Festivalito Rural in Slovenia (review)

An encounter with friends on September 16-18, 2011

The event was organised by Alja Ferme and Saso Zivanovic, two young dancers from Slovenia with the help of some good friends. Not all of them are of the same nationality, but we call them the „Slovenian gang“. I am going to write more about Alja and Saso soon, as they will be presented as „European Milongueros“.
The Festivalito took place for the second time, this time being far more international than last year, when most of the participants were Slovenian or Italians. Italians can be considered as „locals“, Trieste and Udine not being more than 2 or 2,5 hours of drive from Celje. So please note: Slovenia is NOT situated in the far east of Europe and easily accessible by car, train or plane!

Location:
Celje is a smallish town set in a beautiful countryside on the foothills of the Alps. There seems to be a nice city centre, but we did not have the time to visit - as usual. We stayed in walking distance of the Festival locations: a youth centre and hostel, where the Milonguitas and the classes took place and Club Terazza on the top of a commercial building. They were in 3 Minutes walking distance and both not more than 5 Minutes walk from our hotel. This was perfect!
The Margaritas in Club Terazza are notable as well: Do not drink more than one or your axis will suffer severely.

Milongas:
There were three main Milongas and two afternoon Milonguitas. The Friday and Saturday Milongas went quite late - we always had to go before the end because of our classes on the following day. But as I heard, they stopped around 5 in the morning. Some of the class participants were thus in rather bad shape. ;-) The Sunday Milonga was set in the afternoon until after 8 p.m..

DJs:
All DJs presented traditional music in Tandas and Cortinas. Why do I write that anyway? I will only review events, which sport the traditional musical setting. Unless it is a rant... ;-)
Ok, let‘s get to the DJ‘s: Alan Spotti (Italy), Theo Chatzipetros (Greece/Italy), Andreas Wichter (Germany/UK), Lampis Zalavras (Greece/USA) and Taskin Deniz (Turkey/Germany). The country before the slash refers to the country of origin, the one behind it to the place of residence. So, we‘ve had a quite international crew of DJs.
I have already described Theo‘s DJing in one of the last posts, and I cannot comment on Taskin‘s music, as I have never heard him DJ. This time, I did not either, as he was doing the welcome Milonguita on Friday. I did not visit it because I had to rest after travelling.
I did not visit the Saturday Milonguita, as we were teaching on Saturday afternoon, but I can tell, that Andreas prefers a rather energetic, rhythmical set of music. He will surely have played D‘Arienzo, Laurenz and Troilo, mixed with some lyrical elements like Di Sarli con Podesta or Rufino. But you‘ll have to ask someone else about his specific performance during the Festivalito Rural.
Alan Spotti! What can I say about him? He‘s one of the nicest guys and dancers in northern Italy and always a great pleasure to watch - especially when he‘s dancing in Flip-Flops! I‘ve heard him DJ several times and always liked his well balanced choice. But I cannot write so much about his job at the Rural, as I came very late and was super tired. I noticed, that people danced a lot and I remember Lynn telling me, that she liked the Friday Milonga most. So he‘s definitely done a very good job.
Lampis Zalavras DJed on the Despedida and played a calm, sweet selection of music - just the right choice for the last Milonga of a Festival. People were happy. We will have him for the Despedida on the FCA 2011 and I am very much looking forward to his music.

Classes:
Saso and Alja‘s focus is on bringing social Tango in a close embrace to their friends. This is why they decided to combine teaching and dancing on this event. Many people show up for the Milongas only, but the classes were fully booked with each 15 couples.
We (Detlef & I) were teaching a series of intensive classes - 4,5 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday, focussing on the basics: quality of embrace, harmonic movement and musicality.
On Friday, we hosted a discussion about interaction at a Milonga and the traditional „guidelines“, covering the topics „entering“, „seating“, „invitation“, „dancing“. We had hoped for a controversial discussion with people speaking out against the Cabeceo, but this did not happen. (So were were a little naive imagining that there would be people who do NOT agree with our general philosophy.) The discussion was nevertheless lively, brought up a lot of interesting details and everyone agreed on the fact, that most of the „rules“ makes sense, if you adapt them sensibly to our modern European setting and do not just try to imitate the Argentines. And I will be very conscious about washing my hands after changing the shoes from now on... 

