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Grateful Tango

November 14, 2015

I began this post a few days ago, two days before the attacks on Paris, to be exact. And in light of these events, I had to wonder if it’s still relevant.  Do heartfelt emotions about a tango festival really matter when considering the hundreds of innocent people attacked? But after some consideration, I decided yes, it does matter.  I believe that the goodwill and pure joy that develops when people from multiple cultures dance together, does make a difference. At times like this, when heartbreak is felt across the world, this is when, more than ever that we should come together, embrace each other and dance together. Our hearts may ache, but by being together we can help heal emotional wounds. The joy and unity that is created during events such as tango festivals, resonates out into the world, and our collective consciousness is raised.

With those thoughts, here is my post about being grateful for Tango.

Its easy to grumble and complain about the tango scene in the Bay Area. People say it can be snobbish, or that there are  too many leaders or too many followers.  We complain if the milonga is too hot, or the floor is sticky, or too slippery or its too crowded. But in reality, we are incredibly blessed. San Francisco, one of the most beloved cities in the world, also has an incredible Tango scene.  Dancers from all over the world come to San Francisco to enjoy the milongas and to dance with the locals. Every night of the week we have multiple choices of venues, and since there are so many options, we can choose where to go based on the music, the DJ or even whichever is closest to our home. Besides all the amazing instructors, live music and talented DJs, to me what makes San Francisco so special are the people. Its the friendships that transpire, developed during classes and workshops, through chats in the middle of tandas or over glasses of wine or dinner before or after dancing. And living in this big city, it’s so nice to walk off the street into a milonga and be welcomed by hugs and kisses and familiar friendly faces.

Sometimes it takes an event that invites dancers from all over to remind us how good we have it here. I’m talking about the San Francisco Tango Marathon. Having just enjoyed its fifth year and having experienced it since day one, I have to say its only gotten better.  In a way, it’s matured and grown into itself, more polished yet relaxed and confident.

SFTM photo by Praveen KD
SFTM photo by Praveen KD

There is something about dancing for three days and nights in a row, that by the end, it becomes hard to stop. By day three of SFTM, my feet and body were aching and yet much like an addict in search of my next fix, I had a deep desire to keep the momentum going. When Sunday evening rolled around, even though I ached, I also began to feel more relaxed. Finding my next dance partner suddenly became easy and each tanda became sublime. The consecutive meshing of hearts and minds with strangers, arms wrapped around bodies, heads touching, all seemed so natural. No one was really a stranger, we were all just tango dancers, all there with the same purpose…to dance together.

Filed Under: Musings, SF Festivals, Special Events Tagged With: Grateful, San Francisco, SFTM, Tango Marathon

Comments

  1. Rose says

    December 1, 2015 at 11:25 am

    Hello,

    I loved reading your article above for so many reasons. I have just moved back to the Bay Area after 20 years. I am in Pleasanton while I find where to put my roots, which has to be connected to dance and came across your website as Tango is the Dance my body is resonating with to learn. I have danced free form for many years and include dance in whatever energy work I am teaching. What would you offer as a first step to take to get involved in the tango community here, either in the Tri Valley or San Francisco. It seems SF has more going on. Thank you for any support you can bring. Warmly, Rose

    • maika says

      December 2, 2015 at 3:46 pm

      Thank you Rose and welcome to the Bay Area! The best way to get involved in Tango is to take a class. Tangomango.org is a great resource for Bay Area tango, classes, milongas, performances and more. Select “East Bay” to find classes near you. Your instructor or fellow classmates can then suggest which milongas to visit. Hope to meet you soon!

