Sorry to bring it up again, but I ran across this just now. It seems that the short film "Heart Tango" may have actually been commissioned advertising by Italian lingerie company Intimissimi. At least that is what is suggested by the blog for Bella Bella Boutique.
Here's what they had to say about it :: "Intimissimi is the brand closest to a woman's heart. This is how they are able to understand all of her many facets, her countless personalities and infinite emotions. How they are able to know in every woman, in every emotion, and in every role she plays, beats a different heart. They have felt the beat of all these hearts and expressed it in a film, a story rich with passion and sensuality and one that is able to speak directly to a women's heart. Intimissimi is sexy, fun, sophisticated and at attractive prices."
I wondered what the story was behind the short film, but never really thought to investigate further. Update: Directed by Gabrielle Muccino
I thought y'all might find this interesting.
Update: The music is Veronica Verdier..."Asi se baila el tango"...from the film "Take the Lead" (with Antonio Banderas)...https://youtu.be/UbYIh6XSTBU
Photo titled "Isabella con cafe 1" by sollang on flickr
This photo pretty much captures how I have felt today - après tango - waking up gradually after a few late nights of sweet tango. It's not so much about the woman in the photo, not so much that I would like to wake up to this imagery (although, believe me, I would), but more that the image evokes the feelings I have inside me right now. Sleepy headed waking up blurry bleary eyed blissful beautiful memories.
Beautiful memories, beautiful dances, beautiful women, thank you beautiful tango.
Thank you Atlanta Tango Festival... . . . . . Important note...this may only work for the male reader/viewer/listener...try clicking on Track 13 on the imeem player..."Melissa" by the Allman Brothers...listen...and just look at the photo...tell me if it feels different with this music playing...plus, it's only fitting that this song is from the album "Eat a Peach", and the Allman Brothers are from Georgia...
After a particularly sweet dance with a particularly sweet follower at about 3:15am this morning...something that was in my head manifested itself involuntarily...
"mm"
Not "mmmm", not "mmm", not "Mmm", but a full blown "mm"...with the full tone and inflection and timing and delivery of something that feels really, really good...a reaction of pure bliss...
I felt it, I thought it, and before I knew it, "it" slipped out...
We giggled about it as I stammered to explain myself. I told her that "mm" translated meant "I'm happy that I put my shoes back on"....but I was not being completely honest...
That was a first...
P.S. As I sit here in my hotel room bed, laptop in lap, some weird cartoon playing on the tube after watching "CBS Sunday Morning" and "Meet the Press", I keep trying to recreate this "mm" sound...it actually has a slight nasal intonation...an amalgam of "mm" and "nn"...which makes it even more of a dead give away....try it...
Imagine making your hotel reservation for a festival weeks or months in advance, arriving to check in, and being told that the hotel was booked, and that you were being bumped to a hotel about five miles away from the festival venue. This happened to a friend, and although I have not confirmed this, she said that a large block of rooms was bumped.
Now there is the hassle of dealing with the shuttle - 20 minutes to get to the new hotel - 1 hour to get back to the venue for the welcome milonga. There is the hassle of not having the convenience of your room just minutes away - freshen up, take a power nap, just rest, whatever.
I haven't confirmed any of this with my friend Angel - one of the organizers - but I'm sure they are livid - this is not a good thing for a hotel to do - no matter what the reason.
The only saving grace is the rooms are now comp'd - as in free.
TAKE THE FUCKING HAT OFF OF YOUR HEAD!!! Two dickweeds were wearing fedoras at the "elegant" milonga last night. Any southern gentleman knows you take your fucking hat off when you come inside. The sun isn't shining at 3am inside, it's not raining or snowing inside, leave the hat at home or in your room.
Plus, if you know anything about tango, then you know the history of the fedora. Wearing it in a milonga just shows everyone what an idiot you are.
It shouldn't matter, I shouldn't care, but it irritates the shit out of me.
SYNOPSIS ::
I stayed until the bitter end. It started out good, then I went into a slump, and it ended on a good note. I was having an off night in general. My walk was weird, everything was weird - internally - my issues.
THE A/C ::
The air conditioning was off for the first couple of hours or so. Here was Alex ::
Angel was very responsive in getting the hotel engineering staff to deal with it in short order.
Not a big deal.