Demo:
We did a short demo on the Saturday Milonga and Detlef got a very special parting gift: a vintage iron! He will hold it in honour and was pleased, that they did not choose the other option: a vacuum cleaner. (Facebook friends will understand the meaning of these gifts.) But I have to scold our friends: Why did Detlef receive a gift and me not? He? (OMG what have I done, now I will receive dumb-bells or running gear next year...) As for out demo itself: Most of you will know, that Detlef does never know the music in advance and I choose it for us. This time, I asked my friends on Facebook and Andreas came up with „El Morochito“ by Rodriguez. So Detlef was lucky, because he‘s a big fan of Rodriguez. He was not so lucky with my choice for the second Tango, as I picked „Pampero“ by Fresedo. Normally, we do not dance Fresedo together, as we‘ve got different ideas about the interpretation of this orchestra. But this Tango was quite non-ambiguous, so we did not embarrass ourselves. The last dance was „Lirio Blanco“ by Canaro. I just love those slow Valses!

Extra activities:
Well... you could of course have visited the countryside or Celje.... but I do not think, that anyone spend time outside of the Festival venues. This was purely dancing. So, extra activities: recovering from dancing!
But I should not forget the art exhibition in the youth centre: Giancarlo Pastonchi, an Italian dancer and professional photographer presented a choice of his Tango works. He was also participating in the Festival and made a very nice movie with impressions from the Festivalito. (See below.)

Crowd:
I already mentioned the fact, that the crowd was much more international than last year. Apart from the Slovenian and Italian dancers, there were visitors from Austria, Australia, Germany, the UK and the USA. Age-wise this is a younger event, mostly people from 30 to their early 40‘s, but you could find all age groups. The level of social dancing was quite high and everyone enjoyed the close embrace.
For me, this was one of the few events in the year, where I am invited to teach and dance amongst close friends. Some of my favourite dancers were there as well. I am sorry, that I could not dance with them more - being too exhausted from teaching. But I will surely not forget sitting on the roof terrace on a sunny Sunday after class, looking onto the hills and mountains that surround Celje, drinking a Margarita or two and chatting with Theo, Philippe, Francesco, Deborah and other friends. It felt like home!

Preview:
There will be a 2012 edition with the same concept, teachers (us) and locations in 2012. Do already note the date: September 7-9, next year.
I have to add, that this is a small event, and will stay one. In order to guarantee the quality, Saso and Alja want to keep it intimate with no more than 100 visitors on the Saturday Milonga. Most vistors are planning to participate in 2012, so you‘ll have to book very early to get one of the last free spots. We are looking forward to another great event with friends!

And now: enjoy Giancarlo's video of the Festivalito Rural 2011:

Sentadas, Montadas and Ganchos for Beginners

This is one of the posts, with which I will attract the enmity of colleagues and consumers alike, as I am about to break an „unwritten law“ of the Tango community: Do not criticise a a fellow teacher! A couple of moths ago, I complained about the lamentable dance-quality on dancefloors as a result of the teaching of „non-social elements“. I then just spoke in general terms, not mentioning any teacher in particular. (Have a look at my earlier post.) But now, an event of Facebook made my hair stand up and my blood boil. 

A few days ago, a friend drew my attention to this announcement of workshops in Florence. They are being held by one of the most famous Tango-couples, now living and teaching in Italy. She is believed to be the best female Tango dancer in the world. I will not comment on that, but please judge for yourself, if these class contents are fit for beginning and intermediate Tango dancers or social Tango of all levels: 

a) Sentadas con salida en catena 

b) Montadas y ganchos 

c) Sacadas en el giro (see comment below)

d) Movimientos de calidad en el Vals, Tango y Milonga (see comment below)

e) Sacada doble con ganchos 

Are they making fun of the clients? Do they really believe, that a random bunch of Florentine dancers - some of them surely over 50 and the majority of the group in mediocre physical shape - will be able to execute such movements correctly and nicely? Or is this a mistake in labelling and the classes are really meant for very advanced young dancers wanting to perform professionally? 

Pleeeease! 

Seriously, I am convinced that all teachers, especially those who are believed to be the „ambassadors“ of Tango, bear responsibility for how Tango is danced in the Milongas. Over the last years, a broad understanding was formed within the Tango communities, no matter which style they prefer: Most people will nowadays agree on the assertion, that stage Tango elements should be no part of the teaching for social dancers and that an excellent technical basis is required to attempt more complex or even athletic movements. If kicking and jumping is to have a comeback in beginners and intermediate classes - then we are really doomed!


