La Vida Tango E-zine

“LAS MINAS DEL TANGO”
(THE WOMEN OF EL TANGO)

CHRISTINA JOHNSON
Dancer, Teacher, Writer, Tango Entrepaneu

It was my first Metatango Festival in 2002, a lady who insisted in participating in the Festival explained to me by the phone that she did not wanted to take workshops and she did not wanted to do practicas, she only wanted to place hers flyers in our information tables and make some contacts with tango lovers because she was, according to her own explanation, launching one of her “tango tours” with a new concept for those people who love Argentine tango, folks who, she said, enjoy learning about new cultures and are open to travel and to new tango experiences. She sounded so enthusiastic at that moment and her words were so convincing that I invited her to be my guest in the festival and I even sent a company car to pick her up at the airport. Later on I would find myself being part of some of hers tango endeavor’s. Italy first, then in France and finally in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, this time on her teacher team!
   Christina was a massage therapist practicing many forms of bodywork and mind/body healing. She was a founding member of the Academy of Healing Arts in Santa Fe, NM. And there she had a private practice in bodywork and counseling for the last 24 years. She develop the company, Visionary Consultants, to offer workshops and healing rooted in the belief that we at birth are, naturally initiated into a meaningful and richly metaphorical life, discovering and following our passion is a magnificent method of healing. Until one day, in February of 1995, Christina discovered tango after seeing the show “Forever Tango” in San Francisco. From that moment on, she told me, “the only thing I wanted was to learn that dance and find out all about that beautiful music”. Living in Santa Fe she went first for the local teachers and was, for 2 years, one of the best students of Michael Walker and Luren Belucci in New Mexico (Michel Walker was, for those who does not know him, is one of the first teachers to introduced tango in the USA) .Then she traveled to Buenos Aires and studied with “Los Dinzel” and many other Argentinean teachers trying to find out what style of tango she really wanted to dance. After several CITA festivals and trips to Buenos Aires hers total addiction to tango was completed and from then on everything she did and is doing in hers career and in hers personal life includes, one way or the other, TANGO!
   “Coming back to Santa Fe and studying lit bit more, I then moved to San Miguel de Allende. I already had gone there to teach Argentine tango, the relationship dance with another of my tango teacher Alex Garcia. I had developed this, working with people and psychologists to learn more about the masculine and feminine energies and polarities and how they play out in a tango course” she said, Then in the year 2000 she started Exotic Tango Vacations, with her first tango trip. “Tango by the Sea” near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The idea according to her was to have tango as part of a vacation, building at the same time a special relationship with the teachers as real people. One of the requirements was the group to be small and intimate in an atmosphere of unique experience and fun. In the meantime I had myself some problems of my own and I needed to get away, so I asked Christina to hire me as her tour assistant or secretary for her next tour to Italy and … she accepted. So from that moment on I found myself assisting to take good care of Tangueros who perhaps wanted like myself, to put some distance at that moment of their lives, being able in this way to witness, first hand, Christina’s original way of mixing tourism and tango! We visited and stayed for a week doing workshop and milongas in a paradise… Umbria “IL corazone Verdi de Italia“(The green hart of Italy.) San Francisco de Assisi was also part of the tour and she showed her talent as an organizer who really knows what the people need.
   Christina has being trying to start groups with her personal way of practicing tango in small towns when it could be a lot much easier and faster to make it happens in the big cities, her simple explanation has been always that “she never will live in a big city“. Following her instinct she has founded, as of today, two tiny tango communities: one in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and the last one in Natchez, Mississippi. San Miguel de Allende was, in the year 2003, the most natural and beautiful scenario of what it was to become her major, or at least one of them, realizations and events in tango: “The International TANGO FIESTA Festival” in Mexico”. This was one of the last destination where I was invited for Christina to be part of, this time and for a full week not as her tour assistant but as one of her teacher team member. It was a big production and the festival had a lot of activities, as well as daily tango classes, local tours and at night beautiful milongas! There, together with Fabian Salas & Carolina del Rivero and “El Indio” Benavente & Mariana Fresno we taught tango for several days and nights to a lot of students from Europe, Mexico and the United States.
   Of course there is nothing new about taking a tour when you need to put some miles between you and others, but somehow, Christina Johnson, grounded in all her previous disciplines and experiences seems to have found a sublime but very strong connection in tango, body work and mind healing. If you add to this a good piece of friendship, which is so usual in tango, a portion of new horizons or landscapes in front of your eyes and then put a final touch of foreign and beautiful new cultures and languages you will find my friends one of those Christina tango tours and perhaps, who knows, a good recipe to ease all your pains or worries .... dancing tango!

NOTE;

Christina Johnson is another one of those fine ladies that has helped to spread the authentic Argentine Tango in the U.S.A.

