Study

Some people like to study with championship tango dancers and watch videos of championship tango dancers dancing tango so some day they may also win a championship.  And if you don't win this time, try, try, try again!

Some people like to study stage tango movements because if they can't get people to pay attention to their low key, boring social dancing, they can kick it up a notch by flinging their partner into outer space (and other people)!  

Does anybody really want to study how to dance well on a crowded dance floor anymore?  Where the best dancers can express the music with the simplest movements while they are shoulder to shoulder with the couples around them?

Maestros Blas Catrenau and Myriam Pincen dancing on a VERY crowded dance floor.  Perfection!

I don't know about others, but I think this is the highest form of Tango expression.  I leave ambitions about winning championships and showing off for other people!

Did you know that dancing with the Milongueros is like Heaven?

I know that some red hot* Toronto tango newbie girls recently went down to Buenos Aires.

* Red hot = young, skinny, pretty, popular and wearing something tight and/or revealing.  As opposed to old and/or fat and/or ugly and sitting on the side all night and never asked to dance.  No, I'm not jealous but just stating the sad realistic facts.

I hope that when they were there, they didn't just dance with flingers.  They go to flinger classes here and dance almost exclusively with other young Toronto flingers and boy do they worship and gush over them.  They think the youthful flinger lads are the best thing since sliced bread.  A million gazillion Facebook likes!

I look at the said flinger lads flinging and 1) hope they don't fling into me and 2) roll my eyes and want to barf at the red hot newbie adoration they are getting.  Are you all mad?

Unfortunately, I really do think they went down to Buenos Aires and just went to flinger classes and flinger milongas and just danced with other young gleeful flinging people. The girls think flinging is the real authentic Tango and anything else is just bizarre.

They do not know that dancing with the Milongueros is like Heaven.  They mistakenly believe that the near-death experience of being flung in Tango at high speed is like Heaven.  As one tanguera has described to me quite aptly, "When he flung me and I clung on for dear life, my life flashed before my eyes!"

It is so sad that in a space of a few years, Tango newbies can't access how milonguero tango feels like even if they want to.  Most of the old milongueros have passed on.  People who have learned to dance with the milongueros or who have danced with the milongueros and who can transmit that wonderful tango feeling are few and far between (probably quit tango after being flung into).  Everyone is flocking either to the competition tango or the flinger tango bandwagons.

I've danced with the Milongueros, girls, and flinger Tango pales in comparison.

With the Milongueros you feel and hear the music.

With the flingers, they aren't listening.  They just want to fling and they are thinking of the next flingy step they can throw at you.

With the Milongueros, you are dancing with gentlemen.  They will protect the women they dance with and respect the people around them.

With the flingers, you are dancing with jerks and they don't care who they hit with a careless fling because they are so busy flinging.

With the Milongueros, you feel their warm, steady and confident embrace.

With the flingers - well, they've flung you out in a wide orbit and you are gripping on with your fingernails or else you are going to be flung to Mars.

It's too late now, but next trip, I hope that instead of doing the Flingtastic Tango Tour, they will go and take lessons with the few milongueros and milongueras who are left.  There are a few still teaching.  Like Myriam Pincen and Blas Catrenau.  Absolutely a match made in Tango Heaven for sure.

They recently performed at Salon Canning.  I hope you enjoy this video of their performance!

Myriam Pincen and Walter - Exhibition at Maipu 444

Myriam just posted this lovely nostalgic video of her exhibition with a sadly departed milonguero Walter on Facebook:



Myriam is beautiful always - from her flowing white summer dress, her subtle footwork, her elegant walk, her passionate embrace...and what a musical dancer Walter is!  Thanks Myriam for this wonderful video!  (And Man Yung says, "Oh Myriam you are always my Goddess of Tango!)

More of the magnificent Myriam Pincen - El Maipu at La Nacional, 10/10/11

People partied until late at Dorita's milonga at Club Oeste on Sunday because Monday was a public holiday.  As for Monday, it was quiet all day - everything was closed except for restaurants... and milongas!

While at Club Oeste, we made plans to meet with Osvaldo and Coca and Myriam to meet at El Maipu at La Nacional.  Lucy and Dany used to host their very milonguero milonguero milonga at Plaza Bohemia, Maipu 444 until that venue closed down. But no worries! Now they repeat their success on Monday nights at La Nacional.

With Osvaldo and Coca and Myriam Pincen at El Maipu (La Nacional)

Myriam is such a great, kind person and a good sport, she didn't mind at all that Man Yung is a crazy dancer (see post on Club Oeste for examples of said craziness) and even danced with Man Yung again at El Maipu!

Here they are dancing a tanda of Laurenz:

A Toronto Tanguero who is enjoying all these videos of the milongueras asked us, "What is it like dancing with Myriam Pincen?"

I want to dance like Myriam one day! She is a wonderful dancer, her footwork and adornments are perfect and subtle, she is musical, she follows EVERYTHING. She is a real, living Goddess of Tango - but she is more than that. Would you be able to find anyone with even half her talent who is so warm, welcoming and humble? I think it would be very difficult.

And what's more, Myriam finishes each tango with a beautiful, bright smile!

Here's more of Myriam - in a delicious pink flowing dress (where does she get all her fabulous, colourful, striking dresses? I seem to be stuck with my Lululemon and Tilleys) AND smiling throughout, performing at Cachirulo with Juan Carlos Pontorielo:

Irene and Man Yung perform to "Secreto" and "La Tapera" at La Yumba de Dorita Milonga - Club Oeste 10/09/11

It's not the first time that Osvaldo has asked us this.  Osvaldo is kind of proud of us. "Hey, in Toronto - aren't all the people there looking at your dancing?" 

