Summer of 2009

Turns out to be a summer of tango festival for me. The next one, most likely the last one for the summer, Moscow Milonguero night is only six days away.

I am truly enjoying all the festivals I've gone to so far. A few reasons:

1) The festivals that I chose had great lineup of teachers, which attracted good attendances.

2) The places that the festivals were held were cities that I'd not visited, except Baltimore. I enjoyed visiting Roma as a tourist and spending half day at the Taste of Chicago at Millennium Park in Chicago.

3) I felt I was benefited from the workshops that I attended with all the masters. There was truly something to learn from everyone. I've been focusing on improving my milonga. The workshops with Julio y Corina and Sebastian y Mariana had opened my eyes. I am sure whatever I've taken in would help me down the road, in a few months from now. Just like things I'd learned over a year ago, they are much more clearer to me now.

4) Part of the fun of going to festival is to make friends, whom share the same addiction; and to see old friends. It was always a pleasant surprise to see some one you know showing up at the same festival. A big and long hug, kisses on the cheeks, it warmed the hearts. And it was nice to dance with them and feel the difference after all these times, most of them had improved and the dance experiences were felt much better. Tango people are mostly NOT CLIQUE. If you open yourself up and try to make friends, you will see that this is a big happy family...

Traveling around the world dancing tango is quite a tough job. And I am serious!!! The jet lag, the long line and the run around at the airports, the change of diet, the lack of sleep, the never waning anxiety, and on the top of them, five to eight hours dancing a day... it is quite physically challenging and it takes toll on the body.

That's why I am recuperating from the Baltimore Tango Element, which by the way was very good. Try to recondition my body, stretching, light exercising, good diet... After all, it is going to be four incredible days, probably the highlight of the summer, the festival of all festivals that I've gone to.

And my dance card is filling up quickly even before the festival (thanks to facebook)... I will let you know how it goes. I can't tell you how excited I am, how much I look forward to it.

The summer of 2009 turns out to be the second highlight on my tango journey, other than my trips to the Mecca.