Capturing the beauty that is Ney and Jennifer

Ney and Jennifer, Chinatown

We are professional Argentine Tango Dancers. We have spent the last four years traveling and teaching tango in such places as Italy, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Romania.

About a year ago, we opened "TangoVida," an Argentine Tango studio and shoe store on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Taylor Street in Nob Hill.

***

Before I had tango crushes on both Ney Melo and Jennifer Bratt, I had a serious girl crush on just Jennifer, and more specifically, on her feet.

For those scant few tango dancers who still read this blog occasionally (I know there's still a few of you), you know exactly what I'm talking about. Graceful, expressive, and sexy as hell are just a few ways to describe the way Jennifer dances, and like a lot of other people, I pored over her tango tutorials at Bewitching Black Lotus.

And the thought of dancing in the exclusive and uber-tango-fashionable Comme Il Faut shoes gave me even more incentive to try to learn to dance like her.

***

When I actually met Ney and Jennifer, I was so touched to see how down-to-earth and kind they are. And then became so ecstatic that they were such generous and wonderful teachers because to be honest, I was star-struck and so terribly shy at meeting people whom I had admired from afar for so long. I wish Ney and Jennifer had been my first tango teachers... after taking their classes, I realized I had a lot of dancing baggage to unlearn. I became a much more comfortable, confident and relaxed dancer because of their encouragement.

On Russian Hill

The opportunity to photograph Ney and Jennifer for the i live here: SF project was just the most incredible experience for me, and a chance to pay tribute and honor this special couple who has brought the soul of tango into the hearts of so many people around the world.

This was the photo shoot that I've teased you with recently here and here. It's also full of so many gorgeous images that I was fairly stumped at trying to select my favorite ones to share with you, although the entire set is available on flickr, and when you see them, you'll understand why it was so difficult to choose.

You can read Jennifer's SF story here, and Ney's story is here, with links to the flickr set as well. I hope that you find them as beautiful as I do, and if you're in San Francisco, that you'll stop by Studio TangoVida for a class or a fitting of incredibly gorgeous shoes. I promise you'll fall in love with them just like I did.

Once Upon a Time in San Francisco...

... there lived an exquisite Tango Princess and her dashing Consort.

And I got to take their pictures... and we all lived Happily Ever After.

***

I never thought that being unemployed would make me even busier than usual, but in amongst filling out forms, looking for jobs, rewriting resumes and preparing for taxes (oy), I am even farther away from "normal" as possible.

I'll have some stories soon, I'm sure. But posting a pretty picture is better than nothing.

Hope your holiday weekend was wonderful...

xoxo

about last night

I feel decidedly unglamorous this morning in my sweats and fuzzy socks.

But now I have proof that last night I looked a whole lot better.

Thank you, Jennifer, for capturing the magic inside and outside of your beautiful tango studio.

(Look, you can even see the Transamerica Pyramid in the background, and a little bit of the Bay Bridge.)

Go Here

This is the place.

For this.

And this.

And this.



But not these.


Because they are mine.


Covet.


Go on.


Anyone wanna dance?

PS. I realize that I will soon be assassinated by the Comme Il Faut ninjas for photographing these shoes, but I don't care. They're worth dying for (almost).

Ney and Jennifer!

I couldn't be in two places at once yesterday...but if I could have, I would have been enjoying Ney and Jennifer and their new studio downtown! Studio Tango Vida on Pacific Avenue in Nob Hill.

It's so exciting to have them here in SF, and in a beautiful new location that sounds perfect for them...and us!

Here's the link for you. From what I understand, they have a Comme Il Fauts shoe store, too. Oh my!

Here, There and Everywhere

In the spirit of the Grammys honoring the Beatles again (presented by Tom Hanks, no less, so that's really an honor in itself, insert sarcastic tone here), I have decided to name as many of my posts/themes after Beatles' songs whenever possible. (Actually, I'm not sure what point I'm trying to make except I think that giving the Beatles a(nother) Grammy is like deciding to give the Buddha a retroactive Nobel Peace Prize. The Beatles are the greatest band in rock history, so what is a Tom Hanks-presented award going to add? (If we taught Beatles Appreciation 101 in schools and outlawed crummy bands covering their songs, then that would be starting something useful.)

In his own tribute today, the guy with the accordion who plays outside of Mocca on Maiden Lane was doing his version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which has to make you laugh a little but he's a cool guy and we always smile at each other, so I didn't giggle. I renamed the song in my head to While My Bandoneon Gently Weeps. I think about George Harrison a lot anyway--he was my favorite--so that was a pleasant reminder.

