Hello Everyone, Alberto and I regret to announce that we are discontinuing our fourth Saturday Planet Tango Milonga (at 449 Powell St., SF), starting with this month. The good news is that we have been blessed with acceptance, respect and success by many, many Tango people all over the world. We set out three years ago to travel to teach, not knowing if our newly chosen vocation would be successful. My mother (and perhaps many of yours too) often told me to be careful for what I wished for (in case the wish would come true). We wished to create a life in the Tango, that would allow us to bring it, to as many people as possible. We do this by publishing El Firulete, by having our web site, by hosting milongas, by promoting other teachers, by organizing and hosting our Reno getaway and most importantly by teaching. As many of you know, we are almost always on the road. Often we have had to cut our teaching tours short, or refuse work, to be able to be back for the fourth Saturday in San Francisco to host our milonga. The Powell Street milonga was started because I loved the location and that very special ballroom there. To me it epitomized dancing in the heart of San Francisco. With the great balconies overlooking Powell Street and the cable cars clang-clanging their bells as they passed beneath the huge French windows of the perfectly proportioned ballroom...well for those of you who attended over the past eighteen months, you know lovely it all was. Since this milonga was in the center of the city, we attracted great urban dancers and many, many people from out of town. For us, this milonga felt so close to some of the great experiences we have had in Buenos Aires. It has been our pleasure and privilege to have spent the fourth Saturday with so many wonderful dancers and people. Alberto and I have celebrated both of our birthdays at 449 with all of you. I will never forget the milonga Alberto called Hawaii Five-O to celebrate my Big Five-Oh. Many dancers in the many shows that pass through San Francisco have stopped by to say hello and just dance at the local milonga for the fun of it. However we have all experienced the incredible spontaneous combustion of their impromtu performances danced completely from their hearts and for the pleasure of being with freinds. Many of us shared tragedy when one of our beloved local dancers was taken seriously ill just after coming off the dance floor (he is doing very well with his recovery now) on one particular fourth Saturday. The solidarity and outpouring of support, help and love for that dancer and his wife was an amazing revelation of how close a Tango community is, more remarkable when we realize how little personal information is shared among dancers. In fact the CPR given to that fallen dancer by another tanguera saved his life that night (and she remains very modest about it to this day). I guess what I am saying is that for us, hosting a milonga is very special, because all of you are very special to us. This milonga was never meant to be a commercial enterprise. The owner of the space was reluctant for us to use it, because of the conflicting schedule of the theater space within the suite of spaces that comprise 449 Powell. But she trusted us, and has been so gracious and generous. She rented the space to us at a good price, and we passed the "savings" onto to the people, by always keeping the admission low. If we were not living la vida Tango to earn our daily bread, we would have opened the doors for free. We simply needed to cover the rental. We wanted to make 449 Powell feel like an extension of our living room with friends stopping by to dance there. Now, with the success of our teaching tours, we can no longer make it back on the fourth Saturday without causing ourselves serious inconvenience. Some of you, who have been coming since the first night, have generously offered to babysit our milonga while we are the road. We considered it, but decided that when we host a milonga, we simply want to be there to host it. For us it is not the same, if we can't greet you, dance with you and play the music for you. So thank you to all of you who partied with us. There are so many wonderful milongas in the Bay Area, so we know there will be somewhere for you to go dancing. However, there has been no milonga as special, to us, as the one at 449 Powell Street in the great city of San Francisco. Thank you all for the wonderful memories you have created. Con mucho carino y nos vemos pronto, Valorie Hart (La Mariposa) and of course, the Tangoman, Alberto Paz __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
