My timetable for the weekend!

This is my timetable for the weekend I have been seeing forward to since March when it was booked! This Encuentro is one of the strongest cabeceo holds in Europe so it will be interesting to find out how we two go together deep in to the nights! 

The only thing making some worries is this:

It will be HOT hot HOT!

A summer milonga

This is our summer venue and this summer we have regular milongas there on Tuesdays. Additional milongas can be arranged every now and then!

Last Saturday a new team, Kim and Jessica, organized a milonga on this warm night!

We had a short break when the King's sheeps were passing by on their way to the night stable. Take a look how the sheep dogs are working to keep the group together!

The #5 - a generation divider

When we were working with some of my friends I said - Take the #5! and he just looked at me and said: WHAT's that?

He is my junior in tango and has been learning in a different way. Me and my peers started with SALIDA, 8-Step Basic where the leader's steps are

1. Right back
2. Left side
3. Right forward
4. Left forward

5. Collect the right and change weight while the follower does the cross

6. Left forward
7. Right side step
8. Collect the left


So the issue on our training session was the cross for her and collecting & shifting weight for the leader. Most often I use the #5 term when I want the follower go to cross!

I belong to the SALIDA-generation and he & Co do not. Some of them I think can not do the salida at all. 

Check here! and take a look on the backbone of the earlier tango!

Clear and basic - Figures with Diego and Ana

When I need to know about a basic performance for a figure one of the places I look is the Diegos and Anas playlist for Argentine tango.  I thought that it maybe could be helpful for you too! This is for sacada my favorite figure this summer!

Link to the playlist!                 

(There is difficulties with videos so you get only a link.)     

Here you find a copy of the playlist window. You see that they have 47 items on the list! :)

http://youtu.be/zsiG6syustM?list=PL29FA8532E914DD98

Outdoors in Stockholm

Outdoors every Wednesday in July 

@ Årstaliden

The kicks in the Golden Age

In her book Christine Denniston writes that most of the advanced moves we use today were actively used even during the Golden Ages.

"Modern Tango dancers are sometimes surprised to find that the social dancers in Buenos Aires in the Golden Age danced these same kicks and flicks on the social dance floor."

I am reading the words - on the social dance floor - again and again.
Who did start the talk about to exclude these moves from social dance floors?

 Christine Denniston: the meaning of TANGO, The Story of the Argentinian Dance
 (p. 152)

Dancing during the war

A copy of a friends FB status at Tel Aviv, Israel

Life during the war. DJing at almost empty practica.

You know, dear people, it's Ok to feel fear.
Believe me, I know, I've been there.
I was afraid almost of everything.
Mice, darkness, water, high places, performance...

No, I mean, really afraid.
Up to the point of fainting.
But I never - and I mean never - allowed this fear to rule my actions, to decide what I will or will not do.

And this is the difference between a person who is afraid - and a coward.

What happened to us?
People used to dance under a real - and I mean, real - bombing.
What happened to us?
Are we too safe in our usual life?

There is further comments on this status I appreciated. Check here:
https://www.facebook.com/xenia.mikhailov/posts/10152596188572952

The local or worldwide barrio?

In the old days the dance styles evolved in the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires & Co. The main  feature keeping the group together was the geographical aspect; the people, dancers near you will develope the same way of dancing. People met weekly and watched how the skilled peers were dancing, get inspired and let their own dance change to that direction

In the worldwide barrio the teachers have become the central feature for a community. The peers in the community around a teacher will travel to the workshops, watch the videos and communicate in the net with others and develop their movements in that teachers style.

I suppose a person belongs to different barrios. 

What are your local barrios and the characteristics there?
Are you a member of a worldwide barrio, following a teacher and a style?

Teachers or Youtube?

Today we are living in the expert world so we don't believe on our own ability to see, understand and apply our own ideas on our dance. We want quite exact guidance from a teacher and we want to get forward at racer speed. This gives us a very strong from outside to inside learning and we create a more homogeneous pista, less variation on a figure.

In the old world the dancers were watching the skilled local dancers and then tried to do something similar. The learning was from outside to inside but I think that the results were more or less individual.

There are also stories how a dancer wanted to go around and found a way to do so. All the results were different creating a jungle of movements and an utterly diversified pista.The learning was from inside to outside.

To learn from youtube is a kind of modern variation of this old type of learning!

