A matter of perspective

Matching names to fame

2007-07-03T19:33:00.001+08:00

Reference to my first mention of Carlos Rivarola and his wife Maria in an earlier entry (see post 'First, finally', April 2007), I had not realised who he was until sometime back in May, I sat down in front of the computer and 'googled' his name.

The immediate association that would come to mind for many in the tango scene is Carlos Saura's film Tango. Check out these interesting clips from the latter...

The link http://www.englandtango.com/index.php?page=Carlos+Rivarola&cat=TUTORS gives a great summary of Carlos & Maria Rivarola's major achievements in their dancing career.

Stay tuned for pictures and videos of their recent performance at the milonga 'La Baldosa' in Buenos Aires.

¿De Angelis, te gusta?

2007-04-26T12:37:00.000+08:00

I befriended a Canadian gentleman here, with whom I especially enjoy dancing to a Di Sarli tanda with, and with whom I would dance with at least once at the common milongas we both happen to be at. In my earlier weeks in Buenos Aires, I would struggle to converse with him in Spanish (since I have forgotten most of my French), as he did create an impression that he could speak very little English.

Last night was his second-last night in Buenos Aires before going back to Cananda. I danced more tandas with him than usual as a farewell to him, and the last tanda with him was a De Angelis one. During one of the 'small-talk windows' (the time windows of approximately 10-20 seconds starting from the end of the previous song to the beginning phrase of the following song during which one needs to make polite small talk with your partner before commencing to dance) in that De Angelis tanda, I asked him if besides Di Sarli, he likes De Angelis as well, to which he nodded "Si", and started to explain and gesticulate that the music of De Angelis makes him feel like swimming.

His comment inspired me to extend his analogy further by likening the music of De Angelis to that of synchronized swimming. Now, when I listen to a De Angelis, it conjures up an imagery of a group of synchronized swimmers with their heads, arms and legs bobbing, stretching, waving, extending gracefully out of the water...

Happy Together

2007-04-26T12:08:00.001+08:00

I have heard and read great reviews about this movie, but no-one I know seems to have a VCD/DVD of it that I can borrow.

Look out for the night view of the Falls filmed from the air with a hauntingly beautiful vocal in the background. And at the end, the mention of a tango bar...

Postcards from Iguazú

2007-04-19T11:16:00.000+08:00

The legendary Iguazu Falls: Nature is at its finest, where you don't have to be a professional photographer to have your every snapshot turn out postcard-pretty.

Awe-inspiring, breath-taking, intoxicating, magnificent, resplendent, spectacular, romantic, vivid...
The list of adjectives that describes its beauty is endless. I would definitely recommend it as a must-visit at least once in your lifetime. Visit the Falls with a loved one, it is an extremely romantic place. Or visit it on your own, where in the face of such enchanting greatness, you forget all your mundane concerns.

Enough said, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Here's a sneak preview of some of my favourites from the over-hundred photos taken:

This last picture (above), I've added it in as an afterthought. It is one of the animals that you may chance on while walking in the Iguazu Park. This cute-looking animal you see is called a Coati, and I've nominated it as my second favourite animal in Argentina after the Carpincho. :)

Firsts, finally

2007-04-07T14:53:00.000+08:00

I am finally in Buenos Aires after years of pining and looking forward to the day I make my “pilgrimage” to this “Mecca” of tango.

In the blink of an eye, I am coming to the end of my fourth week here, and this post is definitely long overdue.
So, here’s a brief account of some of my memorable tango firsts in this colourful and exciting city:

My first milonga in Buenos Aires!
At Porteno y Bailarin on 13 March.

I remember my apprehension that night, based on all the stories I’ve heard about unsuccessful ‘cabeceos’ (method of using eye contact and head movement to invite and/or accept dancing with someone) at the milongas of Buenos Aires. Recognising that I’ve been spoiled in Singapore amongst our cozy community of tangueros, where for my last 4 years, the invitation to dance has usually been verbal, or that I have often been cabeceo-ed relatively briefly, rapidly and at close distance. Considering that I managed to dance a total of about 3-4 tandas that night (not including the few that I had with Wai Chung and Isaac), the night seem to turn out alright.

