Practica El Beso Classes
Welcoming Claudio to Canada this February…
Join us on Wednesday February 19th at WE Tango to welcome Claudio Strang to Toronto and take part in a special class that will focus on dancing milonga. (How appropriate at a milonga hosted by John Needham!)
A series of classes & workshops will be held throughout February. Please join Isabella and Claudio and take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn their beloved ‘close embrace’ Tango.”
Claudio and Isabella dance the beautiful close embrace style of Tango that reflects the intimacy of the downtown milongas in Buenos Aires. Their simplicity, elegance and passion can be seen in this recent demonstration that was filmed in Cachirulo, El Beso as a ‘despedida’ for Isabella.”
Monday Night Practica…
Practica El Beso is pleased to announce a new weekly Argentine Tango practise on Monday evenings from 8-10 p.m. starting on October 1st in the Teiaiagon Room at Swansea Town Hall, 95 Lavinia Avenue, Toronto.
Your hosts will be Isabella and Nicolai.
This informal practise will feature Argentine Tango music from the Golden Age.
The Teiaiagon Room is on the second floor at Swansea Town Hall and features a beautiful wood floor and mirrors.\
Price $8 each participant.
We encourage you to bring a partner to practise with.
Free Parking behind the building and street parking available. We are close to Runnymede subway.
This article has been translated in articulos en espagnol.
Join us for two weeks in May…
Isabella Szymonowicz & Alicia Pons… part 3
1. Please tell us what you mean when you say “tango is life”.
Alicia: Tango holds different states of mind, at times happy, at times not. Like life we have connections that are more strong with some people and weaker with others. We need to have dialogues, because in our heart a TANGO ALWAYS PLAYS.
2. Can you explain the main difference between milongas in Buenos Aires and North America?
Alicia: In Buenos Aires you BREATHE tango in the milongas, the ENERGY is created by each couple and at times all TOGETHER. It almost looks like the floor moves. Each person dances with their partner creating a row of precious pearls and each dance opens the door to an emotion within ourselves that we express to our partner.
3. What do you think is missing in the milongas in North America?
Alicia: The sentiment. They are too pre-occupied with steps done well and not for what the couple feels.
4. How important do you think it is for students to spend time practising on their own?
Alicia: It is important to practise to feel secure on the dancefloor. But, I always say that “tango is produced in the moment”. At times one practises a lot and then when dancing forgets everything.
5. You are a wonderful milonguera, why do you think so many people love to dance with you?
Alicia: Thank you. I think I put all of my being into each dance, I express how I feel and let go so that I can FLY!
6. What can we do to keep this dance alive?
Alicia: Keep dancing and always learn more.
A Tango Video in Words
(Originally appeared on Tango In Toronto in an interview with Lydia)
In this blog’s last post, I asked Toronto’s Isabella Szymonowicz why dancers should experience the teachings of Buenos Aires tango instructor Alicia Pons when she visits our city early in March. In her reply Isabella included a video of the two of them dancing. Knowing that this blog’s readers have varying levels of tango knowledge and varying levels of ability to relate to a video, I asked Isabella to put in down in writing what is happening in the video. Here is her response to that challenge.
Alicia was asked last September to do a series of classes at La Milonguita which is a popular milonga a tiny bit out of the downtown core. The idea of the class was to do something simple, elegant and with the music.
During this clip Alicia and I are demonstrating the concept of simple weight change as an actual step. At about 28 seconds she verbalizes that we are only changing weight. The follower is simply walking backwards and the leader (Alicia in this case) is walking on one side of the follower and then on the other side of the follower. With great fluidity and ease the leader keeps hips level, leaves feet a bit open at times, and changes weight when he (the leader) hears it in the music. This is all done gently and with great precision. It sounds and looks so simple but really it is challenging.
The soft quality of the steps here follow the beautiful stunning music of this Osvaldo Fresedo piece with Ricardo Ruiz vocals. The music and lyrics bring forth a mood of gentle, sad, long forgotten promises never to be brought forth. The marriage of music, dance, partner, fuses into something incredibly haunting and unforgettable.
Despues del Carnaval by Osvaldo Fresedo with Ricardo Ruiz vocals.
… Fue una noche que
lloraban los violines
un triste tango de
promesas olvidades…
mientas la luna plateaba los jardines
un beso ardiente en la noche palpito.
Mas el encanto
de aquellas horas,
al morir Momo
si diluyo.
