Special Notice: We change the 31 May MDC to a Charity Milonga, raising money for the victim of the Szechuen earthquake

After writing several passages about Javier, it is time to insert a special notice about our upcoming Milonga del Corazon on 31 May, Saturday evening.

Emily and I have decided to change the evening to a "Charity Milonga", we will donate all the entrance revenue we receive from you guys (after deducting for studio rental and food and drinks cost) to a recognised charity fund specially dedicated to the Szechuen earthquake victim. We are also now asking the studio owner to waive the rental charge for that night as a gesture of sincerity and appreciation for our effort. We hope this will allow us to donate a bit more. We will scan a copy of the bank deposit slip to put on our blog for you guys to check out.

The entrance fee will remain the same as HK$100 and you will be able to enjoy the same high quality classical tango music and romantic atmosphere as usual. We hope this small effort and initiative from us will create more repercussion in the rest of the tango community and we hope other organisers of other milongas will make similar or bigger effort together to help those who are suffering from this natural disastor.

"Milonga del Corazon" means "a tango party of the heart" and we hope that while all of you are enjoying the beautiful dancing that tango is, you will at the same think about those who are living in another part of this world needing our help.

I would also like to take this opporunity to appeal for the directors of Tangotang to make a sizeable donation to similar charity on behalf of the members. I am not sure what procedures would be needed to have this approved, probably it is just a matter of having the directors proposing this and an amount and have it approved by voting in a special meeting. We all know Tangotang is cash rich now after so many successful projects and many of us have been wondering how we can best use those money. Perhaps making some donation to the Szechuen earthquake charity is the best way to pull together the spirit of the tango community and to show that "tango brings people closer together".

Now we have taken the first step, we hope you will follow and do more!

Support us on 31 May MDC!

PS: Eventually we have donated totally $2900 to Red Cross via HSBC. Thank you very much for your kind support!

我接受 nuevo tango, 不過更愛 Javier ……(之三)

上回我說到我不太認同一些極瑞「反nuevo」舞者不斷借用 Javier或一些老一代之”milonguero”老師 之名不斷在舞池內打壓”tango nuevo”之老師及學生去美化自己學不懂nuevo technique…

一方面，這種心態及行為沒剎了眾多”tango Nuevo”老師的悉心教導及為推廣tango所付出的耐性及熱誠，因為假如10年前沒有了”tango Nuevo”之出現，argentine tango今天可能已經失傳，或只可以在Buenos Airesオ看得到。另一方面，這樣的利用Javier之名，會誤道新加入argentine tango大家庭的舞者，以為Javier便代表著「慢步」，令日後在學習道路上變得消極及保守。

Coleman在說什麼？由 pro-nuevo到有點反nuevo，而寫到這裡又忽然「挺」 nuevo?神經病乎？呵呵…

非也!

Argentine Tango美妙之處便是風格無邊無際，在argentine tango之歷史上從來沒有一個人走出來，或開一個 ”tango committee” 寫下規絛「阿根庭tango是這樣的‧‧‧」，更不像一些competitive dancing如ballroom dancing有syllabus可以「刨」。如果有人跟你說他可以借一些書給你看，你便可以跟著內裡的「腳印心法」學懂argentine tango，這人可能是特區政府經常在電視廣告叫大家提防之「全家祈福」騙子，要立刻話給警察叔叔聽！

說笑吧！

「和而不同」是Argentine Tango大同世界之精神…

假如舞池內的200人全部都跳同一種style、同一set舞步、穿同一套衫、穿一模一樣的一對 Comme Il Faut，你我可能已經再沒有興趣跳argentine tango了！

只是，我個人較喜歡跳得有creativity(適量的)之同時亦能令自己及舞伴看起來更Elegant，更美麗，令她的腳 (及她喜愛的 Comme Il Faut)顯得更性感，思想更能投入偉大的音樂中及享受到美妙的經典旋律。

而Javier & Andrea所推廣的一切都似乎與我想追尋的比”tango Nuevo”來得更接近(這是學了近4年tango nuevo後之感想。(今天有點累、明天待續)

