Tango Negro

Royal Ascot hats in a Milonga?

...and why not?

There is always a first! Give it to organizer Mary Rosebud Ong and Philippine Tango Maestro Jun Borja for coming up with this themed-concept for one of their monthly dance events at the Genting Club of Resorts World Manila.

Organizer Mary Rosebud Ong (center); with tangueras, from right,  Emma Aristorenas, Bebet Gozun, Jean Ty & me

Indeed, everyone trooped, not to the racecourse, but to the milonga with all their finery and Royal Ascot hats in all shapes, hues and sizes. Such a sight to behold! We all felt like royalty, even just for a night. 

Briefly, Ascot Racecourse is an English racecourse founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, located in the village of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom closely associated with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle.

In 1825, George IV began what would become the traditional royal carriage procession up the course and Royal Ascot grew into a key event of the aristocratic social season. The most prestigious race, the Gold Cup, run on the third day, Ladies’ Day, when women vie to show off the most fashionable or astonishing hats. The Royal Enclosure is the top place to be and the dress code requires gentlemen to wear morning dress with a top hat and ladies in a day dress with a hat or a fascinator.

A side story: the making of my Royal Ascot Hat, from scratch!!!

Flowers, leaves, feathers from my neighbor's fighting cocks!

Rafia wrap from a bouquet, and an old beret of my son!

Yes, I won a bottle of Mateus for it, thank you!

The finished product: My own Royal Ascot Hat

Remember, the Royal Ascot Hats in a Milonga happened first in Manila! We won’t be surprised, if other milongas in other parts of our tango universe will follow suit.

Winners of the loveliest Royat Ascot Hats of the night, with our escorts

Royal Ascot Milonga
Click and view the performance of Maestro Jun Borja and Bebot Adlawan

ILoveTango!
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"

Filipinos shine in the 11th Tango Dance Asian Championship

Based on their official webpage (http://campeonatoasiatico.com/index_en.html), of the 79 pairs registered under Tango de Pista (Salon): 3 are composed of  both Filipinos, and 9 pairs have Filipinos as male partners, making a total of 12 pairs with Filipino competitors, or approximately 15% of the total registered pairs, making us Filipinos the largest contingent in this year’s 11^th Tango Dance Asian Championship, next only to Japan with about 50% pairs represented, understandably because Japan is the venue of this Tango championship since it started 10 years ago, in 2004. The rest are a spattering of Koreans, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Malaysians, Chinese and other nationalities.

4th placers (the highest by far for a Filipino pair), Dennis Lagazon and Mariecel Onate, have been social dance (latin, standard ballroom) partners for many years before venturing seriously to Argentine tango. They have trained extensively with various tango artists in many parts of the world.

Of these 12 pairs, 7 got into the semi-finals. Gennysam Alcantara (Filipino) and partner Lily Tan made it to 3^rd place, Filipino pairs Atty. Maricel Onate and Dennis Lagazon to 4^th place, and Malu Cumagun-Dy Buncio and Ryan Fabul were awarded the Smile Award (Most Promising).

Smile awardees (Most Promising) Malu Cumagun-Dy Buncio with partner Ryan Fabul have been dancing the Argentine tango for just over a year, but are already multi-awarded: as champions in the Manila Tango Festival 2013, beginners category,  as well as 3rd placers in the TangoXposed Competition 2013 in Hanoi.

The other Filipino competitors, and am mentioning them here based on how their names are listed in the official webpage, were: Filipino couple Kiko Linsangan and Lyka Lozada, and the pairs with Filipinos as male partners:  Roy and Genie, Sherwin y I-ann, Michael Galura and Choi Fong, Yuko and Richard, Oliver and Sally, Don and Hannah, Rachel and Rodolfo, Suzy Hirawati Lucon and Lloyd Bediones. Though some of them have opted to represent the countries of their lady partners, we are as equally proud of their achievements, nonetheless.

 Among the 3 Filipino partners in the 11th Tango Dance Asian Championship held last June 2014, were real life couple, Kiko Linsangan and Lyka Lozada, who made it to the semi-finals round.  They were Champions in the Novice category of the 1st Hongkong Tango Championships last year. Both very young, this couple holds a lot of promise as Argentine tango dancers and teachers.

Maestro Jun Borja holds the distinction of being the first Filipino to join this prestigious competition in 2007 with partner Faye Salvador,  making it to the semi-finals round then; and in 2008, garnering the Special Toray Prize (Most Promising) with partner Yuko. 

Last year, Chu Bautista and partner Andrian Jang Lopez were the highest ranking Filipino pair at 5^th place. 