Y con mi dolor
a solas
LLore la muerte
de mi ilusion….
Another beautiful example of tango as danced in the milongas with simplicity and weight changes is this clip of Cacho Dante. He and Alicia performed and taught together.
In conversation with Alicia (part 2)
Isabella’s conversation with Alicia continues…
1. How do you think you can help people in the North American community understand tango more?
Alicia: By showing my heart and sentiment and putting a lot of energy in the classes.
2. What would you say to women who want to come to your workshops but are worried about not having a partner?
Alicia: Come anyways to learn, we have the possibility to rotate partners.
3. What do you think are the qualities in a dancer that most milongueros in Buenos Aires look for?
Alicia: To have passion for the music and dance. To let go of the body so that it can “express” and not think too much if it is good or bad to let whatever happen.
4. What would you like to share with us that we may not know?
Alicia: Tango is to feel, not to do. The music takes us away, the connection is the most important and this is intimate, not public. It is not to show others how you dance but to tell your partner how well you feel.
In conversation with Alicia (part one)
Often when a tango teacher visits Toronto we don’t have the opportunity to get to know them, beyond the context of a class or workshop. We’d like to “introduce” you to Alicia through a series of conversations that she has had with Isabella. Enjoy…
1. What brought you first to tango?
Alicia: My parents met while dancing tango. My family, aunts and uncles all danced. I remember dancing as a small child on my fathers’ feet. Even when my mother was pregnant with me I danced while in her belly. Tango is in my blood. In my adolescence I got away from it but again it came back into my life at the age of twenty when I was at a party and saw a couple dancing.
2. What was the reaction of your friends and family outside of tango when you first started?
Alicia: They have always encouraged me and now they feel proud of what I have been able to do.
3. What was the cultural climate like when you started tango and how has it changed over the years?
Alicia: The thing that has changed the most is that now it has a commercial side to it that before did not exist. Everybody danced because they enjoyed it. Now many things have appeared, taxi tango dancers, lots of teachers etc.
4. What do people in Argentina think of people that visit Buenos Aires mainly for tango..tango tourists?
Alicia: They can’t believe that tango attracts lots of tourists to come to Buenos Aires, and that they stay two or three weeks or more “ONLY TO DANCE”.
5. What was the most significant thing you learned from Graciela Gonzalez?
Alicia: Graciela was my model, she gave me the technique, her elegance. The way that she moves her feet gave me the inspiration to create my own expression.
6. How did you enjoy teaching with Cacho Dante?
Alicia: With Cacho we had a lovely school, he always respected my concepts and I always respected his. I always felt good teaching classes with him.
7. Being a world class dancer and teacher puts you in the spotlight often. What is the most important thing you would like people to learn from you?
Alicia: Really I would like to transmit the sentiment of dancing, the connection with the partner and with the music more so than the “steps”. I always say that “tango happens inside you”.
Explore your tango embrace…
Practica El Beso would like to invite everyone to come out and share an evening for an exploration of the Tango element “embrace”.
This will be the first workshop in our new home at Swansea Town Hall. We hope you will be able to join us.
Details:
Date: Tuesday January 3,
Time: 8:15 -10:00p.m
Cost: $22
Location: Swansea Town Hall
Coming home!
It is truly an incredible feeling to have the chance to go back “home” especially this time of year. Unexpectedly the opportunity arose. We will be moving from Vivace Studios to Swansea Town Hall.
Over the years Swansea has been an important part of my life, we have collaborated together on so many occassions I can’t even remember them all. This space is absolutley special to me. Over the years it has been my pleasure to rent innumberable rooms in this building. So many memories of mainly vibrant, engaging, creative, emotional times. From hosting my students year end piano recital (with my daughter being the master of ceremonies), teaching weekly adult singing classes, facilitating international voice/movement/acting workshops, teaching childrens ORFF music classes to hosting my own impovisational group…etc. This place has always encouraged me to come and spend some time here. Thank you Swansea Town Hall you have always been there to welcome me.
Please come join us for a five week Tango Fundamental series.
Each week we will investigate a different fundamental element of Tango Milonguero (close embrace). Improve balance, core strength, confidence, grace, musicality and more.
All levels welcome.
Date: Tuesdays
Time: 8:15p.m. starting January 3
Cost: $22
Location: Swansea Town Hall 95 Lavinia Avenue
This article has been translated in articulos en espanol.
Practica El Beso 