Creative Mischief at the National Academy Museum

Tango steps sometimes lead in unexpected directions. Yesterday I spent a pleasant hour at the National Academy Museum and School on 5th Avenue and 89 Street, attending the Creative Mischief exhibition (see their Twitter feed and catalog in PDF). This is the fourth annual exhibition of the works contributed by over 170 students and faculty of the National Academy School. Since 2012, this exhibition has grown from a one-day, one-room show to an event that for nine days occupies the entire museum. And for a good reason: there is plenty of talent and originality on display and enough variety of media and genres to tease the eye and the mind. Kudos to the National Academy for cultivating a vibrant artistic community, to the selection committee for choosing a very entertaining set of bold and intriguing pieces, and to the authors for their fresh-off-the-easel works. Many thanks to Boris Svechinsky, a fellow tango student and one of the Creative Mischief's contributing authors, and Walter Perez, our tango teacher, for the invitation to this unexpectedly enjoyable and stimulating exhibition.

See photos of selected works under the cut.

Violentango at Argentinian Consulate

Violentango at the Argentinian Consulate, 5.5.15

On Monday night, at Valeria Solomonoff's consistently enjoyable Tango Playground Practica, I exhorted my partners to be present without ambivalence, misbehave and “milk it” - "it" being all the particularly delectable morsels of music and movement. I noticed that those born north of about 25-30° north latitude are often inhibited when it comes to this to-do list, and I myself, hailing all the way from 60° N, am no exception.

No such exhortations were needed on Tuesday evening at the Argentinian Consulate, where Violentango played a free concert. Whether or not their music has much to do with violence or with tango (although, at least according to Borges, tango has always something to do with fighting), these guys know how to go for it with a vengeance and not just play music, but play with the music of two generations before them – their grandfathers’ tango and rock music of their parents, plus a gamut of other voices and influences, – and make it all sound intriguing and contemporary. A little over a week ago, Astoria Tango Orchestra performed with Daniel Binelli, – and it was great to hear and dance to the traditional sound of orquesta tipica. The music of Violenango is not for keeping milongueros on their feet, but it is also traditional in the sense that it is made of the same ingredients: talent, skill, and inspiration of the players, with nothing canned or boxed other than some juice to amplify the sound of their instruments – two guitars, bandoneon, electric bass and percussion.

‘Tis a season for conversions in my artistic tastes: never a big fan of new tango music, I went to the Consulate with a pragmatic purpose – to scout out the space for a future event, – and was pleasantly surprised to discover Violentango and their unadorned sound. They played their own compositions as well as a couple of pieces by Piazzolla and a few oldies but goodies, such as Milonga de mis amores, which lends itself well to instrumental inventiveness and embellishment. Musically, these guys know how to misbehave and milk it for what it’s worth, with improvisation, ingenious sounds and quotes from a variety of styles, from jazz to folkloric, thrown in with cleverness, virtuosity and humor. It occurred to me that, unlike traditional tango, this music has the momentum to go somewhere, as it allows itself to be discontented and seek a way to escape its own status quo or upset it, out of its own abundance, boredom, mischief, or subversion – or just for the heck of it.

There are plenty of Violentango videos and recordings online, but they do not give you a sense of energy that these guys whip up while playing live. It is, quite simply, great fun to watch them make noise in front of you. There is indeed power in doing – not with 1s and 0s, but with one’s body and mind, – and seeing and understanding how music is being made by five people is quite entertaining. Plus, to be honest, as my own biological usefulness dwindles, my appreciation for good XY chromosomes only grows – and there was plenty of that on display. I was happy to see that the audience at the Consulate reacted to the music of Violentango with enthusiasm that was not immediately predictable – because most of the people in the room were old enough to be these guys’ parents.

Violentango plays four more concerts in NYC: May 6 – Shrine, May 7 – Silvana, May 8 – The Parkside Lounge, May 9 – The West End. Find the details on Violentango website and go see these guys play live for a dose of good music and terrific energy.

Violentango: Adrián Ruggiero (bandoneón), Juan Manuel López (guitar), Santiago Córdoba (percussion), Ricardo Jusid (bass), Camilo Córdoba (guitar)

Program: Le Petit Rhone y la Cigale; Fuga y misterio; Menos sol; Escape porteño; Milonga de mis amores; Napoleon; Barceluna; Milonga del Angel; Libertango

Tango and Babushkas

Mariana Parma and Leonardo Sardella in 2013 production of Recuerdo Tango.
Photo from Mariela Franganillo Dance Company website. 

Yesterday I spent half a day attending a production of Recuerdo Tango, a show by the Mariela Franganillo Dance Company, this time performed at Kingsborough Community College, in far, far Brooklyn. In my graduate school years, I used to live in Sheepshead Bay and thought nothing of commuting every day to NYU, but now, after a decade spent living in Queens, that part of Brooklyn has become almost a different planet. And it is on that planet of Brighton Beach pensioners (and a few of their grandkids), Mariela & Co. have decided to perform their show, as a residency at On Stage At Kingsborough supported by the CUNY Dance Initiative. This production model has its upsides and downsides: without these residencies, the show would most likely have never been staged, but as a residency, it is performed only once (or very few times) and does not bring the performers any returns except for a chance to be on stage and receive public and media attention.