A tanda with one of the older milongueros
Incidentally, this first milonga at Porteno y Bailarin was also where I first danced with an old milonguero.

Due to my almost non-existent command of ‘Castellano’ (what the Argentines term their national official language, Spanish), and that he does not speak any English at all, the mandatory polite conversation in between the song intervals within the tanda was really at a bare minimum. I merely recognized that he said something nice about my dancing and all I could do then was to smile back in return. Since I never got to ask him his name, I have decided to nickname him Mr. Soapy. Why? His jacket had a pleasant, mild soapy scent that hints of it being freshly laundered.

Lists of milonga venues visited
Attended the milongas at all of the following at least once:
Bien Pulenta, Club Gricel, Club Sunderland, El Beso, El Tasso, La Nacional, Nino Bien, Porteno y Bailarin, Plaza Bohemia (a.k.a. Maipu 444).

My favourite will be revealed below.

Experiencing the first tangasm
In search of the elusive ‘tangasm’ (i.e. tango high) after several mediocre milongas, it finally happened at Plaza Bohemia on 22 March.

Wonderful music that night (the tango DJ on duty was excellent!)… All the leaders I danced with were connected to both the music and me… Good floorcraft and navigation of all couples contributed to the overall good energy on the dance floor throughout the night…

To date, it still ranks as the best milonga night I’ve had here.

First “Ouch!”
My feet have been attacked, and also gotten close to several other potential accidents that were waiting to happen. I attribute these to inconsiderate leaders with weak navigational skills, and also sometimes inconsiderate followers who execute high, sharp boleos on a crowded dance floor.

Number of significant injuries to date: 2.
One on my right foot, an impact injury on the inside of my right foot, between the bunion (protrusion of the big toe joint) and the foot arch.
The other on my left foot, which is a medium-deep scratch caused by collision and subsequent abrasion with the heel edge of a man’s shoe.

Anyway. Let’s move on to something happier.

Tango shoe-shopping
I’ve heard the hypothesis from several that “men take up tango for the women, and women take up tango for the shoes”.

There will be no protest from me against that statement. Even though my tango obsession stems from several reasons, I am found guilty that shoes are one of them. :) So needless to say, one of the main activities Wai Chung and I indulged in over the past weeks was: shoe-shopping.

The first pair to come into my possession, a pair of brown-coloured snakeskin ones from Susana shoes. And Wai Chung has decided to nickname them ‘buak-salak’ shoes (after the tropical ‘snake-skin’ fruit. See picture.)

Comme Il Faut, Darcos, Delie, Fabio Shoes, Flabella, Lolo Gerard, Madreselva, Mahara, Suipacha 256, Susana (both anchor shop and new shop), Tango 8. We’ve visited each of them at least once, and were only too happy to take James and Irene to some of them again when they got here.

Workshop experiences
List of instructors whom we’ve taken at least one group class from:
Ana Schapira (for Tango Milonguero)
Cacho Dante y Rosana Devesa (for Tango Milonguero)
Javier Rodriguez y Andrea Misse (for Tango Salon)
Jorge Firpo (for Tango Milonguero)
Maria y Carlos Rivarola (for Tango Salon)
Nora Robles y Pedro Calveyra (for Tango Fantasia)

We've taken the most number lessons from Rivarola so far, as after the first lesson, we really like their style and feel that there is much we could benefit from them. Wai Chung likens Carlos Rivarola movements to a tai-chi master. Seems like a pretty apt description. Exemplified by one of the times during the class, when he danced with me in order to explain and demonstrate a concept to Wai Chung, I had been brought from point A to point B without me even realizing it! And for Maria, given the fact that she had just recovered from a bad knee injury that required surgery, moves with much grace and softness. Together, they make all the hiros, moulinetes, enrosques and sacadas look so quiet, but brimming with their sense of musicality.

We have not had a chance to ask them if, when and which milongas they go to. The demonstrations in class though brief, have already put me in awe of them. Imagine if I could see them dance to a full song...