ETC

Starting a milonga in BA has brought out a bit of the Blanche Dubois in me… in that I am trying desperately to hide the fact that I have no idea what I am doing!  And, at 11:00, when the milonga was as empty as a kosher deli in the Gaza Strip, I, like Blanche, was ready to me carried off the nuthouse.   Scott and Niki saved the night when they showed up for their despartido party, bringing about thirty tango dancing friends with them.  They are a couple of dancing Aussies who have been living in BA for a year, and tomorrow go back to the land of Koala’s and a stable economy.   Dancing with Niki is what tango is all about, and Scott is the only dude I actually enjoy dancing with.  Suerte, amigos.

By 1AM the place was hopping, just as I was running out of fingernails to chew.   However, this did not put an end to my suffering.  I don’t know what is worse… have a milonga that is empty, or one full of people who will critically question my choice in music every time I play some nuevo tango, and as this milonga plays primarily nuevo tango, I was constantly second guessing, and defending (if only to myself at times),  each decision I made.  It was nervewracking.

This would not be so bad has I even the faintest clue about how to put together a decent playlist.  My DJing career began two weeks ago!  I was informed last night that legally I could not even call my milonga a “milonga”.  Wha!?  Yes, the government of Argentina actually has an official set of requirements that a milonga must meet in order to call itself a “milonga”… such as a very limited selection of non-tango songs can be played.  Just like Champagne laws of France and the Pizza Laws of Italy (that’s right. Italy has Pizza Laws… the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (p.s. If you live in NYC, this is the only place that has actual DOC pizza, as far a I know)) If you break these laws, you are no longer classified as a “milonga” and become a “boliche” (night club), to which there are severe buearucratic consequences.  So the quenstion is, what constitutes a “tango” song?  Do the artists, such as Gotan, Otros Aires, Tanghetto, etc., have to be registered “official” tango orchestras in the eyes of the government?  These are all questions for the Milonga de Otros Buenos Aires Legal Division.  I mention it here simply to share how absolutely clueless I am about playlists and “official” milongas.  Other issues were raised as well… “You can’t follow electro with a Vals!  It must be a tango!“, “Did you just play Troilo from 1930 AND 1950 in the same tanda!?“.  I have no idea if these people were just making this stuff up on the fly, or if these are actual “dos and don’ts” on playlist etiquette.  So where is the “Dummies Guide for Nuevo Tango Milongas”?

At one point I tried cheat and simply used a playlist from a Nuevo Tango club in Germany.  I quickly adopted a new motto: “When in Buenos Aries, don’t do as the Germans do” (I know, it seems pretty obvious).  But all was not lost!  As luck would have it, Jessica, who had read this blog, decided to come by and see what was up.   A small, attractive, Canadian living in San Francisco, visiting BA with her partner, and, most importantly, the first Nuevo Tango DJ I have ever met.  Finally, someone who a ctually knows something about this!   Of course, she is leaving in a few days   but she was more that willing to “give me a clue”, and again, like Blanche, I am quite happy to relie on the kindness of strangers.

M3U Playlist

You just can’t find domestic help like this today (but my cleaning lady is a mean cumbiana)

yeah, baby!

What does it say about English speakers that in Facebook, when adding an event, if your default language is Spanish, “Dance” is an option, but if it is English, the closest thing you get is “Listening Party”.  Really? Isn’t it a bit presumptuous of Facebook to assume that if you are ‘English’ you would prefer to just sit on you ass and tap your feet, but if you are ‘Spanish’, then you’re gonna dance? I wonder what option they offer if your language is Farsi!?

Regardless, whether your ‘english’,’spanish’, or ‘ basque’, you can come and swing dance this friday.

Whiskey & Swing

(All whiskey drinks 2 for 1)
Feb 11, 2010, Friday
$10
Plus
Classes by the Meistras of Swing,
Eugenia Della Latta
and
Agustina Zero-Setien
http://www.otrosbuenosaires.com/
Every Friday 23:00 – 4:00
Independencia 572

Classes 21:30 – 22:30 (includes Entrada)

Well, I never finished my last post with was detailing how MOBA has become a Swing Bar… Suffice to say, it is.

This is our first night of Swing, so I am anxious to see how it turns out.  I am optimistic, for many reasons.

Swing is the polar opposite of Tango, it seems.  They both evolved is a similar fashion, a fusion of sounds that arose from the ghettos in two countries that has opened their doors to world.  Ironically, Tango, a music of sadness,  loss and nostalgia,  has it’s root in the immegrants who came to Argentina to start a new life, while Swing, a music of celebration and joy, grew out of the black slaves who life’s were that of misery and suffering.  Go figure!