Additional comment after discussion:
I did not want to critisise ALL classes - I just wrote down the whole list of contents as they were presented in the announcement. Quality Movements may be a nice class - if they do not just show steps. And Sacadas in turns are an appropriate content for advanced dancers. So, 2 out of 5 might be ok. But is this good enough?

Tango del Mar in Romania (review with a short digression)

Those who read my blog on a regular basis, may imagine, that I was looking very much forward to this event. And although we almost never combine work with sightseeing, in this special case we arrived a couple of days earlier to enjoy the magnificent and variable landscape or Romania. This is why I cannot stop myself and must give you a short report of our crazy tour from the Walachian plains, over the Transsilvanian mountains to the seaside of the Dobrudscha. 

A journey into a new and very old land:
We arrived on Sunday evening after a whole month of non-stop-intensive-seminars and spend two days visiting Bucharest, a city of immense contrasts: the imposing monuments of communism and newly build or renovated palaces of commerce amongst ruins or desolate apartment houses. I cannot say that we liked it very much, but I will not forget the impressions either. On our third day, we drove over Curtea de Arges to climb the 1480 steps to the castle Poenaru in the Carpathian mountains. I have never been so sweaty and exhausted in my whole life! But it was worth seeing the dark foresty mountains tower over the Arges valley. And to imagine... but well, that is another story.... 

Next stage went over the Transfagaras road to Sibiu in Transsilvania. Although I was rather worried to break our rented car on that never ending winded path with enormous holes in the ground, I was so much impressed by the view, that I do not regret our choice. I have surely never been so high up a mountain and the views were perfectly stunning. 

We got late to Sibiu (Hermannstadt) a nicely renovated city with beautiful renaissance and baroque architecture. The epitome of picturesque. Had it not been so immensely hot! And we only had a few hours on the next day before we had to drive back to Bucharest, where our lovely new friend Oana would pick us up and drive us to the Black Sea. All these places went by so fast. I cannot believe, that we‘ve actually done this... 

We finally arrived at the hotel, tired and hungry as a traveller in earlier times may have been but all of this was so amazing. I have to come back with much, much more time! 

In the meanwhile, let me talk some Tango and finally review the: 

Tango del Mar - Encuentro de Abrazos (August 26-28, 2011) 

The event was organised by Ionut Fiscu and Ramona Budui, two young dancers from Constanta in Romania. Both have started teaching quite early in their Tango life and seem to have a very methodical approach. Which is why they have chosen us after having „tested“ our classes in Italy this January. We were at first a bit reluctant to accept the offer as we had planned our holiday for 2011 during that period - but then finally accepted. Ionut managed to convince us to be „ambassadors“ of close embrace in a country where Tango Nuevo and open Tango de Salon seems to be pre-dominant. We did not regret our decision! :-) 

Location: 

The Encuentro took place in the Hotel Central in Mamaia, the seaside resort near Constanta at the Black Sea. You could actually see the sea from the open-air dancefloor and a steady breeze was keeping us cool during hot dances. 

The dancefloor was set at the pool and outside restaurant, so you could have even taken a short swim during Milongas. We restrained ourselves, but had lovely meals with grilled meat, fish and salad at the beginning of the Milongas. 

The hotel itself was simple but perfectly functional - and what more can you ask, then to jump out of bed directly into the sea or to the Milonga! Ideal! 

Milongas: 

There were three Milongas, two late Milongas from 22.00 until dawn on Friday and Saturday and the Despedida on Sunday, that started earlier and went until 0.30. People showed up rather late and our hosts explained, that this was the custom in Romania.

DJs: 

All DJs presented traditional music in Tandas and Cortinas. 

The opening Milonga was DJ‘d by Ramona Budui. I was still suffering from sore muscles (the 1480 steps!), so I chatted most of the time and left the Milonga early - unfortunately during a Tanda of beautiful Di Sarli with Pomar... Maybe I should have stayed longer. Ramona definitely made a choice of perfectly danceable music - apart from one Fresedo Tanda, that started rather hollywoodesk-dramatic and ended up being very sweet - too late as I had already refused an invitation. Oh... and then I forgot to mention, that Ramona of course played her signature Vals: "Ramona" by Biagi. Almost nobody does this nowadays - but I love that song! 