Shoulders or Feet?

I think one of the biggest differences between the dancers of earlier days and the ones today is the place, where people primarily focus the dance. The old milongueros told that they looked at the shoulders, the upper part of the body to find the DANCE. 

Today the the attention is mainly focused on feet. This phenomenon you can easily discover on youtube! If the person behind the camera cannot get the whole image in same window they will move downward and show you the feet. The same on workshops where people will eagerly learn the consecutive steps and only after that pay attention to the movement of torso.

I think this shift of primary focus has an impact on our dance and dance experience!

The lost cravings for tango

After all these years of dancing 4-5 nights per week or whole weekends with short moments of sleep I do not go out anymore. Or more correct I go out but the process to get out is a risky one with many moments for failure. I do not have any desire to dance, I have no cravings today.

This means that I must do the preparations more carefully today. I need to have all the clothing ironed and ready that afternoon. The food needs to be planned and ready to cook after I have taken the shower. In that order! If the meal comes first there is enough time to get relaxed and I will stay at home on the sofa! It has happened.

If my friends are traveling I will stay at home - the promise to them is motivating.

I am thinking of this quite a lot.

Earlier the clothing was not a problem. I ate what I found and had time to. There was always people to dance with if my favorites were on vacation. I walked to the bus stop at an hour of my usual bedtime - not a slightest problem!

I am happy to say that WHEN I get to the milonga the dancing can be as joyful happening as ever! Greatful for that!

Get a personal Tango Doctor!

Every now and then a follower comes to me at a milonga and asks for a recovery dance. Her body is out of order after a dance with a nice but unskilled leader who is shaking her body to chaos. During our tanda she recovers and can go home with memories of a nice milonga.

When I was still following I had a similar problem caused by rough words from some leaders. During that period I had a tango friend who was an easygoing, experienced dancer. His dance was not demanding but still spiced up with some moves and he could have some small talk going on even during a song. When my world was smashed down by someone I went to him and asked for a tanda. This playful dance let me recover and go home glad for the nice parts of the evening. I called him for my Tango Doctor in my mind.

Please take this advice and get your own Tango Doctor, a man or a woman! Your milongas will become a much better place in that way. Become friend with someone who has a healing effect on you. Become aware of this effect and keep this friend!

Who could be your doctor?

Tango moves on wikipedia

This site is a good place to start when looking for a correct name for a tango move. You find here the names in English and Spanish and quite explanatory pictures as well.

Figures of Argentine tango

Tango Lesson seems to be involved here because most of the figures are shown by Cristina and Homer Ladas.

I suppose you can find some videos at their channel on several of these figures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figures_of_Argentine_tango

This is happening today!

Caused by tango!

http://www.theknot.com/wedding/Phoebe-and-Sergio

Eye contact!

I have had a few encouraging memories from other leaders, who caught my eyes and improved the contact by a light smile on his lips. There was a short moment of understanding between us until the music put us to next whirling turns in different directions. In May I got this gift from a guy in Athens and another in Stockholm, both unknown leaders to me. Those short eye contacts made my milonga, they made my night!

For some reason these instant contacts to another leader have had a deep positive impact on me and they have created long term memories, gems, for me! 

Run or Grow?

If you are learning new things continuously you are gaining area; you know more and more about this dance. You will learn more and more steps as well as names for those steps. Your knowledge base is growing.

But every now and then you should take a pause and just dance. During that period the information, all your knowledge is integrated to your personal platform in tango! Your knowledge is transformed to skill and depth.

Music for a private workshop

Here are the songs we were working with on the musicality section. You find the music and one or two couples dancing the same song.
The range of emotions here are all the way from a sad song to a musical joke!

Viento Norte 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EweUUTfkEaQ

Derecho Viejo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYG5mAi4O5s

This song has been around for a while and *some* years ago it looked like this!

El Espiante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmQ6ItX33Rs

A playful musical joke on the pista!

The Addams Family Masochism Tango

Year 2000 (about) this was quite ok as a part of a tanda in our community. Only one leader had problems to dance it because of the serious laugh attacks putting him bend over knees!  Others were just dancing.

If you have had it in a tanda lately, please tell how it was going on! I am badly curious!!






Here you have the creator Tom Lehrer at piano - The Masochism Tango

You find some more information and the text for this song in the end of wikipedia article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Evening_Wasted_with_Tom_Lehrer

The singer changes it and the follower liked it!

