tango en ciel de lit

Sometimes when I'm bored and have not so much to do, I put on my tango shoes.  Then I start moving around, sometimes I get the idea to film myself for technique correction.  This is a very useful thing to do!

But lately I just dance around to Brigitte Bardot like an idiot, because my nights are ever so eventful, and so I decided to combine forces: a tango video to Brigitte Bardot.  I was practicing boleos (continuing instruction from Fernanda Cajide), and you can see by the end of the video I get a bit carried away and my technique & form COMPLETELY die.  But I don't really care- who doesn't secretly wish that at a milonga once in awhile, they play 60s french pop?  And not just for the cortina...

boleos for one - tango en ciel de lit

j.a. 

back to buenos aires

Nostalgic video by Federico Aubele, Argentinian musician with a sometimes tango twist - I remember dancing to his song "Pena" in Cairo.

This is "La Esquina," from his first album Panamericana:

Gold, melancholy: los recuerdos del ayer.

j.a.

waiting for you, just waiting... can't you see i'm waiting for you?

Still waiting on my shoes... I've been reluctant to post because I have no recent pictures from the milongas and no shoes to speak of.  There was a great milonga on Saturday at Bian Caffé - all of the dancers in Cairo were there, which was nice, because it seems like the community is coming together rather than dividing itself into different "tango camps."  (Sometimes I speak too soon) 

I just got some great music and tango videos from various places in Berlin and Sharm el-Sheikh from Bassem Youssef, but what I'm really going crazy over right now is an opera recording by Erika Köth, who, I swear, is the best opera singer I've ever heard.  Normally I find Die Zauberflöte a bit trite and painful to listen to (and opera in general, actually), but I have been addicted to this recording ever since a friend brought it from Germany for me.  I would post a photo, but my life is too horrifyingly busy right now to do a nice set-up... I'll have to post on it later. 

Cross your fingers, my shoes are coming Tuesday.

j.a.

comme il faut

Most people know Comme il Faut as the famously innovative designers of Argentine Tango shoes.  With a little shop on the Rue des Artisans in Buenos Aires, they started only some years ago in 2003, but since have been known as the leading designers of unique tango shoes of the best quality.


Well, did you also know that Comme il Faut is the name of a Haitian cigarette company...?  Haïti Chérie...

More importantly, it is also the name of a great tango written by Eduardo Arolas, who also wrote "Derecho Viejo" and "Una Noche de Garufa"...  In fact, on Comme il Faut's website, the intro of the song is played in a little animation...  My favourite version is performed by Troilo's orchestra, but here in Historia del Tango we have Arolas' premier performance of "Comme il Faut" in Paris.   

What I like about this video is how, well - absurd it is. If you catch Arolas when the blonde translates the name of his piece into French, the first time she says, "Comme il Faut", he snaps his fingers and points at her, "eso es... comme il faut..." And towards the end of the clip she seems surprised that he plays well ("il joue bien!!"), as everyone stops dancing simply to stare at him and his musicians... 

Alors, comme il faut!

j.a.