Tango y Té News--06/25/08--A Tidbit
David Chayes
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-Saturday's Milonga
-Clip of AM 850 Feature About TyT Now on Website
-Change of Venue/Time, July 5/6 Workshops
-Mimi Interview: NOW AVAILABLE!
-a Look Ahead
It was an other good milonga that got busy late, with many of the old "regulars" and some of the new "regulars!"
What: Tango y Té weekly milonga
When: Saturday 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm: lesson in the fundamentals of tango
8:30 pm - 12 am: general dancing
Where: Brazilian Cultural Arts Exchange, 601 South Main Street
Cost: $10 ($5 for students) includes fundamentals lesson and refreshments
Info: www.tangoyte.com
(352) 328-7916
(352) 371-3672
-Clip of AM 850 Feature About TyT Now on Website
The recording of last Friday's radio story about "Tango y Té" is available for playback at the top of the TyT home page. I think I did ok in my 2 or so minutes advertizing for Argentine Tango. (www.tangoyte.com)
-Mimi's Workshops: Extraordinary Opportunity for All Levels
Here is an encouragement to those who haven't committed to participating yet.
Mimi has the capacity to make her students understand tango more deeply and at the same time the reactions are often of the "I didn't
know tango was so simple!" variety.
Starting with the basics of walking and posture, the workshops are accessible to complete beginners. However, as a testament to her power consider that one of the better teachers of South Florida will be attending the entire weekend. Let's hope that on July 5th many of us will feel like beginners, as though seeing tango "for the first time."
-Change of Venue/Time, July 5/6 Workshops
Mark the change: Mimi's workshops will take place at our regular milonga venue: 601 S Main St.
Also, Saturday's Schedule is moved up one hour: we will start at 1 pm! (see http://www.tangoyte.com/mimi.htm for details)
We are glad that our place became available, as this will simplify finding and setting up things. Also, starting one hour earlier on Saturday means that people will have more time to rest, eat, and get ready for the milonga after the workshops.
-Mimi Interview: NOW AVAILABLE!
The raw footage of Gordon's interview with Mimi is available for viewing here:
http://people.scs.fsu.edu/~erlebach/movies/mimi_santapa/mimi_interview.html
The translation is still not complete, and we could use some help from volunteers, to translate from about the one-half point. In the mean time, here is one highlight for your enticement:
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Gordon: Your father used jazz music to teach milonga, didn't he?
Mimi: Yes, because in the milonga, the beat is different from the tango. The movement of the body is continuous in milonga--the torso never goes down, it is always up. In order to find the milonga rhythm--milonga is easy--but you can't teach it-- because before anything, it is a beat. I cannot teach milonga unless I teach the beat. and the beat, you look for it in the old jazz music.
In the very old jazz, the jazz that is slow, because it has the clarinet that is "visual."
G: So that resembles the milonga, say, of Canaro?
M: Right, because of the use of the clarinet and the base, all of those instruments, that go through the ears. After I play that old jazz, I stop and switch to milonga. [...] The student becomes familiar with the beat. I teach milonga to both men and women, NOT only to men. Also to the women, because if the woman doesn't have the beat then the man can't--he cannot keep two different beats by himself.
G: When the woman tries to follow the man's beat?
M: Yes, at the same time both the man and the woman coordinate. What happens is that they only teach the beat to the guy; as the time passes the girl loses mobility because they have an enemy: the posture; the woman doesn't know what to do, she loses the tempo.
G; This is the same for tango and vals also?
M: Right, it is the same. I am always talking about the posture, I'm not talking about the steps. Because the steps come on their own.
[...]
M: if you know a lot of steps collected over the years you need to add something more--not to subtract [and that something is] the posture, you don't [degenerate] because you're going to execute the steps that you already know in a better way when you add the posture.
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-A Look Ahead
June 28: Regular Weekly Milonga
July 5-6: Workshops with Mimi Santapa
July 5: Big Milonga with Mimi
July 8: Party for Mimi at Gordon's Milonga House