During many pauses at late milonga backstage I have heard frustrated dancers to burst out: The dj has SINGERS all the time!! I can not take it anymore this night!!

Many of them were too frustrated to be able to tell why; others told me about the disturbing issues, but I never really understood what the problem was. I found my way through the songs without problems, I was listening the music in a different way I thought.

Now I have got a clue about it! I visited a milonga with live music for a part of the evening. The instrumental songs were really nice to dance to, but then the singer came in: The forward movement, which was created by the instruments, was pushed back and the voice slowed everything down, made it different. I could still dance, but I did not enjoy it. My follower heard the same but she felt that the steps became unsecure, changed to be fragile and matched the music. 

 All the songs were beautiful and beautifully performed but for me it would have been better to stop dancing, sit down and enjoy instead!

Anyhow now I have shared the experience my friends have had so many times; I understand them better now!

History impact on a tanda

In Athens:  the girl told me 
she took some steps on her own 
during our tanda.

She told it's because of her origin,
because she is from Sparta.

I did not noticed, it was ok

Wikipedia:
In ancient Sparta in contrast to Athens, the girls were reared much like boys, including physical fitness training. 









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_ancient_Sparta

Military impact on Tango in Thailand

The community has changed the start to be earlier. But the content is still the same despite the military take over.

*SATURDAY MILONGA BY LYNN tomorrow, new hours due to curfew, 16:00 - 19:00 pm, Red Pepper, Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 18, Asok station. Still includes food/bev. Bt 350. Come early to enjoy full three hours of tango!*

Facebook address to one of the organizers in Bangkok.

The different goals on one pista

It is not so easy to notice that on this very same pista people have different goals, which are driving the split of the group to different subgroups.

We could compare the possible groups in a runner's world to see the activators there and to compare those with the dancers' world. We maybe could agree about following groups: Sunday stroll, Easy training for health, to Get Good at running and the Long Distance Runners who are testing their personal edges.

Can you identify the corresponding groups in your dance community? 

I think the social aspects are strongest for the *Sunday stroll* group and least of importance for the *LongDistance* dancers. There are maybe some health aspects too but not for the Long Distance dancers who are pushing themselves through pain and injuries. The skill development must be extremly important for the LongDistance group and even for the GetGood dancers who are travelling for workshops and milongas around the world .

Which of these would be your group? 

I think your dance life will be much more pleasurable if you can identify the group which suits your interests. If you can find the other dancers with the same goals in your community, establish relationships with those dancers and you will create the most harmonious atmosphere possible for your dance life.

A milonga with max 10 followers

If the milonga is three hours long the organizer should allow at maximum 10 followers to attend the venue. That is the only change to give a good service.

When a DJ is using medium long cortinas there will be four (4) tandas per hour. In this case I can have two rests during the night. With other words I will dance 4tandas, rest one, dance 3, rest one and then dance 3 tandas again.

This kind of small milongas would make it possible for me to offer a tanda to everyone, if they are interested. It would also be easy and natural to say hello to each and everyone. 
What a releaf for a leader!

......................          

written on a dark day      

......................          

I desperately appreciate the followers who can handle a frustrating situation, who can see the actual situation even for the leaders and who are willing to work persistent for the tandas they are longing for. You have my eye! If you are interested.

Café de Hansen is found by archaeologists

There is very little relicts to be found in tango history. Most of the important things of sounds, steps, atmosphere and words do dissappear when completed. Therefore this peace of archaeological excavations feels so interesting.

Café de Hansen opened the doors 1877 and were hosting the tango visitors to 1912. There is discussions about the information if people were actually dancing there or if they just listen to the music while eating and refreshing themselves.

You find a more detailed story in the Tango Chamuyo blog - better English is it too!
http://jantango.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/cafe-de-hansen/

The Spanish version here:
http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/areas/cultura/cpphc/sitios/detalle.php?id=4

The desert flower opened

I have been longing for Alvaros music for a long time and got it at Tango Brujo tonight!

Most of the musicians and singers on the playlist were born long time after golden ages and I felt how something opened up within me, like a flower after a long dry period. A song could sound totally impossibly but was easy to dance to.

It seems that I need a wide range of variety and this is available so seldom.

Thanks!

