Tango

On Saturday I tried a new milonga. I had attempted to reach this venue once before, after Hurricane Irene. Roads were closed, and the detours led to more closed roads. After an hour and four phone conversations trying to get directions, I headed back home and stopped in at another friend's birthday party. This time, I wisely planned to meet other dancers at their home, and then ride in the back seat of their car.

With a GPS, the driver found the destination easily. Without a GPS, it would be nearly impossible. The building is in Sugar Loaf, NY, down a dirt road and not visible from the main street. It's a beautiful community/cultural center with artwork on the walls, and one side entirely windows. I was warmly welcomed by the host, and hugged by a dancer I haven't seen in two years. That night there were guest instructors, a well-known female instructor from NJ, Carolina Juarena, and a world champion from Columbia, Carlos Paredes. Now, to the heart of this post.

During the lesson, Carlos emphasized that the leader (usually male) needs to look at the woman (the follower), and make a connection with her. The leader's goal is to be sure the follower is comfortable during the dance. And if there is a mistake, it is not anyone's fault. Try again, keep dancing, have fun. And yet... many leaders do not seem to follow this practice and it seems a shame. I had one dance that night that turned out to be unnecessarily stressful as I attempted to follow leads into tricky steps with a man I did not know while dancing in close embrace. Many tango dancers would blame the leader in this situation, with the argument that if he leads correctly, I will be able to follow. True enough. But why even create a situation where the dance is ruined?

A possible answer may be the marked contrast between the way professionals dance vs. the "average" non-professional dancers (most of us!). In Argentina, my instructor regularly reminded his students that professional stunts belonged on the stage, not on a social dance floor. Maybe it's too difficult to resist the fantasy of looking as good as the pro's.

http://www.carolinadancer.com/
 

Merry Christmas

In the locker room at the Y this morning, another woman and I chatted about how we had to take down our Christmas trees today. She informed me that for many people, January 6, or Three Kings Day, marks the true end of the holiday season. She briefly summarized the story of the kings, and concluded with the warning that it was simply bad luck to take down the tree before the twelve days of Christmas passed. For me, last weekend was filled with holiday activities and there was no time during the week between work and dance, so I planned for today. However, with a day filled with sunshine and the warmth of 60 degrees, my tree remains standing, and still decorated. Sigh.

This holiday marked the return of two past traditions: dinner at Union Square Cafe in NYC, and attending The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. My kids and I managed to time our dinner at Union Square to coincide with an absolute downpour. We planned an easy walk from the Chelsea Market to the restaurant. However, that idea changed when by 5pm, it was pouring. Umbrellas offered no protection from rain coming down sideways, and after two blocks we were soaked! We were lucky to get a cab! I will say that the dinner was worth it, but I won't rush back. Service was as good as ever, the restaurant as beautiful as ever, and the food very good, though somewhat drab on the plates.

My son declined a ticket to the ballet, so it was just "the girls." Of all the Christmas activities, The Nutcracker is arguably the most splendid. The music for this ballet was written by Pyotr Tschaikovsky, and adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman's story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Tschaikovsky wrote three ballet scores: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The first full-length, two act version of the ballet was presented by the San Francisco Ballet in 1944. (The first time I saw The Nutcracker was, in fact, in San Francisco at the Opera House!) George Balanchine's version premiered in NY in February, 1954. Ten years later, the NYC Ballet moved to its present location and redesigned the ballet. From 1964 till now-- almost a 50 year tradition of The Nutcracker during the holiday season! Jen and I loved every minute of the performance from the "growing" Christmas tree, the battle with the Mouse King, the ribbon dancers, Mother Ginger, and my favorite, the pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince.

By the way-- After the ballet, we ate at Nick and Toni's Cafe on 67th Street. (Same owners as the fancy Nick and Toni's in East Hampton.) Salads, soups, pizza, and full dinners. Since it was late, we had pizza, salad and roasted local vegetables. All wonderful. Beware though- my beer was $9!
http://www.nickandtoniscafe.com/