The New Orleans Tango Festival - 2015

2015 New Orleans Tango Festival

Venue: The Astor Crowne Plaza - New Orleans French Quarter at Bourbon and Canal Street.

BOURBON AND CANAL STREET FROM THE ASTOR BALLROOM VERANDA.

Organizer: Lorena of La Milonga Que Faltaba.

Friday, June 19, 2015

The Mardi Gras Milonga

Astor Ballroom

DJ: Yuling Chen

Performances: Damian Lobato, Rod and Jenny

Live Music Performance:

LA Bilonga Tango Orquesta, Bogata, Columbia

Dance Card:

Anne from Miramar Beach, FL, Danese from Birmingham, AL, Kathy from Daphne, AL, Lynn from Baton Rouge,  LA, Mel from NOLA, Pamela from Washington, Peggy from Birmingham, AL, Valorie from NOLA, Vera from Austin, TX.

Notes: Pretty good live music [PC Police delete "for Girls." NOT REALLY! JUST KIDDING! I don't know for sure but suspect that you can count the number of female bandoneonistas in the world on the fingers of your hands. I have lots of photos of bandoneon players but only one photo of a woman. They are rare gems indeed! ] The music is danceable and that fact is rare for live performances. Wish they were "unplugged" and had a "string"  section but that's just my "old school" preference. 

Delights: 

The Second Line and the lagniappe of a souvenir handkerchief to wave.

Good Tango with Valorie. 
Incredible dancing show on the Milonga floor after 2 AM. 

Regrets: 

The Spotlights [expletive "Suck!" deleted by PC Police.]

Two Cabeceo mix ups!

[PC Police replace "cock" with "mix."]

NOT AN ITALIAN FERRARI!

A TALE OF TWO PAIRS OF COMME IL FAUT!

trEats: 
Party of THREE at 

Daisy Dukes Express, 

123 Carondelet, 

3 AM after party breakfast.

HOT DOGS AND ROSES ON BOURBON STREET.

THE PARTY OF THE OTHER PART.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

trEats: Lunch back at Daisy Dukes,

Serendipitous Party of Two.

Regrets: Spilt Water.

Jorge Nel's Milonga Class with Milena.

Introduction to Habanera Rhythm

(Intermediate)

Notes: An old woman scolds me for touching her back.

Dancing with my Camera at Diego Zubiat's Chacarera Lessons

Notes: Rather than teaching Chacarera technique, Diego teaches the feelings of the dance. Well done!

trEats: 

Party of One Supper 

on the Sidewalk at 

The Palace Cafe,

605 Canal St

Light Entertainment: 

L.G.B.T. Pride Parade on Canal Street.

[PC Police replaced "Girly Guys and Dancing Queens" with "L.G.B.T."]

June is L.G.B.T. Pride Month!

Every day is an L.G.B.T. Pride Day in NOLA.

Fun Fact: Gallup Poll reports a whopping 5% of NOLA residents are L.G.B.T. compared with only 3.6% nationwide. The corollary to this fun fact is that 95% of NOLA residents are straight. But a straight parade on Canal Street would have been dull, boring and homophobic.

Le Soirée de Gala Milonga

Astor Ballroom

DJ: Adam Hoopengardner

Performances: Adrian and Alejandra,  Andrés and Carolina,  Jorge and Milena

Live Music Performance:

LA Bilonga Tango Orquesta, Bogata, Columbia

Dance Card:

Adele from Ft Walton Beach, FL, Ann from Washington, Anne from Miramar Beach, FL, Brenda Lin from NOLA, Jennifer from NOLA, Jessica from NOLA, Lynn from Baton Rouge, Matty from MS, Melinda from NOLA, Pamela from Washington, Peggy from Birmingham, Vera from Austin.

Notes:

Wearing my Psycho-Bunny Polo by Robert Godley, New York to the class. Change to Elegant Sport in my Tommy Bahama silk shirt for La Milonga. This one is clean and new from the Tanger Outlet, Foley, AL. Not used and dirty from the Thrift Store as is my custom.

Warren gets Best in Show for Best Dressed Man in his Tuxedo. Nyron from MS - First Place. Vance from Austin - Honorable Mention in his White Linen Suit. This Milonguero is not stupid enough to judge the Women.

Melinda tells me that my Milonga is awesome! 

Apologies to Anne. 

Mend fences with Jessica. 

Arm wrestle with another woman over the position of her rt arm. I lose. If she wants to stick her elbow out, she can [expletive "damn well" deleted by PC Police] stick it! 

