Autumn Tango Festival Budapest, September 2006

(pentru versiunea in Romana, vedeti mai jos)

(for Romanian version, scroll down)

Autumn Tango Festival Budapest, September 2006

I know the posts are ahead of me: I want to post photos from Emilian’s photo exhibition, I want to post a lot of black and white photos made on New Year’s Eve, and I want to post the video with Lotzi from the 2006 tango festival, but for all these I need free access to internet… until then, I begin to tell you about Budapest, as I promised long ago.

About Budapest? It’s been a while since then… last days I saw some movies from a milonga in Budapest made last month and two demos with László Budai and others …uh! Lotzi? Yes, I did like him! Watching him dancing and dancing with him. I remember 3 dances in Budapest… there are dances that you never forget, even time is putting some dust on memories….

Back to the demos I recently saw from the tango festival in Budapest in December 2007, about Lotzi, he is far from anyone around him. He is from another movie. As far as I saw, those around him dance an “European” tango, some close to fantasia, others more “balcanic” I would say, but Lotzi dances as I expect a tango to be (maybe Tangolix will post those videos to share them with us). He changes his style. He told us he is in Argentina one-two months a year. At the beginning I was skeptical about him, as I knew he is a former ballroom dancer, but as the time passes by I value him more and more and he is growing into my eyes.

When we met him in September 2006, his style was “a la Salas”. I watched again pieces from the Tango Show made in Budapest 2006, and he and his partner Mária Glotz were dancing the Salas nuevo style; now, his dance is different, I cannot define it, I don’t have enough experience to categorize it, but it’s the way I like it, and I would like to think it’s going to Villa Urquiza style, but I might be wrong. I wouldn’t say his posture has changed, maybe he is dancing more in close-embrace and less in open embrace, but his dance changed, the composition of the dance, the structure; if until now I wasn’t so impressed, I am now. They are performing a very nice dance, and I may say they dance less for stage and more for the joy of dancing. He lost the desire to demonstrate, and he is simply dancing.

Ok, let’s stop all these praises and speak of the Festival: on the 1st of September 2006 (smoking in public places has been forbidden) we traveled all the night long by train from Bucharest to Budapest, we arrived on Saturday morning, so we lost the first day of workshops. It was a big group: 13 people – 11 tangueros. We found accommodation near the railway station (can’t remember the name of the hostel) we had something to eat and we went directly to the workshops; in the evening were planed the Tango Show and then milonga.

The first workshop we entered was for advanced tango dancers held by Fernanda si Guillermo. I think it was the most frustrating lesson of my life (except the mathematics in the university); I felt awful, and I was keeping asking myself what were we doing there, what the “beep” I was doing there?!?!? The level was so high! All participants had partners, and they were hardly changing partners when teachers insisted. I learned then they dance tango for 8 years in Hungary …. 8 years??? Waw! I have had only one year in tango… and the oldest in Romania were maximum 2-3 years old in tango. I was completely in depression! I thought they were working on sacadas. I couldn’t do anything. I was without partner together with some other Romanian girls, and we were just watching, and a lady came (a teacher), shorter than me, curly hair, not talking much English, and she start working with me!!! Oaaah, a lady leading!!! And she was leading better than many other men I knew!!! Suddenly she stopped and show me the posture. From that moment everything has changed. One world collapsed and a new horizon opened up for me. I realized that until that very moment I hadn’t learned a basic thing, and I got frightened as I started to think of how many other basic things I didn’t know and I should have known; but I struggled hard to do what she thought me. Hard, really hard. I could hardly stay on my feet/keep my balance but I was in the advanced class!!!! (they had 3 levels for classes: beginners 0-2 years, 2-4 intermediate, and advanced over 4 years); that moment I realized I should leave the class and go to the beginner workshop, but obviously, my pride was so high… but eventually we went to the intermediate workshop. Now, looking back I am so sorry I missed the beginner class led by Adrian y Alejandra… Only now I can evaluate what a chance I had to receive the basic from them, and I let it go away!!!

Three workshops per day were exhausting, and in between the workshops we hardly had time to eat a sandwich or to smoke a cigarette. The first evening I preferred not to go to the Show, as the tickets were sold out, and I slept a little to be able to go to the milonga. I was less interested by the show; the milonga was the biggest interest for me. It was the first time for me to find out how other people dance, how tango in other communities is.

That night the milonga was held outside at the entrance of a beautiful old building with big columns at the entrance… I don’t remember its name, but it was in the Heroes Square. The dance area was small and lot of people was staring from the stairs.

The music, part of it I knew, part of it I didn’t now it. There were no tandas. That was the first time I heard “Sentimientos” by Andres Linetzki & Ernesto Romeo and “Morena” by Esteban Morgado, songs I completely fell in love with; and back home, every time I heard those songs I was transported to Budapest (I learned the name of the songs later, in Bucharest, when I heard them at the tango lessons).