我接受 nuevo tango, 不過更愛 Javier ……(之二) by Coleman

上回講到我把Javier 之performance與Vladimir Horowitz之鋼琴表演作比較…

熟悉我深一點的朋友都知道我熱愛音樂，可惜我懶惰，曾經學過鋼琴、小提琴、saxophone但都不持久，沒有恆心，但因為喜歡音樂、因此迷上了Hi-Fi及argentine tango。聽音樂，除了「勁爛」的canto-pop外，基本什麼都聽，不過從小便特別愛上古典音樂，手上的CD大部份都是classical之chamber, concerto, piano virtuoso,symphony等等。

在收藏的CD中，最令我印象深刻的音樂家是原籍俄羅斯的Vladimir Horowitz，他被認為是有錄音以來最偉大的鋼琴大師，他差不多已被封神了。HMV古典部都有一大Horowitz之section。

把Javier跟Horowitz連在一起，並不是要說Javier在tango界有等同Horowitz在鋼琴界之崇高地位。這個我沒有資格品評。我想比較的是兩人演譯音樂的風格有些近似，何解？

初次接觸Horowitz之演奏CD，都是知道他是「神」，想聽聽他有多利害，買了一片 “Horowitz in Moskow”之現場錄音及幾片他彈Schumann、Chopin、Litz之CD，因內裡的曲目旋律比較優美，回家放入CD機，一聽便是兩小時，很好聽是必然的，但感覺很特別，同一首樂曲由其他不同演奏家interpret之版本我有不少，但Horowitz的很不同，整片CD由頭到尾都滲透著一種浪漫的氣氛。要更清楚明白我在講什麼的話，拿一片被中國人捧到上天的朗朗 Lang Lang CD，聽同一曲目，Lang Lang音準、指法當然都達到一等一，但你會覺得他好像想打爛個 過百萬元Steinway & Sons琴一樣，你會覺得他很努力在弦耀超凡技巧，很努力的想您「看出」他是一級鋼琴家，很努力的想你「看出」他很投入的一副樣子，很努力的想你知道他一粒音也沒彈錯…我覺得「太努力」了！

Horowitz’s Lizt Hungarian Rhapsody No.2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHGnYQgLLzc

Lang Lang’s Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru84UVcPHDo

幸運地在 youtube也找到Horowitz及朗朗彈的同一曲目，你們自己聽聽及比較吧！

Horowitz之超然地位就是那同一種「駕卸在整篇樂章上，不被強烈的基本節奏所吞噬，快慢有序，有強弱、有層次的演繹出樂章的意境及氣氛」，有「泰山崩于前而色不改，麋鹿兴于左而目不瞬」之功力，聽他的演奏，你會感覺他在歌唱，你已不會再把注意力集中在他如魔鬼般的指法上，你會被他彈出來的「氣氛」所迷惑著。不信的可以今天去HMV隨便找片Horowitz CD回家欣賞，聽多些古典音樂或會對你的tango有幫助。

沒錯，我覺得Javier亦有這種魅力，我覺得Javier最擅長演譯的是所有Osvaldo Pugliese的舞曲，十分「對味」，Pugliese的曲目與其他composers的明顯不同，一首4分多鐘之樂曲內有齊浪漫、激昂的氣氛，而且對比強烈，跳Pugliese時之Javier就是「鐵漢柔情」。



上面之video是Javier 與前舞伴Geraldine其中一段在某年某地之end of class video，隨便的跳了一首Pugliese著名曲目，這卻是我的favourite!

回頭看當今各路 “tango Nuevo”之表演，感覺上都是花式多，招招新奇，有些什至古靈精怪，好像完全是為創新而創新，有些什至在跳舞中男方突然捉著女方的鞋，My God!有沒有想過舞伴花那麼多錢買對最新版Comme Il Faut就是要look good and elegant，為什麼要捉著她的腳呢？感覺上大部份Tango Nuevo之舞者都好像是背負著10年前”tango Nuevo精神所給他們帶來的壓力，不斷拿著”Nuevo”之key去開鎖、開路，要「不斷創新招」，才是不浪費所學的？或是基於要糊口的現實，要不斷靠「發明」新招來突圍而出？

Javier給我的感覺，是比較把注意力回到音樂的演譯，及舞伴的感覺上。

但我亦不太認同有小部份極端 “anti-nuevo”之舞者，因為身手不太靈活，學不懂tango nuevo，便把自己的不靈活美化成一種style、什至借Javier之名來不斷為自己的缺點包裝，不斷的跟跳過的每一位舞伴說自己跳的是” Javier style”，這未免有些污褥了Javier的造藝。Javier不是只「行左行右」、不是停在line of dance久不久動一動的，Javier絕對身手敏捷，請看這個吧！ (待續)

More about Javier and Andrea

After reading Coleman's post, I also want to add a little bit. I want to clarify the style that they dance - I once asked Andrea how would she describes the style of tango, and what she says they dance "Salon tango". She says "villa urquiza" is just a famous place where there are many good salon dancers. I believe that this term is widely used by Ney Melo, who want to promote Salon in the US with an attractive name on youtube...you know, it's like a marketing strategy.