What? Her embrace is perfect but her rt arm is out in rt field. Milonguero Style 101 - Elbows point to the floor. Elbows out is rude, dangerous and unacceptable on a crowded floor unless you're playing basketball. Her rt arm is out. So I try to bring her arm in but not a word 'cause I don't teach at a Milonga. I try but she doesn't get it. Instead, she resists and bristles. It's all my fault.

She finally asks, "What's up with the arm?"

I say, "Give me a hug."

She says, "I don't want to give you a hug. I want to dance." 

I say, "gracias."

And that's that. 

The embrace is the core, the essence, the alpha and omega of the milonguero style of dance. If you can hug, you can dance. When you hug, you're arm is not out in rt field. Starting with a hug is the easiest and most important way to re-set the connection. 

The moral to this story is if you're partner doesn't get it, you can't fix it during the Tanda at the Milonga. You smile, let go and dance with another. 

Leave early at 1:30 AM.

Dodge the drunks, druggies, derelicts, homeless, gays, black youth, tourists, travelers and revelers who comprise the colorful late nightlife on the Streets of New Orleans in the French Quarter.

[PC Police replace "gangstas, hoes" with "black youth."]

Not feeling very safe walking around the block from the hotel to the parking garage at 2 AM in the morning. Not recommended for an unescorted Lady. Beautiful fearless NOLA women may beg to differ.

[PC Police replace "ball-busting" with "fearless."]

Sunday, June 21, 2015

First Day of Summer. Father's Day.

Notes: 

Invited a NOLA woman to join me for Sunday Brunch but she doesn't go outside the City. Metarie must be too narrow minded for her. Love the irony!

Tango at Lucy's - NOLA

New Orleans Tango at Lucy's
Originally uploaded by milonguero

The Little Gem, NOLA

Venue - The Little Gem, 445 S Rampart St, NOLA

Instructor - Morgan Davis

Performance - Live Music with Katarina Boudreaux's Orquesta Fleur performing a Nuevo Mix with various vocalists

DJ - Michael O'Brien

Dance card - Maurine from Tulsa, OK.

Delights - Michael's Play List!

Regrets - My Date dances the first and last dance with other men.

I don't get a dance with Katarina.

The Soul Food is unremarkable.

La Milonga que Faltaba

Milonga que Faltaba

Venue: Dance Quarter

1719 Toledano St., NOLA 70115

Http://www.dancequarter.com

Organizer: Http://milongaquefaltaba.com

Guests: Nito y Elba

DJ: Juan Antonio

Dance Card:

Elena formerly from Russia, Jackie, Kathy from Daphne, Liz, Lorena, Nancy from Baton Rouge.

Notes:

Had not danced with Lorena or Liz for a while. Stepped on Lorena. She will never dance with me again. 

First and last dance with Elena.

Delights: 

Dancing with Elena and seeing how fast she improves.

Juan's cortinas with old time rocnrol. Elvis "Don't be cruel" reminds me of Gricel in Bs As. 

Regrets:

No Milonga with Emily.

La Milonga de New Orleans

La Milonga de New Orleans

Venue: Galvez Spanish Restaurant 

914 N. Peters St., New Orleans, LA.

Hostess: Valorie Hart, La Mariposa

DJ: Valorie plays Alberto's music.

Dance Card: 

Anne from Gulfport, MS, Deniz from NOLA formerly from Bulgaria,  Isabella from Diamondhead, MS formerly from Lisbon, Janet from Diamondhead, MS formerly from London, Lynn from Baton Rouge and Ondi from NOLA.

 

Notes: 

Hot, sultry Summer night in The Big Easy. Arrive on Argentine time an hour late. Sit with Anne and Brent.



First  dance with Anne. Milongas with Deniz and Ondi. Best dance with Isabella, La Portuguesa! Last dance with Lynn. Jessica Hack's Birthday Dance.



Nyron dressed like a Milonguero.

 

trEats: 

Tapas y Cuba Libre at Galvez.
Coffee and Beneights at Cafe du Monde.

 

Delights: Deniz hums the melody of Verde Mar in my ear.

Regrets: No dance with Dora or Jessica. 

One decline.

Last Tango at Galvez

May 31, 2015

The Last Tango at Galvez

La Milonga de New Orleans

Galvez Restaurant 

914 N Peters St

New Orleans, LA 70116

www.galvezrestaurant.com

Organizer 

Valorie Hart, La Mariposa

DJ: Alberto - In Memoriam

Dance Card

Denise from NOLA, Isabella from Diamondhead, MS formerly from Portugal, Jessica from NOLA, Karen from Pass Christian, MS, Kathy from Daphne, AL and Lynn from Baton Rouge.

Notes 

First dance was a Tango with Lynn. Last dance was a Tango Vals with Kathy. 

trEats

The Galvez Restaurant Seafood Gumbo

Delights 

The weather - the rained stopped and the evening was beautiful.