If you, or someone you know has done in the past or is has been doing for some time something really significant for the spread and assimilation of the original and authentic Argentine Tango in the United States (as an organizer, teacher, dancer or producer) please contact me at orlandobudini@metatango.com

Until the next tango and the next tour Christina!

ORLANDO

Christina Johnson President of "Exotic Tango Vacations LLC" having a cup of good coffee at "La Biela Cafe" in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hello to everyone in the Tango World again I hope all is well with all of you. In my last item I wrote about a Tango group in San Antonio who did a free demo for some children at the public library system well just a couple of weeks ago a few miles up IH 35 in the capitol city of Austin, a hard working and unselfish Karen Street orchestrated a fund raising event for the Austin Smiles Group a non-profit organization providing free reconstructive plastic surgery, mainly cleft lip and palate, to the children of Austin, TX and Latin America. At the event they had a silent auction with items donated by the Austin tango community, a free dance lesson, and a milonga with live music provided by Glover Gill and CD music played by Li. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvre were also abundant at the event.

Ney Melo

and

Jennifer Bratt

Photo by

Roy Montejano

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the dance demo put on by Ney Melo and Jennifer Bratt which of course was sublime to say the least. In addition several couple from the Austin Tango community also performed; Monica and Partha, Chuck and Georgia, John and Melanie, Gustavio and Karen, I must say they danced quite well, Ney and Jennifer better be careful. The event was held in an old building that at one time was church which had wood floors and stain glassed windows it provided a delightful ambiance for a milonga.

Left to right Georgia and Chuck, Melanie and John, Karen and Gustavo. Photo by Roy Montejano

Left to right Gabriella, Tomoko, Angela and Daniella, some Austin smiles.
Photo by Roy Montejano

Luckily I won some dance shoes at the auction, a tee shirt as a door prize, but got outbid on a workshop package by my friend Kenton well you can’t have everything. I also managed to get in some really nice dances with some of the tangueras in Austin that night. I must say it was pleasurable, enjoyable, and a fun evening all going for a good cause. Kudos goes to Karen and that great support group in her community which made such a remarkable evening possible…
I knew there was another reason I liked tango. Until next time.

THE MEPHISTOPHELEAN TANGO

Part 1: The Masked Ball

by Robert Osburne

email Robert at roberto@lavidatango.com

   The ingenious beaux-arts students of Paris have convincingly reinvented the school’s recreation area as the opulent tango ballroom of a 19th century estate, with crenellated walls and blue-crowned turrets and balconies supported by intricate iron artwork. Viewed through large ornate windows, a manicured expanse of green lawn extends beyond the leaf-lined road leading to the estate. On blue undulating hills in the distance, horned animals graze in bucolic serenity. Carriages, entrusted to superbly conditioned, proud-prancing horses, enter the softly shadowed driveway to discharge smiling, exuberant guests. Up the wide stone steps and onto the estate's marble terrace stroll the bejeweled cream of French society. And under balconies and in shadowed corners, enterprising Beaux Arts students have erected displays and shops, where entertainers and vendors perform for the amusement of the guests.
   "Robert," Natasha asks, "are you sure it's ok for us to crash the Beaux Arts Tango Ball?" Her eyes are questioning and apprehensive. "I've been told only Beaux Arts students can attend. And the rules are strictly enforced."
   "There's nothing to worry about." I tell Natasha. "Jacques says he has everything under control." But as I say this, I ask myself if this is really so. Jacques, who is taking life easy after four grueling years of study at L’école Supérieur Polytechnique, knows everyone. He has a thick blonde mustache, turned-up at the ends, and coarse, curly hair. He is very tall…over six feet. He can find his way in and out of every twisted back alley in the Latin Quarter and somehow is able to miraculously gain entrance into most of its academic corridors. He does this now by producing a key to the second floor studio he has chosen as our dressing room for tonight’s Ball. I’m not even going to try to guess where the key came from. In fact, as we enter the room, I’m wondering what kind jail term "breaking-and-entering" carries with it in the French judicial system. The thought of being thrown out of the famous Artist's Ball and tangling with the French judicial system is disquieting.
   Anne-Marie is Jaques' date for tonight. She just barely survived an automobile accident two years ago. Reconstructive surgery succeeded in replacing her nose, chin and jaw bone, but I can see that her face, once quite beautiful, has been transformed into a web of deep, purple scars; her lips are split down the center, and her eyes converge at a sharp angle.
   "Ne sois pas inquiété, Robert. Il n’y a rien à craindre," Jacques tells us, as he pulls a bottle of red wine from his shoulder sack. "Voilà!" he says. "On va boire un petit coup pour commencer." He rifles through a pile of empty paint cans and dirty glass jars scattered around the sink. Finding nothing suitable to drink from, he raises the bottle to his lips. The bottle gurgles twice. Jacques wipes the neck of the bottle with a rag and passes it to Anne-Marie; the bottle is passed around twice among the four of us before its gurgle falls silent.
   The studio is large with an incredibly high ceiling. A little stage, where models pose, is at one end of the room. A long metal sink, mounted under tall windows that reach to the ceiling and overlook the courtyard, is splattered with ancient multicolored oils. And the floor is a swirling pattern of yellow, red, purple and green, spawned by decades of dripping brushes held in the hands of careless artists. Unfinished canvases, some quite extraordinary, line the shelves and the walls of the room. On the floor, easel marks, each inscribed with a student’s initials, claim the student’s territorial right to the same spot for poses unencumbered by parallax.
   "Robert!" Natasha shouts from the model’s platform. "Voici a Beaux Arts model ready to pose." She stands with her weight on one foot and the other foot cocked to one side….a stance that thrusts the diagonal connecting her insolent hips sharply upward. She unbuttons her dress, and it slips to the floor. She is nude except for a narrow strip of lace panties hanging from her hips. She strikes a classic "vanity-pose," with one hand holding her hair above her head and the other hand on her hip at the apex of the diagonal. I’ve not yet grown accustomed to Natasha's proclivity to public nudity; and, even when we’re alone, she’s always in a rush to get out of her clothes.