Argentine tango has become very popular here in Manila in the last couple of years, and is now spreading to key cities of  the Philippines very rapidly. With it, our Filipino male dance instructors have become very much in demand even with our neighbouring Asian countries.Not a few foreign tangueros/tangueras who have come to visit our local Milongas, marvel at our high level of knowledge and skill in Argentine tango. “Amazing!” is how they describe the way we dance. 

With Milongas happening 6 days a week, Manila is certainly the place not to be missed by our tanguero/tanguera, milonguero/milonguera friends the world over. Visit my FB page iTangoManila for regular updates on the Philippine tango scene, and send me a PM if you want me to arrange milonga tour packages for you here. 

Here in Manila, we promise you a very fulfilling and fun-filled Milonga experience. No one will miss out on a tanda, you only need to make sure that you have the energy for it!

This is me with Maestro Jun Borja!

ILoveTango! 
Psalm149:3 "Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"

Tango moments @ the 6th Manila Tango Festival

“If a picture paints a thousand words...,” thus goes that song, then these tango moments I captured during the recently concluded weeklong 6^th Manila Tango Festival and Championship (12-18May2014),  essay many tango stories in as  many shots.

Blissful...passionate...sweet...intense...happy...serene...dreamy...angsty...playful...serious...

There are not enough words to describe the  emotions that come with dancing the Argentine tango.  Suffice it to say that once you have tried it, you fall in love and get hooked.  But look, I am not talking here of romantic or passionate love between couples who simply love to dance the tango. A couple can dance the Argentine tango beautifully, passionately without them having to fall in love with each other. What they have is a palpable connection that allows them to dance with eyes closed, most often, just listening and following the rhythm and beat of the music. The couples communicate without talking.....the man leads...the woman follows, round and round the milonga hall until the music stops!

One thing is for sure, by the time they  leave the milonga, there’s  a spring in their steps, a smile on their lips, a certain lightheadedness, even giddiness, perhaps....all looking forward to the next milonga.

What are you waiting for? Head to the next Milonga. We have one everyday here in Manila. Visit my FB page itangomanila for information on Milonga schedules.

 

...with my regular tango partner Willy (L), and with Maestro Pablo Giorgini (R)

ILoveTango!
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"

Hiroshi & Kyoko Yamao, first non-Argentine World Tango Champions visit Manila

Hiroshi & Kyoko Yamao during the Grand Milonga

The World tango dance tournament (Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango) is an annual competition of Argentine Tango, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, usually in August, as part of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival organized by the city's government.

Though open to participation from other countries, it was only natural that Argentines dominate the championship in the ensuing years following the first edition of the competition in 2003, i.e,  until 2009, when the first non-Argentine couple won the Salon Category, and Asian, at that, Hiroshi and Kyoko Yamao from Japan.

Not surprising, though, because outside of Argentina, Japan is touted to be one of the countries with the longest history of Argentine tango, since the 1920s.

The husband and wife team, Hiroshi and Kyoko, were recent visitors in Manila to conduct  a 5-day workshop, as well as private coaching, with a one night Grand Milonga performance at the Makati Sports Club for our avid Argentine tango community, produced by Amor Tango, one of the active local tango organizers.

Regaling the crowd before the main performance were Amor Tango's Chu Bautista, herself
an accomplished tango dancer having won the Grand Slam Championship in the
2012 Manila Tango Festival & Competition, and placing 4th in the 1st Tango Salon
Championship in Asia held in HK last year, with her chosen partner for the evening, Ryan Fabul.

Attracted by each other’s tango, Hiroshi and Kyoko began dancing together in 2003.
In 2006, the couple travelled to Buenos Aires, where they studied both stage and salon tango under Carlos and Rosa Perez, Fabian Peralta and Valentina Villarroel.

Kyoko, Chu and Hiroshi

Out of 570 couples in the 2007 Campeonato de Baile de Tango Metoropolitano, the couple placed 9th in the salon division and 4th in the milonga division.

In the August Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango, the couple finished 6th in the salon division and 3rd in the stage division, being the first foreign couple to place in all four divisions.

This outstanding performance allowed the couple to participate in Almorzando con Mirtha Regrand, following which they returned to Japan.

After triumphing in the 2008 Championship of Asia, Hiroshi and Kyoko proceeded to win the 2009 Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango; they stand proud as the first foreign couple to ever win.

Currently, Hiroshi and Kyoko travel around the world, receiving high praise not just for their dancing, but their teaching skills.

Special guest of the night was Argentine Embassy

Charges de Affaires, Monica Deregibus, shown in the photo with local tango Maestro and the evening's Emcee, Jun Borja, and former Miss Universe and tanguera, Margie Moran. 