I love tango!  but tango, and tango dancers (in BA) are not really a ‘happy’ crowd.  Just go to any milonga and see for yourself!  While Swing dancers seem to be having way too much fun!

WhenI started MOBA, the idea was to create a place where tango can be fun, happy, exciting…  well, I am a Yankee from NYC, so I think I can do anything   After a year of trying to drag tangueros, kicking and screaming, into MOBA for a little fun, I realized I was being foolish.  Tangueros really do enjoy the sadness!  Swing dancers, on the other hand, seem to be having a great time!

So, when we decided to let a few Swing dancers into MOBA, and the place quickly was packed with ‘happy feet’… well, my eyes were opened!

There are countless venues in BA to dance tango.  Granted,  99% of them play the same music, but, they seem to be giving the customer what they want.  There are few places to dance Swing in BA.  So, in the original spirit of bringing a bit more joy into the world, MOBA (now called OBA) is cozying up to the Swingers, and the best part is I don’t have beg and plead Swingers to come!  What a concept!

Otros Buenos Aires
Bailar Alternativa

Swing Night at OBA
Ene 22, 2010, Viernes

Yes! This Friday is Swing Night at OBA! As the night goes on the swingin’ starts jumpin’! So, if you’re hep to the jive, you’ll want to be there!!

Si! Este viernes es noche de Swing en MOBA, donde a medida que pasa la noche el Swing empieza a bombar!! Si tenes fuego en los zapatos, vas a querer estar ahi ( y si no tenes fuego, veni igualmente a ver como sacan humo los bailarines)

Plus Musica de

http://www.otrosbuenosaires.com/

Todo las Viernes 23:00 – 4:00
Independencia 572

Clases 21:30 – 22:30 (incl Entrada a Milonga)

Tell a milonguero that it is possible for tango to evolve is like telling an Argentine that Dulce de Leche was actually invented in Chile.  Be prepared for a fight!

the other day I was at a milonga with a dear friend of mine, a woman who runs a traditional milonga in BA.  I was admiring one of the dancers when she stated, as if reading my mind, “que feo!” referring to that same dancer.  “Really!?” I replied. “I hope I am that good some day”.  She then began to lecture me on how his ‘nuevo’ style was an insult to tango, and that all nuevo teacher are just greedy opportunists catering to tourists and selling otu their own culture.

OK, yes… I should have known better than to  engage in a ‘conversation’.  I reminded her that tango, as she refers to it, had it’s own evolution as well, and if she wanted to be a purist, then the Bandonion itself is not an authentic to tango as the roots of tango proceed the German immigrants that introduced it.  I also pointed out the hypocritical irony that the ‘original’ tango was the result of world cultures fusing together in the melting pot of BA… just as nuevo tango is a fusion of cultural influences that changed tango from around the world, a world that the original tango artists were more than happy to introduce tango to.  Paris. NYC, London… these were the ideal destinations of the tango greats.  So, basically, my argument to her was 1) tango has continued to evolve and 2) if the creators of tango didn’t want anyone in the world to know about it they should have kept it a secret!

Her response was a bit drastic, but quite predictable… “Nothing you can say will ever change my mind.  I will not listen to any arguement… and don’t ever come to my milonga again!”

okaaaaay.

BUT! That is really not the point of this post.  The point is another thing that traditional tango and nuevo tango has in common.  When the military was in power in Argentina, milongas were mainly underground.  The government know that to erode the sense of nationalism that worked against them, they needed to import the ‘modern’, ‘progressive’ pop culture of the west. Tango music was no longer played on the radio.   Instead you heard Rock and Roll.

Milongas were closed down.  So, they went underground, like the SpeakEasy’s of the roaring 20’s in the states, and the jazz/swing clubs of Nazi Germany.

After the dictatorship fell, and the new government brought back some of the old culture that was lost, milongas were allowed to open.  Being that milongas were culturally ‘grandfathered’, the state came up with a special classification for milongas that allowed them to exist under much easier circumstances than say, a caberet.

This exists today, and the law states very clearly that in order to be a milonga at least 70% of the music must be ‘tango’ music.  They are very unclear as to what the legal definition of ‘tango’ music is…

(ok, I will finish this later as I have to go set up MOBA righjt now… stay tuned)

This Friday, October 16, MOBA will be previewing the film BAR “El Chino” from 23:00 to 24:00 at the milonga… of coruse, followed by the milonga itself.

“El Chino Bar”:

A unique experience.