I see Jacques and Anne-Marie getting out of their clothes and preparing to put on their costumes. Well, what the hell, I tell myself. I remove my shoes and unbutton my shirt.
Anne-Marie's simple harem outfit, with its veil and translucent vest, looks great on her. But she seems a little shy as she tries to pull the vest over her timid breasts that are nevertheless pushing the limits of the blue silk scarf containing them.

Jacques talked me into joining-up with him as a "mousquetaire" in the service of King Louis XVI. As a boy, Jacques was brought up on a literary diet of "cape et d’épée" stories, as American boys are immersed in stories of cowboys and tales of the old west. The mousquetaire thing sounded like a good idea, especially since Jacques, through his interminable network of contacts, was able to procure our costumes at practically no cost.

   I stare into the mirror and do not recognize myself. An audacious black hat, pulled low over my eyes and curving upward to an impertinent angle, covers my head. A tall, red feather, rising high above the hatband, challenges all would-be adversaries. A thin, ego-tainted moustache grows from my upper lip, and a pointed, triangular tuff of hair hangs from my chin. Across my chest, a wide, red and gold band announces allegiance to my king and supports the épée at my side with which I am sworn to defend him. I hear a movement behind me. "EN GARDE!" someone shouts.
   I turn and stare into the cool, superbly chiseled features of the king’s archenemy, the infamous Count Sangfroid. His full, blond moustache curves deceptively upward, and a thin, malevolent smile spreads across his lips. His eyes are narrow slits behind which burn red ruby coals. He wears a gray glove on one hand; the other holds a matching glove that rises in a movement too swift to follow. SLAP! The glove whips across my cheek. He throws the glove at my feet, steps backward and draws his épée as I draw mine. In compliance with the traditional rules of dueling etiquette, we raise our épées, then press the blade to our lips and salute one another. "DÉFENDEZ VOUS!" He cries. His blade’s sharp, steely point flashes downward; his right arm extends forward, and his épéee points at my heart.
   I’m beginning to feel terribly insecure. The Count has received instruction from Paris’ finest fencing masters. This is obvious from the way he instinctively drops into the "position d’engarde." His legs bend at the knees, like a sort of bow-legged parenthesis, ( ). It’s the same position I’ve seen many times at the ballet. The blade of his épée beats agonizingly slow time against mine, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock….clack, click, clack, click. He tests my reactions; he establishes a suitable distance and timing for his attack; and he succeeds in keeping me off balance. Then his right leg jabs at the air, and he advances toward me in a series of quick-short---rabbit-like---hops. The tempo of our beating épées increases tenfold. Then, like a tango dancer searching for the final embrace, his right knee bends low to the floor, and he lunges. Like a flash of lightning, he thrusts his épée, held in perfect alignment in his outstretched arm, far forward and penetrates my careless guard.

"Desist! Desist!" Shouts Natasha. She’s wearing her revealing witch’s costume. "I will not have two of the kings courageous cavaliers fighting a duel to see which of them will win the favors of the king’s duly appointed witch. You may BOTH have me," cries the Countess Sangfroid.