Our local tango community is privileged to have watched Hiroshi and Kyoko perform live and up close, and enriched by their teaching and coaching abilities.

They were all ears.......

...at the workshop

Hiroshi very kindly acceded to my request for this
photo op, and of course, I didn't let him go without
a dance, thank you!

ILoveTango!
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"

2013 World Tango Champions topbill the 6th Manila Tango Festival and Championship

The much-awaited annual Manila Tango Festival and Championship on May 12-18. 2014 topbills the 2013 World Tango Champions in the Salon Category, Jesica Arfenoni and Maximilliano Cristiani.  

2013 Mundial Champs Jesica Arfenoni & Maximilliano Cristiani

The world tango dance tournament known as Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango in Buenos Aires  where it is held,  is an annual competition of Argentine Tango, usually in August, as part of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival organized by the city's government.

The current 2013 winners,  Maximiliano Cristiani and Jesica Afernoni, will  be in Manila for their first performance in Asia, and are the star attractions in the  Gala Night of this year’s local festival, together with 8 other Argentine tango maestros/maestras known the world over for their superb dance performances, as well as teaching skills. They will be here not only to perform, but conduct workshops and private coaching lessons for the growing number of Filipinos who are now enthusiastic Argentine tango aficionados.

Laila  Rezk & Leandro Oliver

This year's line-up is a journey through the different genres - from the elegant Tango Salon improvised on the crowded milongas of Buenos Aires and fashionable European ballrooms; and the more popularized Tango Escenario, designed for the stage or theatre; to choreographed interpretations and narratives that have pushed the boundaries of Tango to the realms of contemporary dance but forever remaining true to the integrity and roots of Tango. 

Pablo Giorgini &Noelia Coletti

Alejandra Hobert & Adrian Veredice

Luis Ramirez & Analia Carreno

Presented by the Manila Tango Club, in cooperation with Tango Oriental, the week-long event promises to be another major spectacle that will surely heighten the passion among our Tango enthusiasts both locally and internationally.

For  inquiries on schedule details, venues, and ticket purchases, please email omen.tango@gmail.com or call 895-4576/550-2037/519-9626 or vist fb Manila Tango Festival & Championship. 

Indeed, even Tango is more fun in the Philippines!!!


ILoveTango! 
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"

My passion for Tango emboldens me to blog

I started learning the Argentine tango 6 years ago, in 2008. This dance caught my attention when the DJ in one of our ballroom dancing places, Bykes, when it was still located along Pasong Tamo, sold me a CD of the CITA (Congreso Internacional de Tango Argentino), an Argentine Tango dance event taking place in Buenos Aires. The video so mesmerized me that I started asking around who can teach me the dance. 
At the same time, as the PR Consultant of Bykes then, I was asked to join a group of ladies who were having a weekly dancing session, every Thursday it was, at the ground floor of the same building. Little did I know that it was what the Argentinians called a Milonga (an Argentine tango party). 
There I met Miss International Aurora Pijuan and character actress, Vangie Labalan, who I consider the progenitors of Milonga here in Manila, and already deep into the dance. They wanted me to write and publicize tango and Milonga. I did! But it took a while for the concept of Milonga to catch on. 
The dancing crowd, mostly populated by the ballroom ladies, did not easily subscribe to the idea of dancing just the Argentine tango the whole night! I even suggested that we designate one night in Bykes, as milonga night. But it was half-baked. When guests came in and wanted, maybe demanded is the better term, to dance ballroom, management had to give in, afraid to lose their patronage, to my utter dismay. 
But it was inevitable that the Milonga finally came to its own, as more and more were discovering the beautiful Argentine tango.
As for me, a few stumbling blocks and some frustrations later, I finally found the local Maestro who literally swept me off my feet into the magical world of Argentine tango. And as the saying goes, the rest is history. I am now caught in the web of this phenomena called the Argentine tango, and this blog is an extension of my passion... a passion that is building up every minute of whatever is left of my life, with every breath that I take.

So, I hope I will be able to touch base with all tangueros, tangueras, milongueros, milongueras the world over via this blog... exchange ideas, share photos, make new friends, give and receive advice and tips; but most especially, spread the magic of Argentine tango.

....and to those who are not yet bitten by the bug, you are all most welcome to join in, and one day soon, discover what makes us soooo love this dance.

Please bear with me as I take these baby steps in blogging. Thank you to my associate and friend, Liza Almonte, for nagging me to take this new direction. By God's grace, this will be a great ride!


ILoveTango!
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"