On Saturday evening, Theo "El Greco" Chatzipetros was DJing. He is residing in Italy and a well known DJ at the traditional Milongas or Encuentros all over southern Europe. He DJs regularly at the Milonga in Impruneta near Florence - a must-go for all Milongueros. Theo is one of my favourite DJs and confirmed his reputation by playing the most beautiful choice of Tangos - lyrical and rhythmic music in a harmonic balance. I stayed until 4 in the morning and heard the rest of the music (until 7 a.m.) from my bed. Which actually annoyed me in the end, as I wanted to sleep very badly, but this was not Theo‘s fault. Next time, I‘ll get a room facing to the other side. Detlef stayed until the end and we both were pretty knackered the next day! 

The Despedida was DJ‘d by Philippe Gonella, whom I have already mentioned repeatedly, both as a dancer and DJ. I was very much surprised by his unusual choice of highly dramatic music, sporting Tandas by very late D‘Arienzo (Este es el rey - a no-go!) and Varela. He usually plays much older stuff.... I will ask him about it! 

Classes: 

We (Detlef & I) were teaching only 4 classes, as we had decided to not work so much as usual - wanting to make up for our „lost“ holiday. I additionally did a class on „music and musical design“ for DJs and dancers. All classes were fully booked by a young and very active crowd. It was fun working with such spirited dancers! 

The workshops took place in a Salsa studio downtown Constanta, which was quite a drive. Next year they plan to have the classes on-site as well. 

Demos: 

We did a demo on the Saturday Milonga which was very well received. It found it nevertheless a challenge to built a good connection to partner and audience with the strong wind distracting me. I actually felt leading impulses by the wind, but then I am most-likely crazy... 

Extra activities: 

That‘s obvious, insn‘t it? Beach time! You may also visit Constanta but most people spent the days sunbathing, swimming and resting. 

Crowd: 

Although the majority of the dancers were young people from Romania, there were some „travellers“ as well: Germans, Italians, Swiss and I think also some Turkish dancers. The attendance was a little lower than expected, but the ambiance made up for that. All people were very friendly, open and eager to embrace Tango and the world. Just as it should be! People were actually enthusiastic and one dancer from Italy remarked: Tango, the sea, the lights... this must be heaven! 

I was personally pleased to meet Philippe, his partner Renata, Theo and a another nice dancer from Italy, Massimiliano. We also made some great new acquaintances, not to forget our hosts Ramona and Ionut. So we were lucky to work and dance amongst friends! 

Preview: 

There will be a second edition next year in June, 8-10. Most likely, it will take place in the same hotel, but they will change the location of the dancefloor slightly - nearer to the covered area of the restaurant in order to get out of the windy zone and create a more intimate ambiance. 

We have already been invited to teach again and will do some more hours, probably with a fixed group of dancers. So there will be no option to book single classes - this assures an intensified learning and working experience. 

I am confident that the number of participants for the Milongas will increase as the word spreads about this lovely first Encuentro de Abrazos in Romania!

European Milongueros - Philippe Gonella

Now there‘s a guy with whom I bonded instantly. Why? Because he‘s got an opinion and he‘s not afraid to show it.

The first time I met Philippe Gonella was when he was taking one of our classes in 2007 with his former partner Céline (see last post). And although he seemed to share the same idea of Tango, he was really suspicious, when we introduced some of our basic principles. You could not tell, if he liked them or not. He was kinda grumpy and I somehow appreciate it, when people have got a critical approach to what teachers tell them. Also the fact that he left the room, when we were doing our demo. He later told me, that this was not meant to criticise us, but he just did not like performances. Ok, I don‘t like them either, so I can accept that.

And then we danced... and he was not sulky at all. Although he had - by then - a somewhat firm abrazo that literally made me loose my breath, I could tell, that for him, Tango is all about feeling. Being near to a woman, letting two bodies interact in a very intimate way, letting the music go from the top of your head to your toes. The moment, Philippe takes you into his arms, there will be no more boundaries - definitely not someone to dance with, if you‘ve got closeness-issues and a fan of high boleos. ;-)

So who‘s the guy, who changed from Mr. Grumpy to Señor Abrazo in an instant?