***


So...back from Seattle. Where to start? I'm still a little tired so maybe a numbered list would be best to keep me from getting too stream-of-consciousness here.

1. Song Title: Eight Days a Week. You cannot have a vacation combined with tango classes and milongas. You really have to choose one or the other because if you sightsee, then you miss out on classes and getting pretty for milongas, or else you go to classes and dance and then you're too tired to sightsee. Or, I'm totally wrong on that and I just need better time- and foot-management skills.
2. Song Title: Come Together. Seattle seems like a wonderful place and I hardly got to see it, so I guess I'm going back. The city itself, and the surrounding 'burbs, remind me in parts of Marin County, a very cleaned up Santa Cruz and a little SF thrown in the mix. The people are really friendly and there's just a nice vibe in the air. There was also a lot of rain in the air and it was freezing cold, so that's another reason why I didn't get to do a whole lot there. We drove around and I peeked out the window at a lot of great shops, restaurants, etc., all of which would have involved being subjected to the elements. And apparently Seattle is a haven for nature lovers and being outdoors (when the weather permits) as all of the parks and lakes and trees must be wonderful in the sunshine. We did go to Pike's Market (awesome) and I took some pics that I just posted to my flickr account.
3. Song Title: She Loves You. Or I'm Just Happy to Dance with You. Probably the biggest thrill/enjoyment/happy time I had (which should make this Item 1 and not Item 3 if we were ranking things in this list, which we are not) was to finally meet Elizabeth and the famous Alan, and to dance with Alan and Mr. RealityPivots. I was a little nervous to dance with both of them because it's one thing to read what someone writes and like what they have to say, but it's another thing to be in someone's arms dancing and hope that there's some connection and chemistry there. I'm glad to say that this weekend had some of the loveliest tandas thanks to these two wonderful dancers, and I am very sad that I won't have the opportunity to dance with them often. I also got to sit with Elizabeth and we actually had a chance to talk which, as you know, trying to chat with someone at a milonga can be close to impossible. We sat together and just being in her company was a total pleasure. I'm also grateful that Elizabeth and Alan saw fit to introduce me to some of their friends so I could have some other wonderful leaders to dance with.
4. Song Title: I Am the Walrus. Taking Ney and Jennifer's class on Friday night was more of the same fun I get down here at home, although I kept ending up rotating to the same two leaders more often than not, so I didn't get to dance with many people even though it was a fairly large class. But the follower's technique workshops on Saturday were intense and I just could not keep up at the end. We had two classes back to back, with only a 10-minute break in between, for a total of almost 4 hours on our feet. We learned all of the things that Jennifer breaks down in her youtube tutorials, but seeing them demonstrated in person and then practicing them over and over again will actually give me a fighting chance at doing embellishments someday. However, most of the embellishments for me are like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. The faster the embellishments get, the more I can't seem to do them. At the end, the OFF switch I have in my head flips and I literally can't move or think. I was wiped out before the class was over and when we got back to our place, I had to soak my feet in ice water to numb them and take a bunch of Aleve.
5. Song Title: HELP! Make sure that you don't have an expired driver's license when you get to the security checkpoint at the airport. I'm not going to go into all of the details about that now, but it was a rude surprise to me (obviously I'm letting certain things fall through the cracks these days) and having to get out of the regular passengers' line and get into the special line where the terrorist threat-types get seached and questioned is not the best way to travel. Plus, the young airport security guy called me Ma'am and I hate that. Technically, I guess I am a Ma'am but I don't need to be reminded of it. I am very grateful to The Boy for FedEx-ing me my passport so I only had to go into the Terrorist Line once.

We went to two milongas: Century Ballroom and Dance Underground. Century Ballroom is this magnificent old place, with a huge smooth floor and lots of room for moving fast around the room or taking your time. It's one of those rare venues that makes you want to be on the floor dancing because you know its had thousands of dancers' feet on that floor and you just want to be a part of its history. The Century milonga was very hard to cabaceo, perhaps because it's so large and also for me because I'm a new face and no one seemed willing to take a chance on me, but I wish we had a place like that here in SF. Dance Underground was a cozy, smaller studio with a very friendly feel.

Ney and Jennifer gave a beautiful performance at Century Ballroom and as I watched them dance, I was so grateful that I get to have classes with them fairly often (when they aren't traveling). It's one thing to get used to taking classes with them, and they're so kind and patient and encouraging, but then you see them dance together and you get a little starstruck. You stop yourself and think: "Wow. Those are my teachers."