Check what is happenig on *El Tango Brujo* : http://www.eltangobrujo.com/

This picture is from the late night, nearly at the end of the Milonga so we were only a few left.
I just couldn't take a break earlier!

Dreaming away

Sometimes my colleagues have told that they have driven a car for several miles without any possibility to recall what happened. They remember how they started the engine and then the next thing was that they find themselves at home in front of the garage door.

Most of the times this happened during a period of high stress level or tiredness.

I believe though,  that this kind of state of mind, where your body is working properly but the mind is absent, can occur for the dancers too.  Especially for the followers who can close the eyes, and just relax in the movement. It could be a kind of meditative state and I think that the followers, who have experienced of loosing the awareness of time during a tanda, have been somewhere there.

The abrazos, back and forth

During my leader years I have become accustomed to hear the price and glory of the Argentine leader abrazo. Many followers got something unfocused in their eyes when they remembered back to those days in South America.

These statements include a serious criticism to the European leaders and their abrazos. But it seems to be ok to tell.

I have heard only a few stories about how European leaders are experiencing the Argentine follower abrazos and cannot now catch the content.

The other way round - how the Argentine leaders and followers are experiencing the European abrazo - I do not have a clue about it today.

I start to listen.

Floor breaking birthday milonga

It feels that a piece of tango historia will turn alive again when Pino together with his own family, is planning to reopen Pele, an old family restaurant.

His parents bought it earlier but from 1994 they have had tango actitivities there and it was here I came when the wether came chillier and I needed to find a place to dance inside. So to Pele we went and met our friends!

Yesterday we started the process by celebrating Pinos birthday and after dancing several hours we broke the floor and carried it out! The new floor will come shortly we hope!





Pino is also His wife organizing one of the oldest and biggest festivals in South Sweden, Tango Camp.

http://www.tangocamp.se/tc/sweden/welcome

Housekeeping music!

During several weeks I have been listening to this playlist of Enrique Rodriquez songs when the flat needs to be cleaned up. The songs are runing in brisk rhythm and glad melody as well as I am! A great help!






It seems that the window above doesn't open the playlist - here a new try!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN2D4gpMA2k&feature=share&list=RDCN2D4gpMA2k

Visual pleasures hit my stomach

Every time when I ask my non dancing friends to come and see my hobby their eyes are catched by the biggest movements and highest boleos. That is tango! they say.

I maybe was like that too during the early days. Today I am more looking for the musicality, how the steps are connected to the beats. Some relaxed, experienced dancers can hit very down to my stomach with simple steps cleverly connected to the music. This is not a metaphor, but some videos are tickling my nerves and the feeling of enjoyment is nearly painful.

I have started to think that there is maybe a path this evolution goes; that you can predict what stages you have before you when you take your first steps.

Lady and the bandoneon

Koh Sangji is the foremost bandoneon player in Korea. She and her band have been playing in milongas, music festivals, concert halls, and have gained a very enthusiastic following in Korea.

She has studied with Komatsu Ryota in Japan and Federico Pereiro and Nestor Marconi in Buenos Aires. She graduated from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce in 2011. She will be playing at Seoul tango festival in May and you find some more information by clicking the link far down.

The Youtube video is of bad quality - filmed and uploaded from a mobile - but it gives you a different picture of what a tango concert can be. In this way the public can be far beyond the conservative group of dancers!






http://www.seoultangofestival.com/2014/04/2014-seoul-tango-festival-live-tango.html

Are your ears HURTING? what ? WHAT?

Some of the dancers claim that they want to feel the music in the breast bone!

**But not me! Sometimes my ears are aching even when I have the earplugs in place. 

It is difficult for a DJ to navigate between a variation of demands during a whole night milonga, and usually the most persistant or with highest ranking in hierarchy gets the volume adaption! Therefore I have started to use an app on my phone showing the decibel levels. It is easier to discuss with some numbers in my hand! 

I am sure Your can find your own at your area  and download it for iPhone or Adroid.

In Sweden you get them here: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.av.buller https://itunes.apple.com/se/app/buller/id418022274?mt=8 http://www.av.se/teman/buller/app/

An advantage of a new focus!

