Florencia Bornia y Marcos Pereira Vals Improvisation -- Milonga Conexion Austin, Texas

I recorded this Friday night (2/7/20) at our local Milonga Conexion (Ricardo & Lindsay). First Fridays of each month. Really cool venue, an old church in SoCo (South Congress area), essentially right behind the South Congress Hotel. Easy parking. Highly recommended. There were 80 or so folks. Several out-of-towners - several folks from Houston.

Vals 15

My iPhone randomly played this one yesterday...Track 15 "Vals Mix"...???

Can anyone help me with the title/composer/orchestra/singers/version...?

Thanks in advance!

My apologies for the quickie "music video"...in post haste mode, I just stuck one of my photos up there with the audio track...

Looks pretty milonguero to me :: Another vals

I unsubscribed to the Tango-L daily digests a while back, but this morning, I figger'd I'd check the archives and see what was going on.

The original poster of the message "Nuevo Milonguero" feared his posting of the video was tantamount to treason, and went on to express his fear that what is shown on the video would spread like wildfire to the far corners of the world. I'm paraphrasing and embellishing a bit here - for dramatic effect.

First, the video is from a 2006 Seattle workshop with Susanna Miller and Maria Plazaola. So it's nothing new. They are doing what appears to be a didactic demo at the end of a class. A vals class I suppose. Again, nothing new.

I can only guess that what he might be talking about is the switch-up of lead roles during the dance between the two women. Or perhaps same sex dancing? Can two women dance milonguero style? Sure. Can two women interchange the lead during one dance - assuming they both enjoy leading and are good leaders? Sure.

So, from the self-appointed/anointed arbiter of all things milonguero, it looks pretty milonguero to me. I'm not concerned about some new "nuevo milonguero" movement or influence bubbling up somewhere on the planet. El Tango es El Tango. Milonguero es Milonguero. Nuevo es Nuevo. They are different animals. There is no mistaking them.

Admittedly, this is a weak post, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

A couple of final notes on the video: I don't care for the rotational, up-and-down movement of the leaders' hands at times - not-so-milonguero if you ask me.

Also, the demo doesn't feel very "vals-y" to me. It's not the vals I aspire to.

It's still nice to watch - and it would make me happy to see this danced on the pista in my community.

Very happy.

I like to watch, or "You might want to sit down for this vals."

It might make you dizzy. A found YouTube object by Rigoberto. Real Tango. Tango Tango. Okay, vals, really.

This video is further evidence supporting my theory that Tango Tango does not involve white shoes, and that when white shoes are present (on the male of the species), Tango Tango is not what is being danced.

Sebastian Arce y Mariana Montes.

Enjoy. And comment. I like comments. (In the voice of Chauncey Gardener (Peter Sellers) in the film 'Being There', when he says to Shirley McClain's character, "I like to watch.")



(flip the switch if you don't want it in high def...it will load faster....)

Matteo y Patricia :: Estilo Villa Urquiza

When a man "out embellishes" a woman

First, thanks to TangoPilgrim for finding this one. There are a few things I like about this performance/demo. Like Pilgrim, I like the vals - Se Fue by Lucio Demare. I like that it is being danced in Sunderland - there's something cool/funky about dancing tango in a basketball gymnasium. I like that there are no baggy pants being worn in the video. I like (to think) that there are very likely no baggy pants in the entire building. I like that the style is salon/close embrace mas o menos. I like the dance, just dial down the jazz, if you ask me.

What I don't like is that he is "out embellishing" his follower. I read this tonight - something Daniel Trenner said - "The man's job is to let the woman dance."

Let's not forget this fellers. It's not about us or our steps or our figures or our patterns or our moves or even our lead.

It's about the woman - dancing her and letting her dance.

She's there, in your arms, to dance and have fun and feel beautiful.

Make it so.

BE the tango you wish to see in the world.

There is a beautiful woman in that video...you may have missed her...

Alberto Dassieu y Paulina Spinoso :: A Vals

Mario brought this to our attention on Tango-L...

Alberto y Paulina bailan "La Tapera" un vals hermoso por la orq. de Edgardo Donato, en La Milonguita.

It's rather poor quality video, but that doesn't take away from a beautiful dance.