The dance in there? Different. They were dancing in a different way that I knew, and the most different thing was the marca of the leaders that I danced with, and most of the time it was hard for me to understand what they were leading, as I was used with the combination of steps I learned home, they were doing other things! Most of the leaders danced with me open-embrace (only with Lotzi and Gabor I danced in closed-embrace at the last milonga on Sunday). They dance was very nice. Some dances were like floating, like a dream on clouds, a pleasant soft embrace, no hastens movements, no hard constriction in the embrace leaving you without energy… I was not at all used to all these things. It was nice to watch them dancing. They were not changing much partners… so it seemed to me. There were couples that came together, danced all night long together, and left together… but our girls have been invited to dance! And yes, I went there to dance.

See the second part here: http://lasastresa.blogspot.com/2008/01/autumn-tango-festival-budapest_9947.html

Festival de Tango, Budapesta, Septembrie 2006

Am restante multe: vreau sa pun poze de la Expozitia foto a lui Emilian, vreau sa pun o multime de poze alb/negru de la revelion, si vreau sa mai pun video cu Lotzi de la festivalul din 2006, dar pentru toate astea imi trebuie un coputador fara restrictii pe net... pana atunci, incep sa povestesc de la Budapesta, ca imi sta de ceva vreme pe cap, si promisesem de mai demult.

A trecut ceva vreme de atunci… Am vazut zilele trecute niste filmari de la o Milonga de la Budapesta de luna trecuta si doua demonstratii cu Lotzi (László Budai) si cu altii…uh! Lotzi? Da, mi-a placut! Da, si in demonstratii si sa dansez cu el. Imi aduc aminte de 3 dansuri la Budapesta… Sunt dansuri pe care nu le uiti niciodata, chiar daca timpul mai estompeaza un pic lucrurile …

Revin la demo-urile pe care le-am vazut de curand de la festivalul de tango de la Budapesta din decembrie 2007. Lotzi? Se detaseaza de toti ceilalti din jurul lui. E din alt film. Din ce am vazut, cei din jurul lui danseaza un tango “European” sa-i zic, unii mai de de show, altii mai de “balta”, altii mai ”balcanic”, cate bucatarii atatea retzete, insa lui Lotzi ii iese cam cum ma astept eu sa vad (poate se indura Tangolix si le pune pe net, sa vedem si noi). Si-a schimbat stilul. Stiam inca de anul trecut ca merge cate o luna/doua pe an in Argentina, chiar de la el. La inceput, am fost foarte sceptica in privinta lui, stiind ca a fost dansator de dans sportiv, dar pe masura ce trece vremea incep sa-l apreciez din ce in ce mai mult, si castiga din ce in ce mai mult in ochii mei.

La vremea cand l-am cunoscut/cand l-am vazut, in Septembrie 2006, stilul lui era “a la Salas”. Am revazut bucatelele de Show de la Budapesta din 2006, iar dansul nuevo pe cae il face Lotzi cu Mária Glotz, partenera lui, este clar “scoala lui Salas”; acum, dansul lui arata altfel, nu stiu cum sa zic, nu cred ca am sufieciente cunostinte sa pot spune, dar e in directia in care imi place mie, si mi-ar place sa cred ca se duce in directia Villa Urquiza, desi s-ar putea sa ma insel. Nu mi se pare ca postura lui s-a schimbat in mod evident, poate danseaza mai mult close, si mai putin deschis, mai mult insa s-a schimbat dansul, compozitia, structura; daca pana acum nu ma impresiona in mod special, acum chiar imi place. Ce fac ei doi acolo e foarte frumos, si am impresia ca nu mai danseaza pentru scena, ci mai mult pentru placerea dansului. Parca nu mai are lucruri de demostrat, ci danseaza, pur si simplu.

Ok, sa oprim toate elogiile astea, si sa revin la Festival: pe 1 septembrie 2006 (prima zi in care s-a interzis fumatul in trenuri) am calatorit toata noaptea cu trenul din Bucuresti pana in Budapesta, am ajus sambata dimineatza, asta inseamana ca apierdut ziua de vineri si seminariile ei, dar nu toti din grup puteau pleca de la serviciu. Grupul era mare: 13 persoane din care 11 tangueros. Ne-am cazat langa gara (nu-mi mai aduc aminte numele pensiunii) am mancat, ne-am freshuit si am plecat la seminariile de dimineatza, seara urma sa mergem la Show si apoi la milonga.