***

Song Title: With a Little Help From My Friends. Mucho thanks, gratitude and kisses to Ms. Wellspring for arranging everything in Seattle and being my personal concierge and traveling companion, and many thanks to Ms. Ari and Delegate Dan for so generously hosting me and my 500-pound suitcase full of crap I didn't wear.

Never Say Never

There are three things (at least) that I may never be able to do:

1. Have more than a cursory understanding of String Theory. (Even though I'm told that the theory is unraveling--ha ha, that's my physics joke for today.)
2. Speak French while in France.
3. Pack a normal sized suitcase.

I have a pair of jeans, a few sweaters, boots, and the rest is all dance stuff, including 7 pairs of tango shoes. Why can't I choose a few simple outfits and be content with my selections? I am always dragging a suitcase through the airport that is about the same size as a side of beef.

One can have too many choices.

***

Ms. Wellspring and I are off to Seattle this afternoon for a tango/sightseeing weekend. We're so excited to take Ney and Jennifer's classes with the Seattle crowd, try out the local milongas, and my travel mate is going to take me on a whirlwhind tour of the city.

I am looking forward to meeting my blogger friends and finding new friends in the Emerald City (I just found out that that's the nickname for Seattle). If you've got any Things To Do suggestions, please let me know. I've been told that we need to watch people throw fish (?!) at the market, and to go on a ferry. But I'm totally open to other possibilities.

Tonight

I'm going dancing! (Finally!)

A class with Ney, and then a milonga.

In the meantime, I'll just watch Ney and Jennifer dance to keep me going until tonight.

First, my favorite vals: Desde el Alma (if I'm lucky, maybe I'll dance to this one, too.)



And then a second, just because I love to watch Jennifer's feet. Maybe I'll wear green shoes tonight, too.

Tango Mom

Last night was the group class again with Ney. Larger crowd, some different faces. Jennifer Bratt was there and it's so great to see the two of them teach and dance together. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Ney and Jennifer.

After class, Ney encouraged all of us to go with him to El V for the milonga. As you might remember, it's not the place I feel the most comfortable. But Ms. Wellspring and I had mulled over the possibility earlier in the day, and she was really excited to go. This was going to be her first milonga. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool...El V is where the big kids play.

There was a nice crowd there and Ms. Wellspring had barely put her new shoes on when she was whisked off onto the dance floor. It was so fun to watch her dance. First milonga, first shoes.

I was sitting with a friend who I haven't seen for a while, and we were catching up on what he's been learning in tango and what I did on my trip to Venice. It was great to see him and chat. I've missed talking to him.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ms. Wellspring dancing and looking fabulous and really, really happy. Look at my friend, look at her! I told the guy I was sitting with. She's just started tango...like a month ago!

He didn't believe me. She looked so great. I was so proud of her.

I felt like...her mom. Her Tango mom.

As for me, I had some nice tandas and some nicer conversations. Perhaps I was wrong about El V? We'll see. I should know by now that everything in life has its good and bad days, including milongas and people.

But I'd go again just to see my Tango daughter dance.

LaMaleva Tango Tutorial: Caricias - Embellishment

Here is one of the embellishment tutorials I mentioned below. Obviously I'm not the first to discover these beautiful feet on YouTube, but I'm glad I finally did!

The Queen of Embellishment

Embellishments are my tango fixation at the moment. The dainty, sexy flourishes that make some tangueras the stars of the dance floor. When I watch other women dance, I can't help but watch for their embellishments.

I am at an impasse regarding embellishments. I feel comfortable enough now to follow most of what I am lead (or maybe that's just my impression) and technically I know that I should be able to add these lovely movements when I want to. I know most of the songs I dance to, and most of my dance partners are familiar to me.

But I freeze up...and instead, do nothing! How do I break the embellishment barrier? I'm a little bored with myself.

I've heard of Jennifer before and seen her advice column. I just discovered her tutorials on YouTube, which have inspired me even more, although I know I will need something more than a video to make me feel like I can do these moves and not look like a klutz.

Jennifer's skills are impressive and her moving feet (and shoes!) are gorgeous! I'm hooked!

http://www.youtube.com/user/BewitchingBlackLotus

She also has a written tutorial outling the basic do's and don'ts of embellishments, a nice feature.

http://www.close-embrace.com/embellishmentarchive.html