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

Celebrate #bayareatango community, support everyone involved & share ♥️ of #tango with San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

sflovestango
Las Chicas del Tango @thetangodome Oakland, Califo Las Chicas del Tango
@thetangodome
Oakland, California
26 de agosto de 2023

Piano @sfsumi
Violín @basmaedreesviolin
Contrabajo @hannahmacgilv
Bandoneones @sinai_rim y @clarastern_bandoneon
Cello Vicky Ehrlich

#repost 📸 @clarastern_bandoneon 
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#tango #argentinetango #specialevent #onenightonly #sanfrancisco #oakland #bayareatango #femalemusicians #livemusic #thedome #womenintango #chambermusic #contemporarytango #bayareaconcert #powerhouse #sflovestango
It's been a while since we do a spotlight on any t It's been a while since we do a spotlight on any teacher. But someone like @lucianavallel who has been a regular visiting teacher for over 20 years, we are very glad to welcome her back to San Francisco for the first time post-pandemic! (link in bio!👆)

Starting with pre-Milonga class this Thursday Aug 10 at @milongamalevaje, Friday Aug 11 at Milonga Genesis (hosted by @tangosabor) and two weekends of Intensive Tango Workshops at Monte Cristo Social Club (event link in bio👆)!
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangoclass #tangoworkshop #tangoteacher #tangoartist #sanfrancisco #sflovestango #bayareatango
Any time at @tangamente.sf is a great time to revi Any time at @tangamente.sf is a great time to review the social tango etiquette, a.k.a. The Rules of the Road, courtesy of @tangonnection & @ayano.yoneda.tango ♥️
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #tangofestival #tangomarathon #etiquette #floorcraft
❤️‍🔥 @tango_with_winnie and @hugosatorre ❤️‍🔥 @tango_with_winnie and @hugosatorre continued their SF Tour with a weekend of Adventures in Tango Land at @tangodome !

They first blew us away with Saturday Tango Nightclub joining forces with The Dome's house band, Orquesta Tipica Domo, including a special guest artist Aude Bresson.👏 Then they kept the adventures going with a Sunday afternoon Live Music Practica for Dancers! 🎶❣️🎵🎹

If you miss out The Dome events completely, check out our stories for a few highlights!👆 Want to feel the magic of their music in person? Don't miss the rest of their SF tour!👇
~Tuesday 6/27 at El Valenciano (hosted by @tangosabor w/ Julian)
~Saturday 7/1 at @tangamente.sf (hosted by @tanguera_e and @jesram_sf)

☝️Links in bio!
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevent #livemusic #tangomusic #contemporarytango #tangodancers #bailemostango
What a spectacular Music Celebration Day it was in What a spectacular Music Celebration Day it was in Berkeley! 🎶🎉 Hosted by @afberkeley and @ecolebilingue , an intercultural event with a one-time Milonga transported the attendees to the streets of Paris with "A Tango in Paris" Fête de la Musique. 🇦🇷🇫🇷

The event started with a conversation – part interview, part presentation – between @myriamdasilva_photo and @ayano.yoneda.tango (dancer, teacher, and co-founder of the Tango Poetry Project), who shared her insights on how immigration between Argentina and France has shaped the history of tango. 

As the evening progressed, we were treated to the live music by the Swiss Bandoneon player @fueyequerido and SF local pianist @sethasarnow . This may be their last appearance as a piano-bandoneón duo for quite a while as Adrian and his family are moving to Switzerland! Of course, there was some “romance de Paris” for the occasion (e.g., the tango ‘Griseta’ was one of the songs they played!). 

With many local tango dancers attending, to add to the ambience of the night, DJ @cruz.fierro handpicked tango tandas to keep the dancing going between live music sets and transport the audience from Buenos Aires to Paris.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #intercultural #specialevents #onenightonly #milonganight #livemusic #bandoneon #piano #duo #tangodancer #berkeley #bayareatango #sflovestango
For those who’ve missed Milonga Génesis this pa For those who’ve missed Milonga Génesis this past Friday, we hope you enjoy the performance highlights by @mariabelen_sebastian.tango 🔥

✨SEBASTIAN JIMENEZ✨ @sebastianjimeneztango is a renowned tango dancer and from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has won multiple awards, including the World Tango Championship in 2010, and has performed at prestigious events and festivals around the world. Jimenez is also a respected tango instructor and has taught workshops and master classes in several countries. He has had a significant impact on the world of tango, both as a performer and as a teacher.