Philippe Gonella originates from Grasse, France, where he met Tango more than 11 years ago. He co-founded Cariño Tango with Céline Devèze and took up teaching and DJing. And very early, it it became clear to him, that Tango was neither the acrobatics of Tango Escenario, nor the moves of Tango Nuevo - Tango was what was danced in the traditional Milongas in Buenos Aires. His first visit of Buenos Aires confirmed him in his beliefs and he came back with the aim to establish a real Milonga with all the „reglas“ in his home region. And so the „Milonga Linda“ became one of the first traditional Milongas in the south of France: women seated separately from men, traditional music with Tandas & Cortinas, invitation solely by Cabeceo & Mirada, respecting the codes of the dancefloor... these were Philippe‘s primary objectives.

As a Tango-teacher, Philippe focusses on the basics: connection, walk, music. Up until now, he prefers to impart his ideas in private classes. In such an environment, he can much better show corporeally what Tango means to him. He also never wanted to live from giving Tango classes or even DJing - he feared that this might corrupt his sincere Tango, make him feel obliged to dance with women out of politeness, to show steps instead of principles... I find that very respectable, although I think you can stay true to yourself - even when you‘re a professional Tango teacher. ;-)

But Philippe is really not a man of compromises. So in 2009, he decided to close his firm (he was an electrician installing heatings and A/Cs), sell his equipment, sports-car and boat, rent out his house and live in a Caravan. He just wanted to Tango: to drive - like a gypsy - from one Milonga to the other, from one Festivalito to the next Encuentro Milonguero. And this is exactly what he does since then: dancing at the Milongas (mostly in Italy), DJing a lot, teaching here and then, meeting friends, having fun and great meals... Sometimes I envy him, if it weren‘t for the frugal living in his VW bus. Well, it suits him and Gitango is the name he chose as a DJ!

As a dancer, he chooses the women for their quality of embrace, not for her technique or intricate decorations. He once told me, that the sole reason he invited me to dance for the first time was not because I danced good or was a teacher, but because he could read the emotions on my face. And since them, he‘s become my favourite dance partner for slow Tangos by Di Sarli. We will not move a lot, but feel and play the music with tiny shifts of weight or steps in slow-motion. Sometimes, we will just stand still... His embrace became much softer over the years, allowing for a nice dissociation and organic communication. To enjoy dancing with Philippe, you have to be flexible and relaxed - a woman with stiff embrace and legs will not be able to get the subtle leading impulses. And if you think you can rely on memorised steps, you will be very surprised!

His new partner in life and dance is an Italian physical therapist who shares his ideas of Tango and living in freedom. Renata is such a warm and sensitive person, who connects very strongly to her partner. That makes her a perfect match for Philippe.

I don‘t want to forget, that Philippe and his friends Paule, Marcel and Renata are organising one of the biggest events for Milongueros in Europe: the „Encuentro Milonguero Les Cigales“. It takes place in early summer and boasts 3 days of dancing to the best DJ‘s choices, respect for the „codigos“, common meals, time to spend with friends - the epitome of savoir-vivre in France!

You will not be surprised, that after all those big positive changes in his life, Philippe is not grumpy any more: He‘s experiencing so much friendship and happy moments in Tango, that he will give it back to the world, smiling and and with a huge taste of self-irony. Nowadays, he even likes our demos and compliments us on them. And if I‘m lucky, I‘ll get an excellent foot-massage. To Di Sarli‘s music... ;-)

I will present you two videos in addition to the one with Céline in my last post:
- The first shows Philippe dancing with me at the first Festivalito con Amigos in Saarbrücken. See how the other three couples are racing along the dancefloor, compared to our slow moves. ;-) You can in this video also watch Andreas and Céline dancing together, the honourees of the last two posts.
- The second video is of a recent demo with his new partner Renata Lacchini in the „Contatto Club“ in Spinea, Venice. 

Enjoy!

European Milongueras - Céline Devèze

Preface: 

I know, that the term „Milonguera“ was in earlier times often used pejoratively to describe women of questionable moral conduct, who frequented the Milongas. (Please have a look at Cherie‘s historic definition.) But nowadays, a big majority just uses the word as the feminine form of Milonguero: a women, spending all her spare time at the Milongas, living for the embrace in a traditional setting - in contrast to a professional show-dancer, who strives for choreographies or impressive moves. This change of meaning is proven by the fact, that some of the most popular Milongas in Buenos Aires organise special „Noches de las Milongueras“ to honour the women, who have dedicated their lives to Tango. So please allow me to use the term „Milonguera“ in the same positive way.