Javier once told me, "there are only two types of tango, one is good, and one is bad." He then told us a story. They had a chance to meet a nuevo tango dancer, who is one of the most famous one (i don't want to dispose their name, so do Javier). In one performance, he danced with a new partner whom he is not used to dance with. After his performance, he told Javier that he didn't like his performance at all, cos it was not as satisfactory as those with his previous partners. but Javier thinks the performance was his best, in a way that he never saw this nuevo dancers cared his partner so much, like a gentleman cares a lady. For Javier, to dance good tango is not to show off the steps and technique, one of the essence of tango is how you feel and care the woman, and how you let her dance beautifully. If you really understand Javier's teaching, you would realize that his way of walking and embrace are made for the woman, to make them feel warm and comfortable, as what he says "tango is a woman's dance".

I think that makes Javier different, and so to many milongueros in BsAs.

我接受 nuevo tango, 不過更愛 Javier ……(之一) by Coleman

(以下純是個人觀點)

Tangotang 又再次邀得 Javier & Andrea 來香港，Richard 問我們本地老師可否撰文推介。 我直認 Javier 是我最欣賞的舞者，當然 Richard 唔問我都會寫。誰不知我末動筆，所有的class已於首兩小時登記便售出了。我很高興，因為我感覺到本地的tango智慧步向較成熟的方向，何出此言？Coleman 不是很 “pro-nuevo” 嗎？呵呵！

是的，過去4年， Tangotang引入了很多新一代的老師，世界興起了一片 “Nuevo 風”所影響，十居其九都是 “Nuevo” style。 Pablo & Dana, Matias & Kara (我的恩師及好朋友), Gaston & Mariela, Gonzalo & Mariel, Pablo & Noelia 等。每年來港的5對中便有3、4對 “Nuevo 風” 舞者。我亦因此學了4年多的nuevo technique。亦曾經認為 “nuevo” 是最好的…

4年前我首次參加 Taipei Tango Festival，第一次上了 Javier & Geraldine (J 的前舞伴)….印象不太深刻…..不是他們不好……他們絕對是一級棒的舞蹈家……只是我完全不明白他們上堂講什麼………J&G 在堂上完全用西班牙語授課……間中須要organiser Daniel 以普通話 翻譯……可是對我來講沒太大意義…….因我的普通話聽力不比西班牙語好很多。結果上 J & G的幾堂都是跟近50人迫在一起不斷「狂操」steps, 有時只能從舞室內的鏡子看到 Javier的腳在「搞」乜東東….有些掃興，沒法， Javier & Geraldine 是 Salon Tango之明星，人人爭著一睹他們的風采。

過去兩年，Youtube上多了很多 Argentine Tango的video，關於 Javier & Gerladine 及 Javier & Andrea 也有很多，而不只有 Nuevo 的如 Chicho, Sebastian & Mariana, Pablo & Dana。我因此可以欣賞到不同風格的表演。

你今天問我喜歡那一種style，我會答你…..不是什麼 “villa urquiza”、”salon”、”Nuevo”、”tango fantasia”、”close embrace”、”milonguero”…..這些只是名稱而已、每一種style都有跳得很出色的舞者、同時亦有跳得很「爛」的。

我會跟你說 「就像是 Javier那樣！」。

我不是要否定 “Nuevo style”，起碼過去10年間 “Nuevo” 的興起有助 Argentine Tango reach more people。”Nuevo tango” 是一個tango史上的革命動力多於是一種舞風。Nuevo的老師一般都很年青‧很有活力，超級友善、丁點兒架子都沒有、授課時非常有耐性。”Nuevo style”比較科學化，每種動作都要找出 core concept去support and explain，尤其對我們一眾自以為授過高等教育，每樣事物都要用羅緝去justify，而前一輩子都沒有跳過舞的人來說，”Nuevo tango” 的確很吸引、因上課時只要你的腦袋跟你說「lead 這個voleo的core concept」很合羅緝，大家便很有滿足感，立時覺得自己已學會跳舞、覺得”argentine tango”原來很易跳。”Nuevo tango” teachers are very friendly, and “Nuevo tango” is very user friendly，making tango more popular than ever。