Lorena was drop dead gorgeous!

Alberto's music.

This classic venue.

The excellent food.
Denise sharing the melody of the tango softly in my ear.

Regrets

Only heard one Milonga. Nyron was hovering over Linda so I couldn't ask her. P.O. at Kathy so I couldn't ask her. Valorie was dancing with Eli so I couldn't ask her. So I danced NO Milonga with NO body.

I tripped and almost fell. I've never fallen before. Never dropped a woman. But maybe I'm getting too old to Tango?

One woman hangs on me and my shoulder thinking that she's dancing like a Milonguera. Milongueras are light, not heavy. Her embrace could be fine for a true Milonguero because true Milongueros are short. But it doesn't work for a tall American Milonguero like me. The weight of her arm hanging on me is a heavy drag and she's reluctant to adjust it.

Got a decline that I wasn't expecting. Stung hard. So disappointed that I left early. I will not dance with her again!

Because I left early, I took no fotos.

The floorcraft sucked causing friction and altercation. At least half the dancers on the floor need to take the floorcraft class.

NO ONE UNDERSTANDS OR CARES THAT DANCING EXPANSIVELY ON A CROWDED FLOOR IS RUDE, DISRESPECTFUL AND DANGEROUS.

Not even some of the Teachers. 

It's more fun to showboat on the river than to give the woman a good safe dance.

Not sure the Followers understand how bad it is. If they're good, they're dancing with their eyes closed and see and know nothing. The Leaders are too proud to admit that they crash into anyone. 

Tango is a contact sport. Everyone crashes from time-to-time. 

But like on the highway, a safe and courteous driver adjusts to the driving conditions. It's the reckless drivers who don't.

reck·less

ˈrekləs / adjective

( of a person or their actions ) 

without thinking or caring about 

the consequences of an action.

"reckless driving"

If the Dancers had played nicer with one another, respecting each other, respecting the dance and respecting Valorie on the last night at Galvez, things would have been better. Wish for her sake that it would have been better, but it wasn't. It was a goat rodeo.

Comments

Valorie:

I'm just discovering Neil's blog and I like it. There are several posts called Ask Aleandro that are very on flick. XO XO

Neil to Valorie:

[ on flick = on fleek = AWESOME! ]

Linda: WOW!

Carol:

It seems that he was at a different event.  Yes -- it was crowded.  Yes -- people were expansive.  But I attribute that to the celebratory nature of the event.  I think he broadbrushed his particular experience.  His views are valid but there are other views.  I had a swimmingly good time.  I danced with the best as well as beginners.  I had a good drink and the calamari.  I got squeezed in and also was protected by my partner.  I think it was great fun and not the colossal downer that most tango events tend to be.  I would go to it again in a heartbeat.  So sad for this gentleman ---

PS -- on my grave it will say "no regrets".  My mother taught us that you have to make your own fun.

Linda:

Well stated Carol. Mine taught me if you can't say something nice.

Shut Up!

Neil to Linda:

[ The blog's not about nice. About naughty! Notoriously naughty! LOL ]

Valorie:

I don't think he was being mean or not nice. He had a a couple of very valid honest observations. xo xo

Carol: A couple.

Neil to Valorie:

[ My X's will vouch for how mean and hateful I am. ]

Neil to Carol:

[ My Mama taught me that life's too short to drink bad wine or dance with ugly women. You want to talk about the sad gentleman or the sad floorcraft. You want to make it personal or constructive? I deleted the post. But you reposted the comment. What up with that? ]

Denise: What does it mean "ugly woman"???

Neil to Denise:

[ You don't have to worry about "ugly woman / mujer fea" because you're beautiful! ]

Carol: I got paid most of my adult life to argue for a living but I am now retired.  The bottom line for me is that tango should be enjoyable & I felt it was sad that you had so many regrets -- especially when my glass was more than half full.

Neil to Carol:

[ Glad you had fun. Glad you can make your Tango into your own fun. You like Tango fun. Your Tango sounds like a Milonga.

My Tango is sad. That's why I love the Tango. My Milonga is Milonga Triste. I wear black. I'm Lutheran. My Tango is a sad thought danced. To each his own. ]

Carol:

My "reposting" probably has something to do with my not being savvy with Facebook. I apologize for that.  In this instance I was being a ride or die friend for Valorie.  It was an important and historical night for her and I do feel that as a writer you could have been more fair and charitable.  I wd not know you -- Neil -- if you walked by me on the street.  This is more about Valorie's memories than it is about you.  And since I have never been considered to be ugly perhaps someday you will ask me for a dance.

Neil to Carol:

[ It would be my pleasure. ]