✨MARIA BELEN GIACHELLO✨@mariabelengiachello is born in Argentina and now a tango teacher and singer based in Toulouse, France. With 30 years of combined experience in tango, training, performing and teaching, she has travelled to many beautiful places around the world showing her art.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #milonganight #bailemos #tangodancer #tangoperformance #sanfrancisco #bayareatango #tangoislife #tangoeslavida #sflovestango
@pabloinza and @sofi_saborido are no strangers to @pabloinza and @sofi_saborido are no strangers to the SF tango community! 💕 For a few years now, we've enjoyed having them around every summer.😎 Thanks @junicorn_33 for bringing them here.

Enjoy snippets of their beautiful performances last Saturday at Vecher Tango at the Russian Center 📸✨ and don't miss the last class of their visit this year TONIGHT before the milonga at @el_valenciano1153, hosted by @tangosabor !
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#tango #TangoArgentino #argentinetango #milonga #tangoclasses #tangoperformance #bailar #BailemosJuntos #learningisfun #tangoislife #sflovestango
✨ Vecher Tango at the Russian Center had another ✨ Vecher Tango at the Russian Center had another star-struck night!✨

@ariadnayfernando returned to San Francisco after their last visit in 2016 for @noras_tango_week.

On top of teaching all afternoon and performing four songs of their choice, they surprised us with an improvised encore to live music by Seth Asarnow (@sethasarnow on piano) and Adrian Jost (@fueyequerido on bandoneón), a first-time collaboration for the four artists altogether!! 👏👏♥️♥️🙌🙌 ¡Qué celebración del Tango!

Thank you Julia Schiptsova @juliasch999 and Davood Yazdani for bringing @ariadnanaveira and @fernet_sanz back to SF! We look forward to welcoming them back later this year in Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for details.

Check out our stories for video snippets from the amazing evening!
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino  #tangoperformance #bailar #bailemos #bailando #tangoshow #tangoevent #tangoperformance #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto #sanfrancisco #tangoislife #sflovestango #livemusic #duo #bandoneon #piano #improvisation
That Saturday night ❤️‍🔥 when Duo Villarr That Saturday night ❤️‍🔥 when Duo Villarreal Crom, @juanvillarreal_13 and @patriciocrom joined forces with Orquesta Típico Domo at @thetangodome !🎶🎻🎸🎹🎤
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #milonga #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
Part 3️⃣ of Duo @juanvillarreal_13 & @patricio Part 3️⃣ of Duo @juanvillarreal_13 & @patriciocrom Crom at @thetangodome … a Chacarera! When the musicians extended an invitation to the audience to join them on stage, a few dancers spontaneously jumped at the chance! 👏👏👏👏
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #argentinefolklore #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
REPOSTING… because how could one resist missing REPOSTING… because how could one resist missing the standing ovation *and* an encore because earlier post got cut off due to unknown glitch🙈… Second half of part 1️⃣ the highlights from an amazing night at @thetangodome with Duo 🎸🎸 @juanvillarreal_13 and @patriciocrom ! And our very own @scottodaymusic made it a guitar trio for the encore! 
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #argentinefolklore #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
❤️‍🔥DJ @lebendiguna DROPS THE NEEDLE with ❤️‍🔥DJ @lebendiguna DROPS THE NEEDLE with the world’s fastest learning curve!❤️‍🔥

When Una’s laptop unexpectedly failed to connect to @thetangodome sound system, Daniel Peter’s vinyl collection and on-the-spot knowledge transfer to the rescue!! 😮🔥🧯❤️ After watching Dan just a few times dropping the needle between tracks, Una hit the track her FIRST TIME trying‼️✌️

🎥 @thetangodome 
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #milonga #tangodj #tangomusic #vinylrecords #newskillunlocked #tangoislife #oldtechisgoodtech #bayareatango #oakland
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