Sometimes it is helpfull to find a new focus point. One of my followers is a nervous kind of person, very like me there, worrying to make mistakes. I could feel it in her body because it was stiff and somehow jumping in to the next step. But one day that was different, up to the degree that I commented it. She told that she got tired to be so nervous and has decided to focus on music and leave the leading to me. If I did not fix her feet, she would give me a second try! :)

Intuitive dancer

The process of becoming a fluent speaker in your native language is quite similar to the process I have had to get fluent in stepping to tango music; by communicating with the people around me. After reaching a certain level in your language you start to feel if the words are not in right order or if the verbform is not correct, you don't know why, you just feel that it is not correct. I also developed a feeling indicating that I am relating my steps to music in a good way or the opposite.

Are you with me?!  Are you also an intuitive dancer?!

The Smallest Milonga in Stockholm

I have not been in a smaller milonga in Stockholm. Yes the private ones, but this is open for everyone. The owner of the coffee shop, is a true collector of things she now shares with all of us. To find new details is such a pleasure, that I occasionally forget to dance!

Every other Thursday she opens for tango but other weekdays have other pleasures and there is allways place for a plain coffee or beer!

parallel vs. connected dance

Within tango you often hear the word connected. I think one of the important aspects explaining the difference is the source of the movement, where the movement starts.

Parallel
Both partners are initiating their own movements when they understand that the other person is reacting on music. You can start a serie of steps when you see/understand that the other person is going to start on a certain beat in music.

Connected
In connected dance you take a step when you in your body feel what kind of step the other person is doing. The information goes both ways and often simultaneously.

I think in most of the couple dances the dancers are growing towards the connected dance, but for the Argentine tango it is the starting point.

What women are looking at on the dance floor

It seems that there is some favorite patterns female followers do appreciate when they watch male dancers.
I wonder in what extent this can be applyed to Argentine tango?

In this Washingtonpost article they think anyhow that some eye catchers can be nailed!

Check here!  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/24/what-women-want-on-the-dance-floor-according-to-science/

Tips from a follower

Every now and then I get a suggestion from a follower about a follower I should dance with. When that suggestion is based on follower's  opinion of a dancers good skill I have most often had a different opinion. I feel that something important is missing for me during the dance! 

I think there is a problem if followers idea of a good follower is not about the same as the leaders have. Both leaders and followers need to develope skill sets which include the most vital skills for the other group in order to create a good dance.

............ but how to find those skill sets?

Keep on telling me could be one method!

Diagnose your balance

When I was doing the exercises on this video to train my balance, I noticed how different the responses were from various joints in my body. I actually could understand where the balance management was weakest!  Where I have my problems!

The first part revealed to me how weak my akles are, especially the left. I managed only a few repetitions without a break. The picture is clear, isn't it?
The second part trains your torso and after all my pilates training, that was actually ok.

So the diagnosis for my body is that ankles need special training and if you follow the link right up, you will find out how my training is going!

But how about a test here - how is your balance? Strong all the way? 

Take some minutes to test!       

Absorbed

The picture from my home pista in the last posting kept me thinking. I was searching the word, which could describe the feeling I got when looking at the dancers and now I have found it!

The word is absorbed. That is the word I feel matches the expressions of these couples!

Your are enjoying, you are dancing, you are learning and fully absorbed in your activity.

To see the image again - see the posting below or click here!

Stockholm & Paris

I have started to take photos and videos at our weekly practica to find a way to visualize the dance there. When I looked this picture so full of life, dance and movement I immediately was moved to another capital and century. What do you think?

Stockholm 2014

Paris 188x

Oxytocin a Promising New Treatment for Anorexia

During a tanda some / a lot of oxytocin is released and I hope that they will include this kind of information to build a treatment for anorexia.

You find the whole article here!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/822146?src=rss
[It seems medscape is blocking  the view possibility. I found the article by making a search on the subject of this article. 2014.03.21]

It would be really pity if they will just create a pill!

OR

Social tango - A tango for Joe

I think this is considered to be one of the most common stories. You find a place in a tango community and get connected, appreciated again.

When you want to meet Joe, click here!

http://vimeo.com/38262282

Social Tango - SANTA FE Junio 2013

In this video they dance and behind the tables starts the palyground for the kids. Isn't this the ultimate form of social tango? Social tango where your whole life is present!

3Esquinas My home for Sunday afternoons

This Sunday was a busy night but still there was dancers who were sitting. The organizer noticed that and made an announcement about cutting the tandas in order to create more available dances to us. From that moment on we had two tango valses, three tangos, three tangos, two milongas and then the schedule from the beginning again!