The squeaky studio door opens, and the night watchman, dressed in an old coat and loosened tie, enters the room. "Qu’est-ce que vous foutez là, les gars ?" he demands. Merde, I think. We’ve been busted. But Jacques turns towards the gray bearded watchman and says, "C’est moi…Jacques. We’re doing some final touches before heading out for Le Bal. "Ah, c’est donc vous, Jacques," the watchman replies, recognizing Jacque’s voice but not the infamous Count Sangfroid. "Bon. Amusez-vous bien. Et soyez sage, les enfants. Bonne soirée à tous." He retreats through the door and closes it behind him.
We pack up our things, and Jacques hides them in a closet. He walks to the door, raises his arm and calls to us…."Naughty witches, buxom harem girls and brave mousquetaires, follow me. TO THE BALL!" he shouts. (To be continued)

Glossary Notes
Cape et d’épée : cape and sword: (stories, like the 3 mousquetaires, popular among French children)
Ne sois pas inquiété, Robert : Don’t get nervous, Robert
Il n’y a rien à craindre :There’s nothing to worry about.
Voilà! On va boire un petit coup pour commencer :Here we go. We’ll have a little drink to start with.
Défendez vous : defend yourself
Qu’est-ce que vous foutez là, les gars ? What the hell are you guys up to?
Merde: sh..
C’est moi, Jacques: it’s me, Jacques.
Ah, c’est donc vous, Jacques : Ah, so it’s you, Jacques.

Tango Music Scene . . . . .

MILAN ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS YOU

“RICHARD GALLIANO – TANGARIA QUARTET
LIVE AT THE JAZZ FESTIVAL MARCIAC”

Certainly one of the most beautiful concerts of my life… an audience that was numerous, and alert; an incredible atmosphere in a mythical place…

- Richard Galliano

   Richard Galliano – Tangaria Quartet was recorded live in Marciac, a quaint sleepy town in southern France, in the summer of 2006 during the annual Jazz Festival. Galliano describes the concert as one of his most beautiful, and features astonishing performances by himself and his fellow quartet members Alexis Cardenas – violin, Philippe Aerts – double bass, and Rafaël Mejias – percussion. It also includes a special guest appearance by Brazilian mandolin virtuoso Hamilton de Holanda.
   The Tangaria Quartet plays some of Galliano's standard songs – Tango pour Claude, Laurita, Sertão, New York Tango, Fou Rire, Sanfona and Spleen – while exploring a few new ones including Chat Pître and Tangaria. The 80-minute concert also features Hamilton De Holanda's astonishing mandolin solo, Alexis Cardenas and Rafaël Mejias’ incredible duo and Galliano's improvisation alongside both of them. Richard Galliano – Tangaria Quartet is a live performance where every musician gives the very best of himself, immersing the audience in a diverse world of Italian, Mediterranean, jazz, French chanson, and classical music.
   Born in 1950 in Cannes, France, Richard Galliano has succeeded, through his musical emphasis on melody, rhythm, and harmony, in imposing his instrument – the accordion – in musical contexts that previously ignored it – jazz festivals (Marciac, Vienne, Montréal, etc.) and classical concert halls (Academia Santa-Cecilia in Rome, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Milan's la Scala, etc...).
   Galliano studied piano and accordion with his father, Lucien Galliano, before pursuing his musical studies at the Nice Conservatory. He studied counterpoint, harmony, and trombone, graduating with a “1er Prix d'Excellence” in 1969. In parallel with this musical apprenticeship he took part in international accordion competitions. Playing J.S. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Gershwin, he won first prize in the accordion “World Cup” two years in a row 1966 and 1967. In 1973, he left the south of France for Paris. For several years he collaborated with Claude Nougaro, Barbara, Serge Reggiani, Charles Aznavour, Juliette Gréco, Georges Moustaki and Zizi Jeanmaire.
   In 1983, Astor Piazzolla invited Richard Galliano to be the bandoneón soloist at the Comédie Française in his original music to accompany William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", directed by Jorge Lavelli. It was the beginning of a long friendship between the two men that lasted until Piazzolla's death in 1992. Over the last few years, Galliano shared the stage in concerts all over the world with renowned musicians such as Gilberto Gil, Chet Baker, Ron Carter and many others.
   Jazz in Marciac will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, featuring artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Gilberto Gil, Joe Cocker, and Manu Dibango. For Jazzmen, wherever they come from, this tiny village may appear like a big apple in the middle of the countryside. Do they play better there than anywhere else? Without a doubt! Marciac breathes and inspires.
    With Richard Galliano – Tangaria Quartet, Milan Entertainment pursues its long lasting tradition of releasing Latin American music and more particularly tango. Enjoy the concert and its intense, fascinating, and creative moments during an unforgettable night and the birth of a new band: TANGARIA.

DVD AND CD TO BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

for CDs or DVDs, photos, biography, please contact Stefan Karrer
at Milan Entertainment, Inc.
EMAIL: stefan.karrer@milanrecords.co