但又如何呢？ 雖然 “Nuevo tango” 有這麼多「優點」、promises，但看了無數 video and live performance, 沒有幾多次令我真正感動。看了一些 Nuevo performers的表演，我會 …..高聲歡呼「利害!!」、「好野!」、「有創意！」、「很有趣！」、「他真是敏捷!」….

但看過 Javier 的表演，我沒話可說，真的是找不到貼切的句子來形容。我只覺得他用身體來唱歌、把自己溶化在樂章中。從 Javier 的表演、我深深體會好的 “musicality” 不只是 follow the beat (sense of rhythm) 那麼膚淺，不是只在一兩個bar內玩一些特別的拍子，而是駕卸在整篇樂章上，不被強烈的基本節奏所吞噬，快慢有序，有強弱、有層次的演繹出樂章的意境及氣氛。

你沒有看錯！我不是在說Choreography，我是在講Javier improvisation的能力…

很多人喜歡 argentine tango就是因為 “improvisation”一詞，誤以為等於不用花時間聽音樂，以為只要「識lead」很多「花」便能跳好argentine tango，以為只要跟到beat便足夠了….完全沒留意旋律變化、沒留意整首舞曲想營造的情緒高低起復。看過個Javier 後，你可能有新的體會。

若我告訴你，有無數次我看完Javier 跟partner perform 後，我被感動得差點哭起來，請不要笑。

我真的有哭。

簡簡單單的walking，畢廷神氣的posture，緊密的embrace，乘巧而不經意的adornment，加上一對好耳朵，便比別人跳得更震憾，更悅目…

若你還認為跳好argentine tango便是要懂十八般武藝，首首音樂都要拿你的partner來做齊全套high, low, linear, circular, back and front voleo, 什麼什麼colcada，什麼什麼volcada，什麼什麼soltadas….無數個前後左右 rebounce，只講opposite energy, dynamics and impulse…或你發覺跳了3年後仍然覺得自己像在與舞伴搏擊一樣的感覺，而從未有一次感受過自己身體、舞伴、音樂及舞池上其他couples連在一起的浪漫感覺，那便是時候看看Javier那一派。

看Javier之 performance與新一派Nuevo之對比，令我聯想起被喻為過去一世紀最偉大的鋼琴大師 Vladimir Horowitz 霍洛維茲之演奏…. (待續)

Tips of dancing in a crowded milonga - Emily

I wish all of you enjoyed Milonga del Corazon at Xperience last saturday. I always recalled New York New York in Taiwan and even El Beso in Buenos Aires when I danced in Xperience for its cosy space. Dancing in an atmospheric bar or restaurant is always nice - but one problem may occur in this occasion. The dance floor, like that of Xperience, may not be as big as those of a dance studio or a dance hall, and people have to squeeze themselves on a crowded dance floor. This may end up leaders have less intention to invite ladies for a dance since the floor seems not to have enough room. But I think all of us, including leaders and followers, can make an effort to make a small and crowded dance floor a heaven to enjoy the music and dance with your partner. Being a dj, who always have a full observance of the dance floor’s traffic, I would like to share some tips of dancing in a crowded dance floor that I got from crowded floors in BsAs and my tango teachers. These are not golden rules of no reasons - all are originated from our considerations to other dancers on the same floor and our care to your partners.

General Etiquette
1. Line of Dance
Line of dance is always one of the key factors defining a good and a bad milonga. While Nino Bien and Salon Canning getting the fame of the most popular and crowded milongas in BsAs, they also become notorious for bad traffic and bumpings. One reason, that many people believe, is that more and more tourists, who usually have less awareness to the importance of traditional dance etiquette in milongas of BsAs, are attracted to these popular milongas, making the dance floors lacking good discipline. Milongas of good traffic in most of the time, like El Beso, are always my favourite. As you can observe from the video showing a regular milonga at El Beso, there are actually roughly two lines of dance - one is around the boundary of the dance floor, and one in the inner circle. Thanks to the interior design of El Beso, having huge column in the middle of dance floor, dancers who favour fancy steps can hardly enjoy themselves in the middle, making the dance floor one of the best in BsAs. Dancers should keep moving in a dance floor at the exterior circles, maintaining a smooth traffic. The middle of the dance floor should be remained to beginners who have less experience of following the line of dance or those stubborn dancers who are obsessed with fancy steps.