Primul seminar la care am nimerit a fost un seminar de avansati, la care predau Fernanda si Guillermo. Cred ca a fost cea mai frustranta lectie din viata mea (inafara de cursul de matematici economice din facultate); m-am simtit foarte prost, si m-am tot intrebat ce cautam noi acolo, ce cautam eu acolo?!?!? Nivelul era foarte ridicat! Toti erau cu pereche, schimbau perechile cu greu la insistentele profesorilor. Am aflat ca in Ungaria se dansa de 8 ani tango…. 8 ani??? Uoau! Io nu aveam decat un an… si cei mai “mari” ca mine, din Romania, aveau maxim 2-3 ani. Am fost complet demoralizata! Cred ca s-au predat niste saccade. Nu puteam sa fac, clar. Eram cateva fete pe margine, si la un momentdat a venit o doamna profesoara (am zis eu), mai micuta ca mine de statura, cu parul ondulat pana la nivelul umerilor, nu vorbea engleza, si a inceput sa lucreze ea cu mine!!! Uoau, o femeie conducea!!! Si conducea mai bine decat multi alti baieti pe care ii stiam!!! La un moment dat s-a oprit, si mi-a aratat cum sa stau, care este postura corpului. Din acel moment totul a luat o alta intorsatura. In acel moment s-a naruit ceva si s-a deschis un alt orizont. Mi-am dat seama ca pana in acel moment eu nu invatzasem un element de baza, si parca mi-a fugit pamantul de sub picioare, pentru ca am stat si m-am gandit cate alte lucruri nu mai stiu… si ar fi trebuit sa le stiu, si pe de alta parte ma straduiam sa fac ce imi aratase ea. Greu, tare greu. Eu nu stiam sa stau pe picioare, dar mergeam la cursuri de avansati!!! (imparteala lor pentru participarea la seminarii era cam asa: incepatori 0-2 ani, intermediari 2-4 ani, avansati peste 4 ani); in acel moment ar fi trebuit sa-mi dau seama ca nu degeaba facusera ei imparteala asta, si ca ar fi trebuit sa ma duc imediat la incepatori, dar evident orgoliul nu mi-a dat loc, am coborat doar o treapta, am mers la intermediari. Acum uitandu-ma in spate imi pare atat de rau ca in loc sa merg la incepatori la cursurile Alejandreisi ale lui Adrian, am fost la intermediari. Abiea acum imi dau seama ce sansa am avut, sa fac basic-ul cu Adrian si Alejandra, si eu i-am ratat!!! Sa-mi zmulg parul din cap si alta nu, mai ales ca la ei erau putini oameni la incepatori…

Trei seminarii pe zi au fost obositoare, iar pauzele dintre ele abiea aveam timp sa mancam un sandwich si sa fumam o tigara. In prima seara am renuntzat sa merg la show, bilete oricum nu mai erau demult, si am preferat sa raman sa dorm, ca sa pot merge mai pe seara la milonga. Mai putin ma interesa show-ul, mai mult milonga. Nu mai vazusem pana atunci cum se dansa in alta parte, vroiam cum se intampla lucruile in alte parti.

Milonga din seara aceea se tinea afara “in tinda” unei cladiri vechi si frumoase cu coloane immense la intrare,… nu mai stiu cum se numea, in Piata Eroilor. Spatiul destul de mic. Multa lume care se uita pe trepte.

Muzica, o parte o stiam, o parte nu o stiam. Nu erau tande. Atunci am auzit prima data “Sentimientos” a lui Andres Linetzki & Ernesto Romeo si “Morena” a lui Esteban Morgado, melodii de care m-am indragostit, si care ma transportau la Budapesta de fiecare data cand le auzeam mult timp dupa ce revenisem in tara (mult mai tarziu am aflat cum se numeau melodiile, cand le-am auzit in Bucuresti, la lectii).

Dansul? Diferit. Acolo se dansa altfel decat stiam eu, si ce m-a izbit cel mai tare a fost ca leaderii cu care am dansat aveau o marca foarte fina, si de multe ori mi-era tare greu sa pricep ce vor de la mine, cu atat mai mult cu cat eram obisnuita doar cu structurile pe care le faceau cei de acasa. Marea majoritate au dansat cu mine open (doar cu Lotzi si Gabor am dansat close la ultima milonga de duminica seara). Dansau foarte fain. Unele dansuri erau ca o plutire, ca un vis pe nori, o imbratisare placuta, soft, nici o bruscare, nici o strangere prea tare care sa te lase fara vlaga si sa te epuizeze, nu eram absolut deloc obisnuita. Era placut sa-i vezi dansand. Nu prea schimbau perechile, mie asa mi s-a parut. Erau perechi care au venit impreuna, au dansat aproape toata seara impreuna, si au plecat impreuna … Dar au fost si fetele noastre dansate, sa nu ne plangem! Si da, m-am dus acolo cu gandul sa dansez.

Continuarea aici (partea a 2-a): http://lasastresa.blogspot.com/2008/01/autumn-tango-festival-budapest_9947.html