We turn and look at him oddly, and then blink in disbelief.  "Look at us?  Of course not!"

"Why not?" Osvaldo slaps the table and gestures to the dance floor.  "Look how everyone here is watching you dance!"

Coca nods and adds, "Everyone everywhere we go are asking about you!"

Every milonga we go to in Buenos Aires, people are staring at us and giving us nods and thumbs up of approval. Osvaldo and Coca must think we are joking when we say we don't stir up any interest in our home town.  How do we explain to them, "In Toronto, they aren't looking for the same things as what the Porteños are looking for when they watch someone dance Tango"?  And what are the words in Spanish for "Trendy Labels" and "Resumé?"  It seems to us publicity and self-promotion (and extravagant, attention grabbing movements and tricks) is what it takes to attract attention on dance floors outside of Buenos Aires - irrespective of the quality of dancing.  

When we dance, we dance what we are - we don't try to be bigger, or more interesting, or more perfect.  We have our love for each other.  We have our love for our teachers and our friends.  We have have our love for Tango. We want to dance the Tango that the Porteños feel with their heart and soul - not a "tango" that is engineered for entertainment of people who couldn't tell the difference. 

After dancing at Milonga J. L. at La Nacional on Saturday, we called Osvaldo and Coca at midday on Sunday to find out where they wanted to go.  Coca picked up the phone.  "Myriam called us back - let's go together to La Yumba de Dorita tonight!"

It was the Sunday night before the holiday Monday, so the venerable Club Oeste was packed to the rafters with locals - not a single tourist (except us) to be seen.  We have wanted to visit this ancient club for a long time, but have not yet had the opportunity.  This is where Nina Balbuena teaches her popular class on Friday nights, and where our friend Ruben Dario Lopez went to dance at the age of 18.

Osvaldo and Coca and Myriam Pincen (Yay Myriam! What a phenomenal milonguera!) had already arrived when we showed up:

Myriam Pincen, Osvaldo and Coca and the two of us at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste)

There were so many people that we had to clamber over chairs and tables to get to the dance floor.  Despite the crowd, the dancing on the floor was orderly and calm and everyone who wanted to dance could get out there and enjoy themselves:

The dance floor at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste).  Can you spot Man Yung?  He is dancing with Graciela Cano, who won the third Metropolitan Championship in Buenos Aires with her husband Pedro Vujovich. 

"What was it you wanted to dance to yesterday?" Osvaldo asked me.  We had wanted to dance to "Secreto" (for Jessie and Dorian out there in Vancouver! Hola!) but Osvaldo chose "El Adios" instead.  Might as well face the music - Osvaldo and Coca and the organizer Dorita wanted us to perform - and not just a tango, but a vals as well.  So we did:

Irene and Man Yung perform to Orquesta Tipica Victor's "Secreto" at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste).  This is the second time that we have danced to "Secreto" - the first was when we filmed the video of ourselves at our weekly practice for Jessie and Dorian, who generously emailed us the music.

Irene and Man Yung perform to Edgardo Donato's vals "La Tapera" at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste)

Osvaldo and Coca were as proud of us as they are always - and wonderful Myriam had words of praise and encouragement for us.  "Many couples I have seen dancing dance like two people," Myriam said, using her hand gestures to emphasize what she was describing.  She closed her hands together and intertwined her fingers.  "When I look at you dancing - I see one person." 

Why do we dance Tango?  We want to become one - with our partners, with the music, with the universe.  Osvaldo and Coca showed us the way to the infinite.  They also performed that night, to their favourite - "El Adios":

Osvaldo and Coca perform to Edgardo Donato's "El Adios" at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste)

Man Yung had been looking forward to another opportunity dance with Myriam Pincen ever since our previous trip in April.  No-one in the world can dance like Myriam Pincen - no-one!  And how beautiful she is!  Here is the video of Myriam dancing Pugliese* with Man Yung:

* "Oh my God!" said Man Yung.  I think he is embarrassed.  "I can't believe that I started doing back sacadas and enganches with Myriam Pincen when I was dancing Pugliese! What the hell was I thinking??!?"

"Don't worry, I don't think Myriam minded that you were temporarily possessed.  So long you danced honestly what you felt the music was telling you to dance, it's ok."  I patted his back reassuringly.  Heh heh....I'm not going to tell him that yes, he was CRAZY to start doing all those moves with a top milonguera and ha ha!  She isn't going to dance with him ever again! (Just joking)

And here's another video of Myriam dancing with Man Yung - Fresedo this time (the Tango happens to be "Tigre Viejo"):

Myriam Pincen dancing Fresedo's "Tigre Viejo" with Man Yung at La Yumba de Dorita (Club Oeste).  Osvaldo and Coca take to the floor too!

Can we describe how Myriam Pincen dances?  Can we describe her footwork, her musicality, her embrace, her emotion?  THERE ARE NO WORDS.  She is magnificent.  She is a GODDESS.  Check out her videos on Youtube (especially her performances with Ricardo Vidort, they are classic) and also her interview with Practimilonguero.  This is a lady who IS Tango.

I love it when Osvaldo dances something other than Tango - his musicality is so innate, he can dance to any music.  Here is Osvaldo dancing Cumbia with lovely, awesome Myriam:

So there you have it - another glittering night in Buenos Aires.  We danced that night like any other night - those who know us can see that we danced in our exhibition as we always dance in the milonga.  We do not "walk" finer or do "special" moves, or bedazzle with tricks just because we are performing and wanted to gain applause.  Anyone with two legs and two arms can do what we do. But that was enough - because we danced as ourselves for ourselves and for the people we love.  Nothing more, nothing less.  In the end, that's what the Porteños want to see when they want to see us dance - and they embraced us as warmly as we embraced them.