the night was Emily from Hong Kong. She also came last year to DJ for us and we were thrilled to have her back. She did a great job and kept people dancing past 4am. Emily co-runs and DJs her own milonga in Hong Kong - here is her website: http://milongadelcorazon.blogspot.com/.

< The People >

< The Dancing >

< The Other Dancing ^^ >

The highlight of the evening was of course Jaiver & Andrea's performance. The did two tangos and a milonga, and then an encore tango. Here is the milonga (Reliquias Porteñas).

*****

The Farewell Milonga was held at Tango O Nada. It is the oldest and most established Tango bar in Seoul and opens 6 days a week. We put tables and chairs around the room like we did at RingoPop and ran the risk of having a smaller dance floor. I felt it worked out quite well, although it probably took some getting used to for people who had been coming to O Nada for a long time.

< Farewell Milonga Ticket >

Dan Boccia was the DJ that night. Here you can see him enjoying a bowl of Ggam Bbong (spicy Korean-style Chinese noodle soup) before getting to work. On his shoulder is his DJ Mascot, Red Fox.

Dan is one of the most-established DJs in the US and it was great to have him with us for this event. He was professional, courteous, helped out with everything, and left everyone with a great impression. One of the things that impressed me the most about his DJing this time was that he used some of the cleanest-sounding music files around and he tweaked the sound system to perfection. I could hear all the nuances in the music so clearly that I just wanted to dance!

Javier & Andrea was in a good mood that night and they did three more dances to say goodbye.

After the 3 goodbye dances, everyone was still chanting for more. So Javier asked Dan to play another song, and then just grabbed Hwayi's hand and got on the dance floor! Andrea stared at me with this look, basically saying, "You better not screwed this up!!!" So I took her hand and guided her onto the floor, and us four danced to El Simpatico by D'Arienzo (sorry no video).

This was the post-dance hug. I was happy and relieved!

Last but not least, a cake to show our appreciation, and fotos, fotos, y mas fotos!!!

*****

Before the end, I would like to thank everyone again for helping out. A special thanks to the owners of RingoPop, TZ and Pascal (the two cool guys on the right), for providing such a great venue!

Natalia Hills y Francisco Forquera

2008-04-18T06:15:20Z

On this sleepless morning I found the following Youtube video... I remember seeing this couple in an early Tango Forever video a few years back. They were definitely my favorite then. I am so glad to see their dance again. And they use Derecho Viejo again.

I liked them most because the power and intensity in their dance is obvious, yet their presentation is so... calm. There is no exaggerated facial expression, no unnessarily arm gestures, no boiled-over passion dripping off the stage. All you see is their dancing and the music behind it.

It's a bit of a mystery to me as to how this is done - being very excited and passionate but also calm and composed at the same time, especially for stage performances. But I think that's Tango at its best - boiling emotions under a calm and elegant surface.