He observes what is happening, he uses his options to make it better and that's the reason we go back there in large numbers!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3esquinas/

The not so social family tango!

The Tango, Addams Family Values

Una familia milongueando

The whole family is dancing!

Astor Piazzolla weekend - Libertango

When I was working on this portal for Libertango I was struck by the fact that there is hardly any ordinary dances or tango performances. On the contrary this song seems to inspire a totally amazing number of artists at different fields.

I have played with different themes to give your a different angle of viewpoint.
CLICK the small video to activate one of the playlists!

Moves us - dance, theater, sports
Outdoors - conserts at extraordinary spaces, dance aso

Chicas - what do the ladies want to do to this music?
Classics & Co - the old ones, children, visually beautiful films

En masse - a lot of instruments at same time
Odd instruments - there is instruments I could not imagine!

..... sing along!  - You may test to be part of a chorus.
..... play along! - Piazzola has specialized to a rhythmical pattern you can test by following the drummer who guides the the orchestra of beginners! or check the orchestra members movements!

(you find a portal guide below)
)


The smal icons on the blue canvas are actually links to corresponding playlist and you can open it by clicking the icon, the little video picture.

Your click will open this kind of playlist and you can actively browse among the options on the right side. Your click opens the ones you want to watch or you can use the arrows above the list to move to next video or the one before.

( Isn't this instrument beautifull? I have never before seen anything like it!)

Astor Piazzolla In Portrait - Tango Maestro [2005]

Here you have nearly two hours about Astor Piazzolla! We will meet his family and get the picture how he was at home. He started his career early at the lime light and some of it was fresh information to me!

Take a slow coffee and enjoy! . . . or maybe a bigger cup of tea is more appropriate!


                

Astor Piazzolla weekend - a teaser

Libertango is one of the most popular of Astor Piazzolla's tangos. This one is combined with information about his life and doings. If you are satisfied with this info but want more about Libertango you can just jump over the BBC documentary on Saturday to the Sunday posting - it will be released according to the Asian timetable!  :)

Back to practica!

If you need to look down when processing a figure it is not mature for a milonga night.
When you test the maturity of a figure your should be able to do it with different partners, to different music, in different sizes and without thoughts about how you should place your feet or torso.

Otherwise work on it at the practica!

Witnessing the steps in Berlin

In February we visited the tango community in Paris and today it is time for Berlin!

This is a vimeo film and it is not possibly to link it directly. Click somewhere on this line and hang on!

There is more than 40 dancers involved in this film - you may know some of them if you travel a lot! If you continue to read the text  b e l o w  the film in the vimeo screen you find more information.

Free apps for your Spanish studies!

To dance Argentine tango is also to get accustomed to the spanish terminology and for some of us it tickles alive a wish to learn some spanish. If you plan to visit Buenos Aires your wish will rapidly grow to a plan to enroll on a course! It can happend that the only local course is run on the very same evening as your favorite milonga so it is not an option!

But there is some other possibilities available for those of us, who only have a few minutes here and there.

Duolingo - Free app
I am using this one because it has a nice layout,  a good study plan and it is free. There is some more courses if you appreciate the method.
https://www.duolingo.com

Memrise - Free app
Yesterday I came across this tool combining the good quality of Duolingo layout quite well and giving you a possibility to create your own learning materials as well. There is a lot of courses your Memrise pals have done for themselves and generously sharing for us others too. I will definetly go with this app for Asian studies and my own material!
http://www.memrise.com

Anki - Free app
This is quite like the Memrise app giving you the option to create your own material. I have used it for my Asian language studies and to get fluent on the functions of my camera.
http://ankisrs.net/

All three have an app for ANDROID and APPLE as well as for the large screen on your computer at home.

Åke y Gertrud a beautiful, calm dance

When I was working on the New Year video this dance took a hold on my eyes! I appreciated the advancing and returning side steps in giro, fitting the way I also hear the music. There were some occasions when they go down together to express the music, performed in concert with all parties! A beautiful, calm dance among other dancers.

Can you se what they are listening to? What they choose to dance to?




This is one of my attempts to give space for those dancing next to me on the pista!

How do you get your balance?