2. Type of Embrace
Credits should also give to the milongueros in El Beso who prefer close embrace, which allows more rooms to dance in a smaller dance floor. If the floor is already quite crowded, it is absolutely unwise to show off the steps of nuevo style which demands open embrace and bigger space. Even you really make sure your steps cause no disturbances to other dancers, your steps may scare other dancers who want to squeeze in away.

3. Steps
It is always wise for leaders to avoid big steps or any steps that may let the ladies kicking people around you both, like gancho and high boleos. I am sure most ladies would enjoy more with the leaders’ smaller steps of good musicality, then the heels of her elegant Comme il faut being forced to kick the chair leg behind her! Leaders should also avoid back steps unless you make sure no one is behind you, since back steps would interrupt the smoothness of the line of dance. I think leaders should take more responsibility on this since the ladies have less control about the steps while they may have their eyes closed in the embrace. Turning on the same space and doing hero in close embrace would also help yourself getting away from a traffic jam.

4. Embellishment
Ladies can try to keep their embellishment smaller to avoid kicking your leg to the people at your back. I make this fault sometimes too… = (

5. Cortina
Cortina is a good chance to reshuffle the traffic of the dance floor. It is always good to leave the dance floor when cortina is played. Invite your favourite partner once again later, chance is there!

Celebrating Milonga del Corazón First Anniversary with Norberto "Pulpo" Esbrez & Luiza Paes on 2 Feb & 9 Feb

Thank you very much for your long support...MDC is just one year old and we are celebrating its birthday in February. It is really not easy to have a themed milonga for more than a year. We can't grow without you! Please come and share the joy with us, since you are one of the most important motivation for me to get more good music from BsAs! Please keep supporting our milonga and our passion of classic tango music!

Welcome Milonga Including mini-performance, soft drinks and biscuits
Date: Saturday 2 February 2008, 9.30pm-1.30am
Venue: Amico Studio, Amico Studio, 2/F, 167-169 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, HK
Tickets: $120

Grand Milonga to Welcome the Year of the Rat
Including buffer dinner and performance
Date: Saturday 9 Feburary 2008, 9pm-3am
Venue: Xperience, G/F, 33 Lockhard Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tickets: $180 in advance; $220 on the door

Dj: Emily

To book tickets, visit http://www.hktangolab.com/ and download a booking form, or contact:

Hong Kong Tango Lab Simon Cartledge, scartledge@bigbrainsltd.com / 852 - 9746 5279 / http://www.hktangolab.com/
Milonga del Corazón milonga.corazon@gmail.com/ /Coleman - 852-92676627 / Emily - 852-94060996

Get the Secrets of Milonguero Style from Hsueh-tze Lee - 5 Secrets for Dancing Close -- Ssh!

Who teach? Hsueh-tze Lee

When? 1 Dec, 2007 (Sat), 8.00 - 9.30pm (the class), 9.30 pm - 1.30 am (the milonga)

Where? Amico Studio, 2/F, 167-169 Hennessy Road, Wanchai

Who can attend? Everyone can benefit from the class if you never try milonguero style. What you need is your curiosity about the milonguero embrace. You will learn the spirit and essence of tango, not the steps!

How much? FREE! $80 for the entrance of Milonda del Corazón - with drinks and snacks always! No extra fee for the class.

I want to know more! Contact Coleman - (852) 9267 6627 / Emily - (852) 9406 0996 /email your question to milonga.corazon@gmail.com

Who is Hsueh-tze Lee? Hsueh-tze Lee, known for her musicality and innovative approach, has been invited to teach internationally North America, Europe and Asia. Dancing tango since 1990, she is one of the pioneers of tango in North America, and inspired the growth of close embrace communities in many areas, including Boston, Denver, Halifax and Singapore. Hsueh-tze's musical cadence comes from dancing with milongueros of Buenos Aires over many extended visits. Her tango is enriched with both traditional and novel qualities. In addition to her experience as a life-long dancer, Hsueh-tze is appreciated for her expertise in physiology and biomechanics, her insightful comments and radiant enthusiasm. She teaches tango as a richly textured interchange between partners, ranging from sublime subtlety to powerful intensity. Her students are widely appreciated for their musical dynamics and responsive connection. Hsueh-tze also hosts and DJs Boston's popular monthly Blue Milonga. (www.bluetango.org)

Feedback on her teaching: http://www.ixidanza.com/the-art-of-tango-workshop/testimonials

P.S. Thank you for those who join the class and for Hsueh-tze's fabulous sharing!

