Commentaries on Argentine Tango and Life
by Stephen and Susan BrownCarlos Gavito: I Wanted to Dance
28 August 2010 — Stephen Brown
Recently published by Abrazos Books, I Wanted to Dance is an account of the
life of the late Carlos Gavito, whose personal journey took him around the world to
more than 90 countries and led him back to his native Buenos Aires. It is also
the story of how he evolved from a rock 'n' roll dancer to tango dancer and teacher
with a unique and personal style.
Originally written by Ricardo Plazaola, I Wanted to Dance is the English-language version of Yo Quería Bailar and was translated by Karen Simon, a Montreal/Buenos Aires translator and tango teacher.
For more information, see
abrazosbooks.com
El Ultimo Bandoneón
7 August 2010 — Stephen Brown
Marina Gayotos makes a living playing the bandoneon on buses and at various pick-up
gigs. When she auditions for the tango master Rodolfo Mederos, he informs her that
though she has talent, her bandoneón is too far gone to play. But if she
can find a better bandoneón, she can play in his tango orchestra. This
leads Marina to go on a quest for another instrument, one that takes her to instrument
makers, dancers and an array of memorable characters from the tango world, all while
searching for "the last bandoneón."
El Ultimo Bandoneón
is an 80 minute film in Spanish with English subtitles that can be watched online.
It is part of
Doc-Debut,
a series on
Link TV
highlighting unique international documentary films.
Viva Las Vegas
26 July 2010 — Stephen and Susan Brown
"Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire"
Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman
Principles, Not Rules
25 April 2010 — Stephen Brown
In Story, a book about writing screenplays, Robert McKee writes: "A rule says, 'You must do it this way.' A principle says, 'This works ... and has through all remembered time.' The difference is crucial. Your work needn't be modeled after the 'well-made' play; rather it must be well made within the principles that shape our art. Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form."
As I see it, the same idea applies to tango dancing, tango deejaying, and other arts.
TangoZapa
1 January 2010 — Stephen Brown
The new year brings the launch of
TangoZapa magazine.
TangoZapa will be a digital publication with special print editions offered on a
regular basis. Published by Tammy Lee McClure and Jorge Torres, the goal of
TangoZapa is to entice more people to discover tango — its its aesthetic beauty
and its power to touch and heal the spirit. The publishers also intend to
develop an international online community space in conjunction with the magazine
where dancers, photographers, hotels, tour companies, and other online tango
stores, magazines or regional tango sites, can promote their services.
For more information, see
TangoZapa.
Welcome
2014 Archive
Early Buenos Aires Tango, 6 July 2014
Peach Blossoms, 4 May 2014
Life Hasn't Been the Same, 12 April 2013
2013 Archive
Going, 13 August 2013
Polish Pre-War Tango, 8 May 2013
2012 Archive
Escaping, 24 December 2012
Imagination, 1 December 2012
Narcotango Recording
New Studio Album, 30 September 2012
Videos de Milongas,
Buenos Aires, 2 February 2012
Andrea Missé,
2 January 2012
2011 Archive
Technique,
16 December 2011
Without the Music,
8 December 2011
Let's Step on the Ground,
7 December 2011
Awaken,
6 November 2011
Proof,
7 October 2011
Gloria y Eduardo:
50 Años con el Tango, 3 July 2011
Mastering Technique,
15 June 2011
Tradition,
30 May 2011
Buying Tango Shoes in Buenos Aires,
30 May 2011
Tango de Salon or Tango Milonguero?,
29 May 2011
Myths About Dancing Tango,
1 May 2011
The Continuing Conflict Over Tango Styles,
17 April 2011
Nuevo Milonguero,
13 April 2011
The Dancer's Expression,
9 March 2011
Happy New Year,
1 January 2011
2010 Archive
Carlos Gavito: I Wanted to Dance,
28 August 2010
El Ultimo Bandoneón,
7 August 2010
Viva Las Vegas,
26 July 2010
Principles, Not Rules,
25 April 2010
TangoZapa,