I would like to introduce today‘s honouree with her own words, translated from French:

„Argentine Tango is a universe that comes to life though the body of your partner, the embrace of the couple, mutual exchange and respect. It is a magical moment, a pure emotion full of vibrations and poetry, that we long to relive indefatigably.“

I encountered Céline Devèze 2007 in Lyon, when she participated in some of our classes with her former partner Philippe Gonella. She is a very refined French young lady with a taste for luxury and an elaborate language, that she uses to describe her passion for Tango. And from the beginning, she struck me as a very sensitive and emotional being. Even during class, she would give in completely to the embrace and the feeling - in a way that infatuated all the guys. And still does. You already met Céline in my former post, dancing with Andreas Wichter, who‘s a big fan of hers. ;-)

Céline lives in the south of France, in Grasse, a historic town up the hills near the white beaches of the Côte D‘Azur. She started dancing almost 10 years ago and took classes with Pablo & Béatrice Ojeda, Thierry Lecocq & Véronique Bouscasse, Térésa Cunha, Graciela Gonzales, Géraldine Rojas, Silvina Vals, Maria Plazaola and Aurora Lubiz amongst others. She once told me, that Veronique Bouscasse was her most important influence in the first years.

You can tell, that Tango conquered her life completely. Very early in her career as a Milonguera, Céine co-founded the Tango association „Cariño Tango“ and started giving classes with Philippe Gonella. She travelled to all the events in reach and became a fixture in the Milongas in Nimes, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier... Nowadays, her radius has expanded as she frequents the traditional Milongas and Encuentros in Italy as well as in other countries like the UK, Germany, and Scandinavia. In the last few years, you often see her name amongst the DJs of a traditional Festival. Once a year, she organises a big event in her home region - La Pasionara It takes place at carnival and features workshops, demos and sometimes life-music. Céline‘s latest passion is photographing and filming. So, when you do not see her dancing at a Milonga, she‘s most likely pointing her camera at you to capture all the lovely embraces, that mean so much to her. And after the event, she‘ll compose a beautiful video, that makes you want to cry. She‘s obviously a women of many talents! I guess, the last year, when she was unfortunately unemployed , must have been one of her best years ever - because she had the time to travel to all the great events without having to fit in a tiring business schedule.

When it comes to dancing, her passionate embrace is unrivalled and all the best dancers are lining up to dance with her. The women admire (and sometimes envy) her elegant moves and understated decorations. So, Céline dances and dances and dances... I have never seen her leave a Milonga before the end - no matter how late it is!

I am going to show you three videos:

The first one shows her performing with Philippe Gonella.

The second one is a film about her big event „La Pasionara“. Check out all the great social dancers, who Céline manages to bring together.

The last video shows impressions from her „Milonga Linda“ and tells us, what Tango really means to Céline.

I proudly present a European Milonguera:

European Milongueros - Andreas Wichter

Now, nobody will be surprised, that I chose Andreas as the first European Milonguero to be presented in my blog. But for those, who do not know me so well or have not been reading my all my posts: 

Andreas Wichter is the person with whom I started dancing Tango in the mid-90s. We go way back (when he still had black hair) and without him, I would never have immersed myself into this new world. It was his idea to take Tango classes and in the beginning, I thought, it was just to please me. But I was mistaken. This guy meant business. 

I should not have been surprised, because that‘s Andreas‘ way: whatever he decides to do, he will really plunge into it. His two former purposes in life had been Wing Chun and Roleplaying Games: He had started Martial Arts in 1983, travelled to Hongkong and taught it for over 10 years. Roleplaying Games did not remain a pastime for him either: every minute available he (and me) spend preparing games and researching for them historically, travelling to conventions, writing and editing a fanzine and translating Roleplaying manuals professionally. You can see the pattern: He takes something up as a hobby and soon the passion becomes so overwhelming, that it‘ll evolve into a profession. And his big love was meant to be Tango! 

So, who is this crazy guy and what is his Tango like? 