....用7-11紙杯享用 Petrus一樣可憐......

我一向鼓勵對美麗的事物最好能保持一種 “passionate ownership”的態度。

尤其是 Argentine Tango 如此美麗至極的舞蹈…..

昨天晚上在舞會 “milonga” 中跟一位剛剛接觸「阿根廷探戈」不久的女生 (一位漂亮的年青醫生) 講起一些關於這種舞的歷史故事….

我們講到「她」的起源，例如這種舞於上世紀初並不是傳言般在妓院內由妓女跟客人跳出來的，而由男人跟男人跳出來….

我們講到一些「她」 的 “etiquette” 「禮節」，例如正式來說女生主動請男生跳舞是「不禮貌」的，例如在阿根廷的舞會中男女生都要靠「眼神接觸」”cabezio”來作為邀請/答應對方的訊號，男生萬萬不能在女生未示意前便走到面前….

我們亦講到一個正規的tango舞會，DJ不能亂播音樂的，應有系統地運用 “tanda” 「歌節」及 "cortina” 「間場短曲」來控制舞池的秩序….

我們也講到1930-1950’s 年的探戈音樂是最具代表性的，因此被喻為 “Golden Age”，大部份的探戈舞步都是在這時期的音樂下成形的….

我們更講到男女間如何「活用」每節 ”tanda” 內固定歌曲數目來「策略性」拒絕或接受邀請，從而保持大家良好之感覺….

最後我跟這位可愛的女生說了一個比喻，形容我學習「阿根廷探戈」的態度……「學探戈，就像是學飲紅酒一樣，不能只學那一堆堆生硬的味度形容，什麼fruity、full-bodied、acidic、tannic…..等等。亦要學習了解年份、產區、葡萄品種對酒味的影響….亦了解為什麼要用不同形狀、不同厚薄的玻璃的酒杯去品嚐不同種類的餐酒……因此學探戈只學舞步，有如用7-11紙杯享用 Petrus一樣可憐….」。

這就是我上面所指的 “passionate ownership”!

這亦是我和Emily堅持辦一個以1930-1950’s年代經典探戈音樂為主題的定期 “milonga”的目的，因為只有在孕育探戈成長的傳統音樂下跳舞，才更能培養出一種蜀於探戈獨特的心情及氣質…….

這亦是為什麼我們的milonga 叫 “Milonga del Corazon” --意譯 「心之舞會」。


Coleman
www.romanticotango.com

Javier Rodriguez y Andrea Misse

Simply breathe-taking..

The 1st movie with sound in the history of Argentinian films

This is simply amazing. You can see how milonga looked like in the 30s. See the line of dance and the traffic of the dance floor and how people embraced and imvited lady to dance with cabecio!!!

Emily

The 30 secs that kill everybody

How can we be able to talk after watching this?

New!! Tangotang Tango Preface for Beginners - by Coleman and Fiona

很久已沒有寫blog 了，主要原因是工作忙，第二原因是手寫板似乎還未太熟悉我的寫法，太幸苦了、第三是忙於學習set-up 我和 Fiona 的 blog http://tangoromantico.blogspot.com/

我相信我是古代的人，父母亦給了我一個「古」姓，因此電子媒體對我來說仍然是新科技 (!!!) 知道嗎？還有我的職業是賣來自三億五千萬年前的鑽石，我最愛用1953年德國製造的喇叭........

Anyway, 有重要事要宣佈，我和 Fiona 會再次幫 Tangotang 教 Tango Preface (Beginner's course), details 請參考 http://www.tangotang.com/

一共6課，第一課於8月4日開始，每課 1.5 hours, 全部於 Amico Studio 舉行，全部在晚上8pm-9:30pm, 價格非常優惠....HK$750 include one year Tangotang membership fee!!!!