1 January 2010
2009 Archive
Pursuing Happiness,
28 December 2009
Improvising,
28 December 2009
The Commonplace and the Remarkable,
28 December 2009
Keeping It in Neutral,
20 April 2009
2008 Archive
How We Are Together,
7 November 2008
Egotism or Cluelessness?,
26 October 2008
Wanting What You Want,
26 October 2008
Unskilled and Unaware,
4 October 2008
Who Holds the Key?,
7 September 2008
Remembering,
2 September 2008
Professionalism
and Creativity, 1 September 2008
Chasing the
Steps, 18 May 2008
Everyday
Goals, 8 May 2008
So Much More,
6 May 2008
Taking Control
of One's Own Development, 2 May 2008
Some Thoughts
about Leading, 30 April 2008
Gender Imbalance
in Tango, 24 April 2008
It Takes
Two Minds to Tango, 23 April 2008
Being Original,
22 April 2008
Exploring
Movement, 22 April 2008
Kinesthetic
Sense, 21 April 2008
Troileana,
14 April 2008
Close-Embrace-Style
Tango at a Crossroads?, 12 April 2008
On Style
and Nuevo Tango, 4 April 2008
Seduced by
Tango, 25 March 2008
Argentine
Nights, 18 March 2008
Improvising,
7 March 2008
To Dance
Tango, 21 February 2008
Why He Did
It, 06 February 2008
2007 Archive
Blogging:
Truth or Truthiness?, 26 November 2007
What Is a
Master?, 17 November 2007
Orquesta
Color Tango in Dallas (2), 2 October 2007
Orquesta
Color Tango in Dallas, 20 September 2007
All Things,
24 August 2007
Staying Alive,
23 August 2007
Education,
22 August 2007
Finding Our
Own Tango, 6 August 2007
Tango Is
Simple, 1 August 2007
Who We Were
Meant To Be, 1 August 2007
The Woman's
Role in Tango (2), 1 August 2007
On Perfection
and Heaven, 31 July 2007
Practicing
for Effective Dancing, 31 July 2007
The Woman's
Role in Tango, 26 July 2007
The Embrace
and Tango, 24 July 2007
Open or Close
Embrace?, 24 July 2007
Tango Festivals
and Approaches to Learning, 23 July 2007
Learning
the Structure of Tango, 23 July 2007
The Structure
of Tango, 20 July 2007
Approaches
to Learning and Authenticity, 19 July 2007
Authenticity,
19 July 2007
StepMeisters
Abound, 16 July 2007
Invierno
Porteño, 5 June 2007
Tamango on
YouTube, 26 February 2007
Otoño
Porteño, 12 February 2007
Where to
Buy Tango Shoes in Buenos Aires, 12, February 2007
Illegal File
Sharing Doesn't Affect CD Sales, 12, February 2007
The Greatest
Ideas, 25 January 2007
Headlines
and the Human Body, 24 January 2007
2006 Archive
On Differing
Styles and Overtraining, 17 November 2006
Changes in
the Tango Scene, 9 November 2006
Bridge to
the Tango Videos To Be Discontinued, 6 November 2006
What the
Bleep is Tango?, 9 October 2006
An Interview
with Roberto Alvarez of Color Tango, 8 September 2006
Dancing,
31 August 2006
Argentine
Tango: The Way You Dance It, 16 June 2006
Finding Self-Expression
and Freedom in Argentine Tango, 16 June 2006
North American
Tango Festival Update, 14 June 2006
Evolution,
8 June 2006
Becoming
an Expert, 6 March 2006
Destiny,
14 February, 2006
Knowledge
and Wisdom, 1 February 2006
Tango Workers
or Dancers?, 10 January 2006
North American
Tango Festival Update, 1 January 2006
2005 Archive
Are Disagreeable
People Entertaining?, 30 December 2005
Will Your
Dreams Come True in Buenos Aires?, 21 December 2005
North American
Tango Festival Update, 1 December 2005
Dancing Tango
Boosts Brain Function, 21 November 2005
Familiarity
Breeds Comfort, 21 November 2005
The Music
Is Essential 21 November 2005
Dancing to
the Classics, 21 November 2005
Is Argentine
Tango Changing?, 21 November 2005
The Joys
of Simple Tango, 9 November 2005
Finding the
Best Style of Tango, 2 November 2005
North American
Tango Festival Update, 1 September 2005
Developing
Skills for Social Dancing, 12 August 2005
On Style
and Styles (4), 12 August 2005
The Dance,
10 August 2005
On Style
and Styles (3), 10 August 2005
On Style
and Styles (2), 9 August 2005
On Style
and Styles, 8 August 2005
Seduction
or Imposition? (3), 27 July 2005
Seduction
or Imposition? (2), 27 July 2005
Seduction
or Imposition?, 26 July 2005
Hidden Tango
Conversations, 25 July 2005
Finding Connection
(4), 25 July 2005
Finding Connection