The only place in the world where tango is sung as it was 60 years ago. In Buenos Aires, a big city with a present-day lifestyle, there is a neighborhood where time has come to a standstill: Pompeya, one of the places where tango was born. Here there is a bar, a unique bar: El Chino. A group of veteran artists has kept their friendship alive throughout the years. With their songs they express a particular way of seeing and enjoying life. Solidarity and loyalty are present in the magic environment of El Chino. This special feeling is transmitted by the artists through tango, and the audience can perceive it. The documentary shows the experience of those who visit El Chino bar, which has remained exactly the same since 1950. They share a night of happiness among artists who reflect the real spirit of tango, its essence, without commercial tricks, or marketing policies. The protagonists are people who have kept the habits, ways of life and artistic sensibilities of the 1950’s. In most cases they are remarkable artists, unknown to the general public. Each weekend the bar gets crowded with an enthusiastic middle-aged audience, as well as with young people who come and get the “essence” of the place. Unusual characters, foreign tourists looking for a typical “porteño” place, people who want to preserve old customs, all make of El Chino the meeting place where poetry reigns every night.

The film is a story about: Jorge (48) is shooting a documentary film trying to capture the essence of Bar El Chino, a bar/restaurant in Buenos Aires (Argentina) where amateur singers come to sing Tango. During the production he befriends the bar’s owner, El Chino, and the tango singers. Heartbroken when El Chino dies, Jorge decides to stop the shooting of his film returning to the production of uninspiring corporate videos.

Meanwhile, another filmmaker, Martina, decides to make a documentary on the Bar and its Tango singers, and finds out that Jorge has already shot El Chino before his death. Marina proposes Jorge to coproduce the documentary and he reluctantly accepts. Beto, Marinas casual lover, volunteers his equipment to produce the film. Jesus, Jorges friend, decides to invest in the film and Martina and Jorge start working together. Contented by the turn of events, its evident that the production of the film is bringing them together.

Then, the economic and political situation in Argentina becomes explosive. The government freezes peoples savings and Jorge cant withdraw the money that Jesus advanced. Jorge and Martina, frustrated by the turn of events, participate in demonstrations with thousands of people in the streets of Buenos Aires.

Jesus company, affected by the unstable economic and political upheaval, decides to close its business in Argentina, and Jesus is unable to further invest in the film. Jorge is in despair, but Martina has more bad news: Beto has found out about her relationship with him and decided to stop helping them with the documentary.

Jesus must return to Spain and offers Martina a job in his company. She accepts it. Without Martina, with the money caught in the bank and without the necessary equipment, Jorge is in dispair and quits the project, yet again.

When his son Nacho learns about his fathers situation he travels to Buenos Aires bringing good news: Jorge will become a grandfather. Jorge pulls himself together and with the emotional help of his son, he finally finishes the film.

The best empanadas in Buenos Aires!! No kidding!!!

Lucia ‘la Flaca’ Seva is not only one of the best tangueras and profesoras de tango, but her home made empanadas are amazing!  Baked fresh the day of the milonga!

Historical Landmark

This building has a rich history.  It used to be owned by Che’s grandmother back in her day.  Time and troubles have left their mark, but its inherent beauty and style remain untarnished.

New Music

LISTEN!!

We love D’arienzo, Canaro, Pugliese, and the ol’ gang on traditional milonga playlists.   But why stop there?  Piazzolla, the modern sound of Narco and Gotan and even popular selections from other genres that include Portishead, Edith Piaf, Paula Cole, Amy Winehouse and many others.  Come listen to the most creative music selection in town, where the music is always new, but the rhythm is always right for tango.  At MOBA it’s about the dance!

The Fundamentals

Learning a new dance can be daunting for beginners, but not if you’re lucky enough to learn from two of the best teachers in the business:  Gerry and Lucia.  Contenders in the world championship with ten years of teaching under their belts, the couple brings the right combination of skill, patience, experience, and (let’s be honest) style to get you out on the dance floor and turning heads from the first lesson.  MOBA also offers Nuevo Tango lessons for advanced students with Felipe Slimobich, a pioneer in the emerging style.    Both groups host classes every Friday before the milonga.

The Scene

MOBA is more than an event, it’s a place, a meeting point for the nuevo tango community, a venue to relax, share a drink with friends, and, of course, dance.  Our performers include several emerging musicians (and some incredible debuts!) and MOBA will soon be openning an exhibit space in the lobby for new and emerging artists.

So come see what’s new at Buenos Aires’ newest and most unique milonga:  Milonga Otros Buenos Aires.

Every Friday

Milonga:  23:00-4:00

Lessons:  21:30-23:00