THE FLOOR ::
Nice, smooth, 36" panels making 36" lanes. In spite of the organizers' announcement about using the "lanes" - most leaders disregarded this. Guys didn't seem to be able to stay in the middle of their lane, preferring, or defaulting to the edge of the lane.
I liked the organizers' choice of words - it's about "floorcraft discipline".
CASH BAR ::
I bummed two bucks to add to my four to buy a glass of wine. It's nice to have the cash bar in the ballroom, but not many people were drinking.
FLOORCRAFT/NAVIGATION/LEADERS ::
I would say it was "normal" for most festivals. The only thing I can suggest is that teachers need to spend a lot more time on floorcraft and navigation with beginners. Also, it would be nice if festival organizers produce some sort of flyer or pamphlet. Beyond that, you can't really do much unless you want to start policing the floor, which would not be good.
I frequently found myself trapped between a nuevo and one of the many idiot leaders. I think a lot of my floorcraft/navigation issuses (with other leaders) are my own issues resulting from dancing on a crowded floor. The better I get, the more I can navigate around the yahoos.
I found myself spending time in the corners - and herding certain guys to stay in their own lanes.
The reality is there will always be leaders who won't amount to JACK SQUAT with regards to floorcraft & navigation.
DJ'ing ::
Par excellence...there were only a few times that I wasn't "moved" by a tanda...but overall a fantastic traditional mix...great cortinas...as good as it gets...I think it was Shorey Myers...
HAIRCUTS ::
I noticed Robert Hauk got a haircut. Then I noticed a few women who got their hair cut. Then I noticed a lot of women with either really short hair, or bob type cuts. A couple of them told me they cut it because of tango - to make it easier to deal with on the dance floor.
THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER CATEGORY ::
I was talking to a friend who is new to tango about "stuff". I told her that for me, when a woman falls into my "happily ever after" category, that I am intimidated to the point of not or never asking her to dance. She pointed out to me that I am an idiot for doing this - although she conveyed this much more nicely than saying that I am an idiot.
Miss "Happily Ever After" smiled at me and said good night at the end of the night. I will dance with her tonight.
LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA ::
Florentino Ariza, in order to dull the pain of his unrequited love for Fermina Daza, began sleeping with large numbers of women. Six hundred and twenty seven or something like that. He kept a journal, numbering them, and entering a brief comment about each.
Rather than continue with the blog commonality of nick names like "Miss Happily Ever After", I'm going to use Florentino Ariza's method...
THE LADIES ::
#1 :: Thou shalt not covet thy new friend's partner...
#2 :: Young and beautiful...
#3 :: Her scent, like honey, is still with me this morning... a sweet kiss on her temple after walking her to her car...
#4 :: Trembles in my embrace... I like this one... I dreamt of her this morning...
#5 :: Pleasantly large breasted... in the natural sense...
#6 :: Saved me from myself in the end... noticed the salty taste of her perspiration after kissing her cheek... licked it from my lips on the way back to "the van", "down by the river"...
Six, maybe seven followers, nine or ten tandas. Not enough. Not enough for a man who very recently said "I just want to dance..."
NOTES TO SELF ::
It was an "off" night for you...your dance was "off", but don't let that get to you...dance more and sit less...don't let painful beauty scare you...think about the "one follower, one tanda" concept...drink less vino tinto...be more discerning, but dance more milonga...re-evaluate your "quality over quantity" approach...overcome your floorcraft, navigation and fedora issues..."it's not what happens to you, but how you CHOOSE to react to it..."...don't let your pig-like sweating propensity deter you from inviting...bring a towel...
Don't let the "horror, horror, horror" send the wrong message - that was only about the hotel issue - the horror of guests getting bumped, and the horror for the organizers - a "worst nightmare" scenario...
Overall, it was a great milonga. Atlanta puts on a great festival. It's a "warm and friendly" atmosphere. Everyone is smiling and chatting and having fun. Put it on your calendar and come on down!
P.S. To the leaders carrying on conversations whilst dancing - shut your YAPPER ...
It's official. I didn't want to mention it until I was 100% sure that I would be going. I will be there tonight.
I would guess that there will be 250-350 dancers in attendance. I will check on the actuals. I would call it a milonguero festival - similar to the Denver Festivals - only smaller. Many of the teachers (all estilo milonguero) are also at Tom's Denver Festivals. I went last year for the first time - it was fun. I think this is the 3rd or 4th annual. Last year they called it the "Atlanta Tango Social". I liked that - social is a better word than festival - and it's fitting with stereotypical "southern hospitality".