(3), 22 July 2005
Finding Connection
(2), 22 July 2005
Finding Connection,
21 July 2005
Incomplete
Education, 19 June 2005
The Invitation
to Dance in Buenos Aires, 11 May 2005
Resolving
Problems, 11 May 2005
Tango to
Evora (Alternative Tango), 19 April 2005
Why We Dance
Tango, 16 March 2005
Hit and Run
Milonga Through Christo's Gates, 28 February 2005
Tango: The
Spirit of Argentina, 25 February 2005
Cultural
Values and Styles of Argentine Tango, 20 February 2005
Tango Is
(Fill in the Blank), 10 February 2005
Asfalto,
4 February 2005
Roles and
Relationships in Argentine Tango, 1 February 2005
North American
Tango Festival Season Underway, 31 January 2005
Milongas
in Buenos Aires Reopening, 28 January 2005
Being A Follower
on Axis in All Styles, 18 January 2005
Dancing to
the Music (4), 1 January 2005
2004 Archive
Dancing to
the Music (3), 30 December 2004
Dancing to
the Music (2), 20 December 2004
Dancing to
the Music, 17 November 2004
El Arranque
on Tango Fusion and Other Approaches, 10 November 2004
A Tango Festival
during Thanksgiving in Austin, TX, 27 October 2004
Robert Duvall
in Dallas, 27 October 2004
How Am I
Not Myself?, 26 October 2004
Some Tango-Fusion
Music to Consider, 12 October 2004
Bravery,
17 September 2004
Becoming
a Good Tango Dancer (4), 9 September 2004
Becoming
a Good Tango Dancer (3), 8 September 2004
Beginners
Taught by Masters, 7 September 2004
Some CDs
for Learning About Tango Music, 23 August 2004
La Yumba,
20 August 2004
Argentine
Tango Survey, 17 August 2004
The Road
Not Taken, 12 August 2004
Becoming
a Good Tango Dancer (2), 9 August 2004
Becoming
a Good Tango Dancer, 6 August 2004
Excellent
Teachers, 16 July 2004
Art as an
Expression of Oneself, 16 July 2004
Tango Terminology,
15 July 2004
What's New?,
22 June 2004
To Embrace,
13 June 2004
Shall We
Dance?, 10 June 2004
Denver TangoFest
Recap, 9 June 2004
Techno Tango,
3 June 2004
Denver TangoFest
Photos, 3 June 2004
No Right
or Wrong in Tango, 3 June 2004
Stretching
Exercises for Tango Dancers (2), 2 June 2004
Intelligent
Dancing, 2 June 2004
Stretching
Exercises for Tango Dancers, 1 June 2004
Tango Takes
to the Air in Colorado, 1 June 2004
Leading and
Following, 28 May 2004
More on Dancing
at Tango Festivals (3), 28 May 2004
Tango Animation
Online, 26 May 2004
More on Dancing
at Tango Festivals (2), 25 May 2004
More on Dancing
at Tango Festivals, 25 May 2004
Inside the
Dream: Celebrating Women Who Dance Tango, 24 May 2004
Inside the
Dream, 24 May 2004
Dancing at
Tango Festivals, 23 May 2004
The Summer
Tango Festival Season Is Upon Us, 23 May 2004
The Best
Teachers, 23 May 2004
Cliquishness
at Milongas, 19 May 2004
Lao-Tzu on
Leadership, 19 May 2004
Teaching
the Inner Essences of Tango, 18 May 2004
What About
Leading?, 18 May 2004
The Gift
of Tango, 17 May 2004
Following
Doesn't Describe the Role, 17 May 2004
Why Biased
Views Are Self Perpetuating, 15 May 2004
Ultimate
Partnering, 14 May 2004
On Seeking
Heaven Rather than Perfection, 14 May 2004
American,
Argentine and International Tango, 14 May 2004
What Appeals
to Today's Tango Dancer, 13 May 2004
Dancing with
Grace, 13 May 2004
Yin and Yang
of Tango, 13 May 2004
Developing
Ease, 13 May 2004
Dancing in
the Music, 13 May 2004
Dancing on
the Beat, 13 May 2004
Open Architecture
and Tango, 13 May 2004
On Language
and Tango, 13 May 2004
Developing
Mastery, 13 May 2004
Developing
Their Own Style, 13 May 2004
A Tender
Embrace, 13 May 2004
Open Embrace,
Soft Embrace, 12 May 2004
Intensifying
the Experience of Tango, 11 May 2004
Why Goldern
Age Music Still Dominates Milongas, 5 May 2004
The Meeting
of Two Personalities, 3 May 2004
Approaches
to Teaching and Learning Tango, 30 April 2004
Taking Tango
Styles to Extremes, 24 April 2004
Rhuummmp
and Ric Tic, 23 April 2004
Dancing Tango
in Tight Spaces, 13 April 2004
Partitioning
the Dance Floor to Accomodate Different Styles, 12 April 2004
The Sweet
Zone of Tango Rhapsody, 11 April 2004
Nostalgia
for the Bohemian Ideal, 6 April 2004
Tango Chooses
You, 5 April 2004