Of those three systems, which are mainly creating the balance I actually believed only on one of them before I read this article: The Vestibular system. It is the labyrinth system in your inner ear giving feedback about your postion in the 3-dimensional space.

I was not aware of the importance of the vision in creating balance. Yes, It was so untill I had my experiences in the totally white photostudio. But I thought it was just a funny detail!

The Proprioceptive system I should have known but did not: There is specialized cells in the muscles, joints and tendons monitoring the body position. They have also an ability to recognize the amount of stress and pressure the body is experiencing.

You find a short article via this link 

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/Physical-Therapy-For-Seniors/a/Where-Does-Balance-Come-From.htm

There you find also information about what can set these systems out of order and make you faaaall. . 

The dream of tango in Hanoi

A beautiful film to celebrate the 5th aniversary of Tango Hanoi 2011. I got a strong feeling of Paris while watching it through!

I enjoy the diversity of expressions when the local atmosphere is giving it's flavour to the Argentine tango we all know!




This is a dream of tango in Hanoi but isn't it quite similar to your dreams even if you are living faraway!

a Celebration milonga in HCM city

The couple who speak from the beginning is Dung and Diu who are founder of Tango in Vietnam - known as Ta Tango.

This clip from 2011 is sharing the moment they celebrate the New Year and new venue for milonga in Ho Chi Minh City, located at Press Cafe, 14 Alexandre de Rhodes, HCM, Vietnam. Currently the weekly milonga is located at Thoai Vien Cafe, in Wednesday and Sartuday night.




I want to learn more about the tango culture in various Asian countries;
feel invited to follow me on the trip!

Finding milongas on your ww trip

When I am planing my new trip I usually make a youtube search on that country or area to get an idea of the tango danced there. If I like a venue or festival I try to contact the account owner via youtube. Some times it don't work sometimes it works relly well and I have had a friend waiting for my visit!

This site has been a helpful start. It gives you the organizers email so I have been able to check if the event is still valid. You find the map and other information as well.
http://milongas-in.com/milongas-in.php

Other sites:

http://www.tangofestivals.net/

http://www.tangomarathons.com/

New York - http://www.newyorktango.com/

A practica at Alvik, Stockholm

Tango Norte organizes a practica every Wednesday night for about 80-120 people. The night starts with an introduction for beginners or newcomers 18.00 - 19.00 The longtime dancers come at 19.00 and we continue to dance to 21.45

Is tango Argentine in Asia too?

This is the videolist including the most of them we checked during the talk!

Seoul views (if you mouse click the small icons a new playlist opens for you)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcJX_wqUepU

The slow dancing in Seoul
Slow dance Bong Bong y Nabi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBYe1k2Cf4

El Tango 5th Anniversary Ziyea
http://vimeo.com/87386164

Listen to the audience
Virginia Christian Seoul 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyFuqYt40ww

Serious work, ideas and atmosphere
Gen and Lily the winners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhVfWyNhNU

1st Singapore International tango festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyv_NBzxWEA

A Chinese couple in BsAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=majF3GHlMhE

a tango song - 5th anniversary  Tango Hanoi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXxVdvlhnRA

Gender roles
Vladimir - Meng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLrqfIGv-8

Peninsula & Jinsuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di0lBhslFII

Acces to the Argentine scene; followers, clubs and championships
Facundo Posadas - Ching Ping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4-9gdfxZ-M

Andres Molina Y Rui Saito Milonga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA5jtxfas-g

Raymond and Lily SUnderland 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtZjDJk0eJk

Peninsula and Beau Chispita Kim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I98nFTKmaJw

Hiroshi y Kyoko Yamao - Cordobesita  2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVjKszqEagc

We have checked different aspects of tangon in Asian and on the sceen you find Hiroshi and Kyoko!

Diego Ortega and Chizuko Kuwamoto 2010 stages class
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpWv7ISFQ9c


THE FOLLOWING WE DID NOT CHECK DURING THE SPEACH BUT BEFORE!  :)

Festival in Seoul  (Blogger)
http://leadingladyl.blogspot.se/2012/06/seoul-tango-festival-2012.html

Tango traveling in Thailand  (YouTube)
http://youtu.be/rWzKgUAJUiw

Una noche de verano/ Juhannus-tango

Tango in Buenos Aires

or

What happened in Finland 

on a Midsummer eve

Video is here! click here!

Posible explanations will follow or become more confusing!

:)