| I’m
practising Tango. I am, honestly. I’m
not nursing a headache or contemplating life, the
universe or whether I’ve left the iron on.
I’m cultivating my inner Argentinian.
And that inner Argentinian must be hidden there somewhere
– I am Welsh after all, and they do speak Welsh
in Patagonia…..(why not close your eyes and
try to imagine a Welsh Gaucho…is it working
boyo…?)
Anyway…
I
had my first Argentinian Tango lesson last night A
La Salsa Chillout at their regular last Friday of
the month salsa do, and it were fab! And it
were packed! So if you happen to journey through
Essex in the near future and spot other sundry people
gliding slowly, pensively, and provocatively, they
were probably there too. Unless you are at a
railway station, in which case they are probably just
waiting for a train and always look like that. And
if there are yet more overhead line problems at Seven
Kings, replace the pensive with quite annoyed. ….
I’ll
definitely be at the next Tango do there next month
– it’s just like salsa: you don’t
have to bring a partner, the class is rotated, it’s
great fun AND afterwards not only do you get the chance
to practice your tango steps to a few Tango Tunes,
they also slap on the salsa and you can start doing
your usual jiggling about (that’s how I dance
anyway – for you it may be another verb). So,
actually, that’s two nights out in one, really.
Yes, Two Friday nights out at once! Only Terry
and Yolande could think of that.
AND
BEFORE THE NEXT TANGO/SALSA FRIDAY FEST, WE’LL
GET THE CHANCE TO PRACTICE IT AGAIN, ALONG WITH OTHER
SUNDRY DANCE STYLES WITH THE SUPER DOOPER SEXY SALSA
CHILLOUT ALLDAYER WITH DONI AND LIZ
Sounds
rather Las Vegas doesn’t it…just replace
Ceasars Palace with Marconi et voila!
In
just one full day you will get all of the following,
for your delectation and edification:
- Workshops
in
Argentine Tango
Cha, Cha, Cha
Ladies Styling
Mens Styling
Salsa
- Evening
Party
Top DJ's
- 2
Shows:
- Argentine Tango
-Salsa
What
you need to do is this:
- mark Saturday 17th
May as Doni and Liz at Marconi day in your diary;
- book in advance, or
turn up on the day,
- learn all of the above
from the experts, who have toured over 50 countries
spreading their own word of Latin Dance.
|
It’s
as simple as that. You know it makes sense.
Now,
for my regular peek back at the last Sizzling Salsa
Night at Marconi – this one with Shelley and Lee
who are so popular with us Essex lot, that their March
visit was the
second trip to see us under six months. Once again,
big appreciative crowd, stimulating advanced class and
as for the show……. Fast,
intricate, spins, spins spins and full of energy!
And when we discovered that we had just watched the
show’s premiere, we were amazed - it was absolutely
spot on.
(For
this month I’ve decided to do the interview
a la Hello Magazine – next month I may try to
do it in the style of The Economist, Heat or Baton
Twirlers Monthly – but I went to the dentist
recently, and whiled away a nervous half an hour leafing
through it’s pictures, so to say thank you,
and pay homage, Hello Magazine it is.)
Chris:
Where is your favourite place to dance?
Shelley
and Lee: Outside
of the UK, it’s France. In Paris the dancing
is innovative and original, especially at the moment.
There’s a fusion of Salsa and Tango which make
the dance a bit more intense.
On
Sunday afternoons you can get on the Eurostar, get
to Paris, dance and come back again the same day.
If we could do that, we would!
Chris:
Where has
been the most different/surprising place to teach:
Shelley
and Lee:
Croatia. As part of one of the congresses they
hire out a hotel on an island. All the students
catch boats to the island, get in a swimming pool
and dance!
Chris:
What has
been the most significant congress for you?
Shelley
and Lee: Where
we first decided to start dancing together –
at a Mambo City Salsa Splash event. As usual,
we were the last people on the dance floor and Robert
and Jean White persuaded us to team up.
Chris:
Tell us about the new routine
Shelley
and Lee:
It’s fast and it’s probably been the hardest
one so far to put together, choreograph and practice.
There are two sections of very complicated partnerwork
in it.
We
made a conscious decision to make it like that –
we always want to challenge ourselves and always want
to do something better than the routine before. Our
aim is always to lift our level. Over the last
year or who we’ve noticed a lot of the international
acts have pushed the boundaries, especially at events
like the World Salsa Championships.
Chris:
what’s it like coming back to Essex
Shelley
and Lee: It’s
like coming home!
Copyright
Chris Penhall 2008
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