Last time Recuerdo Tango was performed in 2013 at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, which, besides being a much more accessible location, has long traditions, such as Inside the Actors Studio, a deliciously addictive and insightful series of interviews with well-known actors. You can watch Recuerdo Tango taped at Pace online: Act 1 and Act 2.

Yesterday’s production was performed by (almost) the same cast as in 2013: Leah Barsky, Hernan Brizuela, Carlos Cañedo, Ana Padron, Mariana Parma, Walter Perez, Leonardo Sardella, and Yaisuri Salamanca, with LA-based Marcos Questas stepping in as a guest artist to replace Diego Blanco. Four women and five men – and there lies the hook of the story, which features a series of vignettes about a love triangle unfolding over several decades against the backdrop of the New York City life. From office cubicles to a glitzy ballroom to a subway brawl, a bar fight or a domestic quarrel, to a shabby old café, a dark city street, or Central Park, the story flows with knowledge and humor through familiar city scenes. These scenes unfold both onstage and in video segments in the background, accentuated by the powerful performances of singer Sofia Tosello and accompanied by live music of piano, bandoneon, violin, and bass, which add another layer of complexity to the production.

Until recently I had been convinced that tango does not lend itself to a longer form than a ten-minute tanda or a three-minute exhibition. Too much of a good thing is not great, I thought, especially considering all those tropes and clichés with which stage tango has overgrown like an old ship with barnacles. But after seeing a recent production of “milonga” at the New York City Center, a wonderfully imaginative dance show based on tango choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and then Recuerdo Tango, I converted, noting with surprise that an hour-and-a half tango show can indeed successfully and pleasantly hold my attention.

Yesterday’s performance was thoroughly enjoyable, although it felt a touch more measured and calculated than the 2013 production, which was performed with delightful abandon. One big difference between the two shows was the audience: in the 2013 video, you can hear the audience at Pace applaud at appropriate moments, but good luck getting the Brighton Beach retirees to clap mid-show! On my way out of the theater I heard a couple of them say to each other, “Very pretty dancing, but I didn’t understand anything!” Oh well. Elderly Russian-speaking Jews are perhaps the most receptive audience for the guts-on-the-floor emotions of tango, but a dance trio on a subway train may be a little outside of their comfort zone. The babushkas were pleased though, judging by the vigorous applause after the show.

For me, this was yet another occasion to remind myself of the great good luck of having access to the concentration of talent and professionalism that the New York City tango performers and teachers have to offer. I wonder why this city cannot take them up on this offer more frequently and enjoy more of such shows and performances. It is also always fascinating to observe a transformation that occurs onstage to people you know: Yaisuri was the person who taught me my very first tango steps, Walter and Leonardo are my current teachers, Ana and Diego host the practica that I used to frequent, Mariela is a long-time host of another old haunt, and a few friends study or studied with Mariana, Hernan and Carlos.

On the bus on the way back, I overheard a creaky voice of an old woman speaking Russian: “We old folks ought to kiss every pebble here. I haven’t done anything for this country, but it gives me so much: SSI, cheap apartment, food stamps, Medicare, everything I need!” Wow, I thought, on Brighton Beach this is decidedly a minority view. I also doubt that anybody from my generation is in any danger of ever receiving the goodies from that bus philosopher's list. And I also reflected on my lean, yet somewhat structured existence as an office worker compared to the complete unpredictability and lack of security of a life as a dance performer. Perhaps it was not by accident that as I left my building on my way to the show, I saw on the ground a book with a missing cover and a title: Among the Brave. To brave folks then – and to the good memories of New York City!

Pre-show sidewalk oracle near my building.

Credits:

Recuerdo Tango, The Mariela Franganillo Company, May 2, 2015

Directors: Mariela Franganillo and Bob McAndrew

Assistant Choreographer: Cecilia Saia

Music Director: Pedro Giraudo

Musicians: Emilio Teubal (piano), Juan Pablo Jofre (bandoneon), Nick Danielson (violin)

Vocalist: Sofia Tosello

Dancers: Leah Barsky, Hernan Brizuela, Carlos Cañedo, Ana Padron, Mariana Parma, Walter Perez, Leonardo Sardella, Yaisuri Salamanca 

Guest Artist: Marcos Questas

Design: Barry Steele
Lighting: Jimmi Lawlor

Production Manager: Calvin Anderson

NYC Scene: Campo del Cielo Meteorite

Fragment of Campo del Cielo meteorite
Astro Gallery of Gems, 5th Ave. at 38 St.

If you find a chunk of ore

Take it to a New York store.

Here the price is always right -

They will sell your meteorite.