我與Fiona 都是義務幫 Tangotang, 連 transportation 都是自付的，全因我們熱愛 Argentine Tango，亦欣賞 Tangotang 之宗旨，希望各位可以盡力宣傳一下，讓更多新力軍加入「阿根廷」探戈！！

Coleman

Want to have a look of how Francisco Canaro conducted?

I just wish I were there - what can be more attractive than watching the live show of Canaro with dance at the same time?

The Sound of a Milonga

Salon CanningSuddenly I want to write about the sound of a milonga, mainly because I received a few complains during Javier and Andrea's grand milonga. Actually, not only that milonga, but in J&A's guided practica too. "Emily, your music is great, but would you please turn the volume down a bit? It's too loud."

Every time I received this kind of complain, I always have one of the following response,

(1) "Well, the teachers say this volume is just perfect." (I didn't make this up, this was really true, when Javier & Andrea/Pablo & Dana were here.)

(2) "Ok, will do." (Then I would turn down a little bit, then after a few mins, I would just turn to the "normal" volume gradually without causing others' attention.

(3) "This is exactly the volume in the milongas of Buenos Aires," I said only to my closer friends.

In my memory, Salon Canning has the best sound system. The Salon has very high ceiling, hanging speakers from the above, along the shape of the dancefloor. No matter how crowded the dance floor was, and how noisy the people were, I could always indulge myself into the music in a man's embrace. Since the music is loud enough to overwhelm me - what I conscious about is only - the music, and the bodies. As I remember, Nino Bien has similar sound system too.

Actually a milonga, is similar to a disco - a place of music and dance. Yes, a milonga should be more elegant, calm and romantic, but we have to admit that this is a place mainly for dance, not exclusively for eating nor chatting.

I'm sure some people may feel annoyed by this - but really, this is the authentic culture of BsAs too. Some argentinean teachers told me, "just ignore those people. This is what a real milonga should be."

I have to admit that almost all milongas and practica space in HK don't have a sound system like Salon Canning. The speakers are always put aside of the dance floor, so the sound is always louder at one side of the dance floor, and less loud on the other side.

It is really hard to make a balance.

Samantha Dispari y Andres Laza Moreno

Other...simple bravo!

Andres Laza Moreno y Samantha Dispari

I'm so happy that they are still dancing together!!! I thought Samantha has changed her partner!

Emily

Guided Practica by Javier Rodriguez y Andrea Misse - jiaotong

Thank you very much for jiaotong for allowing us to publish her article here. - Emily