Andreas is German and was born in the town where I live, Saarbrücken. Although he studied for some years in Berlin, he came back to his home town and this is where we discovered Tango. After a first introduction to Tango in 1995-96, we gave it up again. Classes were bad and no Milongas existed in our region. But from January 2000 we got really into it and this is when Andreas‘ passion for Tango really came into bloom: After having been introduced to close embrace Tango de Salon by his early mentor Just Kuhl, he started travelling to all Milongas and Festivals within reach, taking classes with many important teachers and couples: Hernan Obispo & Mariana Dragone, Chicho, Eric Jorissen & Komala, Mauricio Castro, „El Pibe“ Sarandi & Elina Roldan, „El Turco“ Jose Brahemcha, Rodolfo „El Chino“ & Miho, Eduardo Capussi & Mariana Flores, Javier Rodriguez & Andrea Misse. But his main influences were definitely two of the big Milongueros: Tete, who influenced him strongly and Gavito, who changed Andreas‘ dance overnight. But taking classes and going to Milongas was not enough for him and he spend almost every waking hour watching videos on the newly created Youtube, listening to Tango music and practising movements alone. His roommate (my very good friend Juliana of the Tangokombinat) went bonkers because she could hear him walking and pivoting all night above her head in the attic room. You can imagine, that his job as a freelance webdesigner, journalist and Wing Chun teacher suffered immensely... 

In late 2003 he started dancing with Anne-Cecile Dubois from Metz (France) and teaching in Luxembourg. After we had founded the Tangokombinat in December 2004, Andreas‘ teaching activities became even more time-consuming. Apart from teaching in our hometown, Andreas co-operated with Detlef and me in the weekly classes in Metz (France) and Landau (Germany) and was invited to teach at Festivals and events in Germany, Belgium, the UK and France. In 2005 he met the lovely Lynn Collins and spend more and more time in the UK, to were he finally moved in 2009. Now he‘s giving classes in the Southwest of the UK as well as in London and is organising the "Abrazos - Encuentro Milonguero UK“ with his life partner. Whenever possible, Andreas travels to the important Milonguero Festivals in Italy and France. And we are - of course - still organising the "Festivalito con Amigos" as a Tangokombinat event. All his-non Tango-activities have been reduced to a absolute minimum and I can assure you, that he‘s one of the most dedicated and strict teachers, that I‘ve ever met. As a DJ, he slowly manages to influence the „eclectic“ UK Tango culture with his very traditional approach and has been invited to work at numerous events on the continent. 

Wherever he goes, Andreas is one of the most sought-after partners for women who want to experience a musical Tango with a strong connection. He‘s got an immaculate axis that makes turned movements so easy - a result of 30 years of martial arts, I guess. I always find, that he‘s the most traditional of my close friends: his Tango is very similar to the dance of the Milongueros in Buenos Aires and you can still feel a lot of Tete in his movements. He nevertheless dissociates and communicates with very modern body concepts. This is where you can feel the influence of the more „nuevo“ teachers and our close co-operation. It is the rhythmic music, that I prefer to dance with Andreas: Tangos by Biagi and Valses of every kind. With this music, he develops a very unique and powerful dynamic, that you may not see from the outside, but feel in the couple. Andreas is furthermore the ONLY man, with whom I dance very fast Milongas - and still do decorations, because I feel so comfortable. When he‘s not around, I sit them out... 

And now you may sit back and watch Andreas dance. 

I want to present two videos: In the first, we are dancing to „El Adios“ by Donato at our Festivalito con Amigos . In the second, you can see him dancing with Céline Devèze at the 2009 edition of „Les Cigales“ in the south of France during a Tanda of Biagi. I especially like the last bit, when we leads Céline into a turn of forward steps in both directions. Beautiful. That‘s no performance, just social dancing. And it shows best, what Andreas is: a Milonguero with all his heart!

The European Milongueros & Milongueras

So here I am again. I‘ve been thinking about what to write, when an idea hit me:

There are quite some blogs, who feature the „old Milongueros“ of Buenos Aires. That‘s very important and I always enjoy reading about their experiences or seeing them dancing. But I‘d like to introduce you to the European Milongueros and Milongueras in a series of blog articles over the next weeks.

And, yes - they do exist! Men and women who dedicate their life to social Tango in the traditional Milongas in Europe and all around the globe. Dancers who cherish the embrace above all, who dance with all their heart and passion - and sometimes give up everything they‘ve achieved in real-life just to dance. And sometimes teach or DJ... Not to become rich or famous - it's just that they could not imagine, investing time in something else than Tango. Most of them are still young - in their 30s or 40s - but they‘ve acquired already quite some Tango-wisdom by travelling, dancing, reading, talking to people - just living the Tango - as the „old Milongueros“ do!

And they are my friends. Some of them, I know since ages, others, I‘ve just met recently. You surely know some of them personally. I find, they deserve a tribute on my blog, for: We share one philosophy and many embraces. 

So, I poudly present: The European Milongueros!