To say I'm looking forward to it would be a huge understatement. I just want to dance. Dance and see friends - new Atlanta & Houston friends, and perhaps some old friends from Denver and Austin. Plus some vino tinto. Dance and see friends and drink some vino tinto.
While I'm on the subject of thinking...and not thinking...and being able to feel it either way...I can also feel your cabeceo...
To me, it is a big, big, big, really big, "no-no", a faux pas - to cabeceo or otherwise scope out other leaders while you are on the floor dancing.
It's only happened to me once, and she has been blacklisted. She knows that I know. She was surprised to find out that I could tell. That I could "feel" her doing it.
First, it tells me that she is thinking...thinking about something else besides dancing with me. I want to dance with followers who are "there", "present", into dancing with me. If they are taking the time out in a dance (or tanda) to be scoping out potential leads, or worse, actually engaging in cabaceo, then they are not there with me.
Inspired by a comment I made to a post over at The Tango Hours...
It's really, really, really important for followers to "not" think when they dance. I can feel it when a follower is thinking, especially when dancing milonga.
My hat's off to those of you who "don't" think already.
For those of you who might be having difficulty with this concept, I'm not sure what to offer, not sure that there is much that I can offer. Except this. If "not" thinking (and relaxing) is something you have difficulty with, then perhaps you should "practice" "not" thinking. Practice relaxing. Meditation, deep breathing, I'm sure there are a host of vehicles and techniques and classes and therapists/practioners and such.
Practice your tango, practice your "not" thinking.
The thread on Tango-L about followers who automatically cross (when not led) is evidence of this thinking, when there should "not" be. If she is crossing herself, without my lead, that tells me she "thought" to do it.
I realize that this is an advanced concept, dancing "in the zone", but I just wanted to express it.
Clear your mind, "free" your mind, relax, enjoy...just don't think about dancing tango. Just dance. Surrender...and dance...
Any thoughts/comments/ideas from followers on how they manage to "not" think are greatly appreciated, as always...
And now...for the "strangest" segue ever...my "quotes"....my " "... come from Chris Farley doing his "Matt Foley" motivational speaker character...although I couldn't find any video of him doing the "quotes" thing...do you guys remember this from Saturday Night Live? Hilarious stuff...
This is really cute! Not that tango is not therapy...
Watching people dance and learn over the last 13 years, I would propose with some certainly that everyone gets therapized, one way or another, whether they want to or not :). And things do get worse before they get better, just as they sometimes do with more traditional forms of therapy. Neuroticism must be a side effect of the treatment.
I assume they do not follow the principles of evidence-based practice... I wonder how they measure the outcomes....
At 04:38 PM 4/1/2008, Janis Kenyon wrote: >The first international congress of Tango Therapy will be held July >17-19, 2008, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Those of you who are >health professionals may want to attend (and combine it time in the >milongas). One speaker is from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
"A critical outcome of our research is that learning by observing leads to action resonance and prediction that is the same as occurs with physical learning. This strong link between learning by doing and learning by observing at the neural level might benefit from early exposure to dance, where the consistencies between training methods could be acquired."
"How can watching one dance performance, whether classical ballet or the newest modern choreography, be so engaging - even thrilling - and then watching another performance leave us so indifferent? Dutch choreographer and researcher Ivar Hagendoorn argues that contemporary neuroscience points at the answer. The limbs move, but it is the brain that dances."
A new interview...John & Katia Singletary...Executive Chef & Day Spa owner...Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina...
Here's the poop ::
Seduced by Tango :: Winter/Spring 2009 Release Producing organization: Tatge/Lasseur Productions. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction, fundraising. Budget: $1.3 million. Host: Robert Duvall. Talent: Pablo Veron. Producer/director: Catherine Tatge. Producer: Dominique Lasseur. Composer/music supervisor: Tom Montgomery. Writer: Glenn Berenbeim. Coordinating producer: Bunny Tavares. Contact: Bunny Tavares, bunny@ tavaresmedia.com, 831-462-6004. Program explains why tango is not just a dance but a refuge, a way of life and a philosophy. Tango artist Pablo Veron prepares dancers for a pilgrimage to Argentina. The producers are soliciting dance couples on website: www.seducedbytango.com