第一次見Javier Rodriguez，我還以為他會像其他的老師一樣，在Guided Practica示範難度高的舞步，然後在學生旁邊點撥一下。出乎意料，他請男女生分開來坐，然後跟Andrea Misse一起，告訴學生一些應當知道的舞會的規矩和社教禮貌。
**以下文字，可能跟老師的原意不盡相同，如有出入，以本文為準。
男生如何請女生跳舞?
首先是眼神接觸，不論兩人是咫尺距離，還是天各一方，先要透過眼神接觸，這是含蓄的暗示，如果你喜歡對方，可以回應默許的眼光，否則，假裝看不見就是了。
男生有什麼是不應該做呢?
例如出其不意走到女生面前邀舞，「她大概不會不給面子吧。」
我已經望著她，但她好像沒有注意我，「還是直接走向她，漂亮的女生比較搶手。」
拉著對方的手臂，「老兄，人家有權選擇耶，你不要強人所難。」(女生)
雙手拉起女生，「我跟你好像不太熟，不用太熱情吧!」(女生)
得到女生的默許了，當你差不多走到她前面的時候，忽然有另一位女生站起來，誤會你想請她跳舞，這個時候該怎麼辨?首先我們要明白，近視眼，焦距模糊的人比比皆是，若你不想令對方尷尬，可以將錯就錯，跟她跳舞，或者可以跟屬意的女生先跳，再禮貌地請她。不過遇上膽小的男生，可能會裝著看不見，繞路就走。假若事情真的發生，女生用不著太難過，畢竟這是令男人想破頭的哲學問題!
在跳舞的時候，男士們，請務必使出你的風度和耐性，跟隨舞場的方向和路線。打個譬喻，你跟心儀的女性約會，正在公路上開車，剛巧前面有位不爭氣的仁兄，以蝸牛爬行的車速，一直擋在前面，你會怎麼樣?你可以用靈活的技巧越過他，或者繼續忍耐。相同的情況，發生在舞場上，你也可以用高明的技巧，越過前面的舞者，不過搞不好，對方可能誤會你很的莽撞，又或者，你可以從容自若，與女伴享受細膩的每一步。
你有超凡的舞技，不在眾人面前炫耀就太可惜了，縱然如此，亦請認清環境，三思而後行。例如，在擁擠的舞池，或旁邊有其他人，大動作的bolero，實在不適宜，別忘記你的女伴穿著心愛的comme il faut，被尖細的鞋跟踩踏了，可不是開玩笑。套用Andrea的講法，跟粗魯的男生跳舞而踩著別人，覺得很沒面子。
這時有人提出，我可以在第三首tango的時候，請女生跳舞嗎?我先說出自己心裡的想法，如果你很喜歡某女生，為何讓伊人等到憔悴?應該在第一首音樂響起的時候，就馬上請她。Andrea說出另一種看法，「第三首音樂才請我跳舞，是out of pity」，意思是出於好心或憐憫，不想見我坐冷板凳，所以請我跳舞。坐了整夜冷板凳的女生，心情一定不好，難免自怨自艾，覺得自尊心受損。
cortina響起了，男生應該帶領女生返回原來的座位。如果各人有固定的座位，就最好不過了，至少男生知道心儀的女生在那裡，否則也不應該佔去別人的座位。然後趁短暫的過場音樂，尋覓另一位舞伴。
「我很喜歡她，可否連續跳兩set音樂?」
以下四個方案，你認為哪一個比較可行?
一、可以，不過先要領她返回座椅，得到同意，再返回舞池。二、可以，兩人約定，晚一點再跳舞。三、可以或不可以，因為可能有特殊的暗示。四、不可以，你只顧跟某一人跳舞，其他人就不會再請你。
萬一男生有任何不合體統的行為，Andrea給女生的提議，最好是以退為進，「你跳得太好了，讓我不好意思，不如我練習一下，有機會再跟你跳舞吧!」說罷，離開。如果那不知好歹的傢伙，繼續死纏，就要發揮girls power，提醒同場的好姊妹，謹慎提防。
基本上男女雙方，基於禮貌都會接受邀請，Javier說，「不過如果我心裡不願意，會跳得很差，對方也不會好受。」
後來我看到他跟一位女士跳舞，舞步很溫柔，沒有花巧的動作，像謙謙君子護照懷裡的舞伴。我見過太多超卓的舞者，他們跟任何人跳舞，都是使出慣用的舞台動作，好像在告訴對方，我就是這樣，你想跟我跳舞，得看你的本領。當看到Javier專注和誠實的態度，就特別值得欣賞。
我想起有些老師說，舞場其實是人生的縮影，你跟某人跳舞，是一種愛和關懷的表達，有些人只會跟幾個要好的朋友跳舞，雖然玩得開心，但對其他人卻視若無睹。 cortina的出現，大概是出於好心慷慨而建立的社交秩序，使你有機會認識不同的朋友，跟他們跳舞，不想跳的時候，也可以互相交談。因此，如果男生坐了很久，都不出去跳舞，特別是旁邊也有女生坐著，就算是不禮貌。再說，這份互相傳遞的關懷，會能tango社群發展得更成熟，人們的相處更輕鬆和諧。
PS Javier幾次提到星期六的milonga，我沒有出席，不知道有什麼令他看不順眼的事情，因而要在guided practica花了近兩小時，解釋舞場上的禮儀，或者是做人的道理。
我以前覺得阿根廷的探戈舞會，規矩繁多，阿根廷人真太迂腐，這樣的舞會讓人很沒趣吧!我最近改變了想法。

The essense of a milonga

"A good milonga needs two things - one, the atmosphere, and another, the music," said Andrea.

"La musica, es el corazon (para una milonga),"Javier said. (The music, is the heart. (for a milonga) )

That is what they told me in the Grand Milonga last Sat. What they said really gives me more energy to keep djing... millions thanks for them...

Emily

A site listing tango videos on youtube - Emily

http://eng.tango.info/videos/

This site offers a list of tango videos (I'm not sure if it is a complete one) on youtube, listing by the names of performers. You can also get the names of the song that them performed with. But mind you, the names of the songs are not always accuate. It is a good reference though.

Emily