Tango La Nacional

New Yorkers: The heart of Buenos Aires - with all of its glamor, intrigue and tango - is just a subway stop away! Step out of the hustle and bustle of the 14th Street life and into a sensual soiree of dashing men in suits, chic ladies in 3 inch heels and the sounds of Gardel and Pugliese.

La Nacional, the Spanish National Home, is always open on Thanksgiving. There is a restaurant upstairs serving tapas and sangria. Up the back stairs, however, is the closest you'll come this side of Argentina to a real tango salon. It was the perfect place to go after a huge meal and visits with all those relatives! A lot of people agreed with me - the dance floor was comfortably filled to capacity.

Juan Pablo teaches a beginner lesson at 7pm and Maria Jose teaches an intermediate lesson at 8 pm - it is better than anything you will find in the dance schools in New York City. Technique, personal attention and a sense of genuine caring is what you get for $14 (including admission to the dance afterward). Juan and Maria are professional teachers of this serious and rewarding craft.

It is just sooo enjoyable to attend this milonga! Christmas-like lights are strewn across the ceiling, and the walls are painted in yellow and red to give a warm glow to the room. There are chairs against the wall and tables near the bar. Coco is your host and gives roses to the ladies when they leave. I was delighted the next morning - my beautiful red rose opened splendidly!

http://www.tangolanacional.com

Tango Nocturne

Dancesport in New York City on the 3rd Saturday of the month is the place to be for tango lovers. Robin Thomas hosts "Tango Nocturne" in this elegant setting which includes a ballroom and cocktail lounge.

About 40 people attended the lesson before the dance and here is the best part: lots more men than women!

Each month, a guest teacher is featured. We had the rare pleasure of a technique lesson given by Melina Sedo and Detlef Engel who are visiting from Germany. So often, lessons are merely about more steps. Not so with this dynamic duo! They offered lots of new ideas and there were lots of partner changes - a real social mixer.
http://www.tangodesalon.de

After the lesson, the ballroom filled with dancers that spilled out onto the surrounding tables and bar. People kept arriving late into the night. Everyone was very dressed up: men in jackets and ladies elegant dresses!

And everyone was very friendly and sociable. There was plenty of seating but ladies did not wait long before a gentleman came along to ask them to dance.

For more information about Robin Thomas and his upcoming dances and guest teachers:
http://robinthomastango.com/milonga.html

The new location of Dancesport is conveniently located on 34th Street in the middle of the shopping area and very near all trains and buses. If you haven't been there in a while, you will be pleasantly surprised!
http://www.dancesport.com

Swingin' New England

Have you ever been to Cape Cod? In November? For swing dancing? Well - I went to Swingin' New England this year and it was a phenomenon!

At least 500 people turned up for this amazing swing dance event. They came from all over New England, New York, Canada, France and even Australia. Even more importantly, the local dancers who attend most of the region's events were in the house. It is so fun to catch up with people I've met in previous events. You always find friends in the swing world!

Dancing was about 75% west coast swing and about 25% lindy. The event was held at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis and the facilities were wonderful. There was a giant ballroom and spacious dance floor. The staff took very good care of us, as well.

The All-Star cast of teachers and judges included: Angel Figueroa, Robert Cordoba & Deborah Szekely, Arjay Centeno & Jen DeLuca, Michael Kielbasa, Mario Robau and Blake Hobby. Lessons were held all day and into the night. There were competitions in both west coast swing and lindy. And there was dancing throughout the day and late, late, late into the night.

It was late fall on Cape Cod and there was plenty of color in this gorgeous location. Swing dancers have very little time for sightseeing but this is one time I took a break to check out the breath-taking views and sample the scrumptious fresh seafood. (Try the fried clams!)

Next year, if you decide to join us, plan to rent a car so that you can enjoy the Cape and turn your visit into a vacation. And, you don't necessarily have to stay at the event hotel. A rate of $99 a night was offered, but I stayed at a Day's Inn just 3 miles away for $40 a night, including breakfast.

This is one of the best New England dance events of the calendar year. I still think that Swingin' Into Spring in May is the best event in the whole country. (See my earlier post.)

http://www.dancingfeats.com

Strictly Westie

The picture to the left is of Michael Diener, the man responsible for the best west coast swing dance in New York City! This was no easy feat. West coast swing was big in the 90's. Some of the legends that taught here included Robert Cordoba, Debbie Ramsey, Beata Howe and Romero Gonzalez. This is where Kyle Redd started teaching. For a lot of reasons best suited for another article, it dwindled away.

Thanx to Michael D., its a brave new Westie world! Every Tuesday night there is an excellent lesson taught by Michael and his partner Jen Czarkowski (an amazing DJ) or a guest instructor - sometimes Tybaldt Ulrich. A dance follows that usually attracts about 70 - 90 people. Dinner and drink specials are offered. And all of this is at Connolly's in the heart of New York City's Times Square.

Recently, Michael added a Wednesday night workshop and dance at Blarney on 31st & 8th Avenue. This is a really neat concept because everyone is recorded on video and given pointers. The dance that follows provides an opportunity to work on those issues. And, there is a bar offering drink specials.

The latest addition to Michael's promotions is a monthly Saturday night dance - of course - with a lesson. Like Tuesday nights, the DJs vary and include Jen, Jeanette Holmes, Evan Swartz and Kelly Faust.

Whether you live in Manhattan, the tri-state area - or are in town for a visit, please join us at one of these dances. Everyone is very warm and friendly. The music is awesome and the dance floors are unbelievable. You'll make new friends and grow as a dancer.

http://www.strictlywestie.com

Halloween in Harrisburg

Halloween in the Pennsylvania Amish countryside with the gorgeous golds and reds of autumn and pumpkins all over the place was the setting of an amazing country dance weekend event. Hundreds of people came from PA, New Jersey, New York and New England. What could be better?!!!!!

Three lessons were held each hour, Friday thru Sunday. Cody & Tracy Melin filled in for Robert & Nicola Roysten (he had shoulder surgery) and gave a whole new flavor to west coast swing. John Whipple came from Florida to put some panash into cha-cha and the legendary Sam & Denise Miller brought their brand of 2step. There were also workshops in hustle, salsa, waltz, triple 2step, polka, nightclub 2step - something for everyone!

During the day, in the main ballroom, many different divisions of country competition were held. There were ProAms and couples of all ages and levels - decked out in rhinestones and cowboy boots - competing in at least five dances including 2step, waltz, cha-cha, swing and nightclub 2step. Its worth watching just to see the costumes!

At 3:30 pm on Saturday the west coast swing Jack n' Jill was held. This was the best run competition of its kind that I have seen. A computer randomly matched partners which enabled the competition to go right on with a minimum of delay. The top two couples were awarded cash prizes (and more importantly, WSDC points).

After the competitions and lessons were finished, there was a wonderful dinner show that included performances by all the teachers. Tracy & Cody Melin performed a very romantic cabaret routine with many lifts. Paradizo (Zoe Klien & David Paris from America's Got Talent) wowed the audience. Sam & Denise Miller (George Clooney in a cowboy hat) showed everyone what 2step is supposed to look like.

And after all of that, the main ballroom opened up for dancing. There was music for all country dances as well as traditional ballroom dances. And, there was a separate room for west coast swing.

For those of you out there who have never attended an event of this kind - what the heck are you waiting for!!!

http://www.halloweeninharrisburg.com