Barbara M Webb
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Tango

8/31/2016

 
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The staccato rhythms of the tango pulsated behind the curtains; then they opened slowly, seamlessly, Now the strains of the bandoneon fused with the strains of the orchestra adding poignancy to the opening bars of the tango music, "El Choclo". It was as if the music was cutting into the heart of the essence of life, breathing its rhythms into the old walls of this most traditional venue in Buenos Aires that had seen thousands of tango enthusiasts pass through its portals. Called the Piazzolla. it was an Arts and Performance Centre, but during its life it had often held group tango lessons.
The elaborate baroque features of the interior were a far cry from the open spaces where gauchos. mainly struggling migrants from Europe, danced with each other to the nostalgic strains of the bandoneon one hundred and fifty years ago. Their longing for their homelands translated itself into this haunting music and the smooth flowing movements of the tango. Later, tango moved into the brothels with couples dancing together.
However, the cat-like theatrical movements of the couples on the stage that I was now watching exuded a sophistication and choreography that was the result of years of planned dramatic dance movements; it had become an art form. Here, in Buenos Aires, the dancers still expressed passion for the tango, but it was subdued by the sleek, refined movements that were the hallmark of Argentine Tango.  The brightly coloured slinky attire of the female dancers was in stark contrast to the dark suits of the male dancers and their frequently white-toed leather shoes.
I was drawn into the spectacle by the hypnotic beat of the music, and the dance movements mesmerized me. It was all so dramatic and a far cry from the intimate tango I had learned in classes and danced at milongas in the UK. I had to pinch myself to make sure that this was reality, that I was finally here in Buenos Aires. Although the Japanese had recently won first place in the World Tango Championships, much to the chagrin of Argentinians, the home of tango was still here.
The day before, I had enjoyed the process of buying a new pair of tango shoes in Suipicha Street (Calle Suipicha). The sales assistant was male and had been quite flattering in his manner while I tried on different pairs of shoes. How expensive were they? No importa. Who cares? What does it matter? It was the playfulness of the purchasing scenario that was important. So I ended up as the proud owner of the elegant open-toed stilettos. Stilettos always flatter the figure, elongating the legs. They made me feel svelte. It had been fun placing my feet into the sculptured "tango footsteps" created in the concrete pavement outside the shop. Now I would have to try the new shoes out in a practical situation, such as a milonga or, at the very least, a tango lesson from the maestros of tango. This purchase and a visit to a tango café had led to my buying a ticket to the top tango show in Buenos Aires, at the Piazzolla.
(Chapter 1 opening in "South America Under the Skin of a Foreign Country")

Enjoy watching some Argentine Tango in this trailer of my book:
http://bit.ly/1Y2bEZH

To buy my book click:
http://bookShow.me/B00Y8SY57O
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Tips for Travel. . .Revisited

8/9/2016

 
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Above . . . Prague at night. . . . 
I love the frisson, the shivers I get when I arrive at a place which is new to me. Add cyrillic alphabet just to make map reading more challenging, and I really feel I am in a foreign place. The process of transforming this insecurity into a place of familiarity is what I like about travel. This means that I have to do some homework before setting off. 
Recently I was in Prague and will use it as an example of my travel tips. To make a short visit of a week memorable requires three things -some research, allowing space to allow the place to show its surprises to you and participate in an activity you enjoy at home. Let me explain.
​To save time and money, I learn about the place before I arrive there. Some map reading and google information does not go astray. It helps me to hone in on the essentials that I want from this trip. I am aware it is impossible to see everything. It also stops me from information overload. Psychologists tell us we will forget 35% of what we learn today by tomorrow. So going on tour after tour is time consuming, expensive and does not always fit into the weather of the day.. I am not against tours but by walking on an interactive tour we may, eat, dance and drink the local alcoholic brew in preference to a history monologue. When we do that we will remember the fun and our feelings. Facts can be forgotten. 
Some things you learn by being in a place eg I was used to Ecuadorian lemonade which is lemon juice lightly sweetened. I had forgotten the mistakes I had made on a different trip.. In Prague lemonade was commercial lemonade or if you like sugared water. Watch pricing. Tickets for all kinds of concerts in Prague seem cheap but the concerts have a time limit of 65 minutes. In summer anyway. Likewise the hop on hop off bus which I think is a brilliant way of getting an overall picture of a place is slightly different to anywhere else. Buenos Aires, London and Santiago have double decker buses which avoid overcrowding. In Prague, people found the small buses full when they wanted to get back on. Most tourists were unaware they had to put over 20 euros as deposit for the electronic card they had to use. This was to be reimbursed after the journey ended 
Don't be rigid with your plans. For example, I was strolling down PARIZSKA street in the old city in Prague where all the best known brands are sold and suddenly saw about 25 people, men dressed in dinner suits and women wearing long black skirts and very smart pale pink jacket tops. This was amazing on a Saturday morning at 11 am. I had heard that over 60% Czechs regard themselves as atheists with only 35% religious. I was tempted to ask them where they were goingbut had fallen too far behind them having tried to take a photo. I decided to follow them. It didn't take long. They turned down some passages and we ended up at a modern church. On the front door was a programme of all the international choirs participating in that day's festival. I enjoyed a couple of hours listening to German, French and Portuguese choirs. I didn't watch them all of course.
This reminded me of one of my classmates in a Spanish class in Quito. He was an amateur soccer player who invited himself to a local soccer club because of his interest in the game. His social life increased enormously, he felt he had learned about another culture by participating in it, and he had wonderful stories to tell for evermore. 
For me Prague was a paradise for music - all kinds of music: rock, jazz, and classical. So I used that interest to meet up with people of like mind who then invited me to their homes. This made my time there more memorable than just taking photos.

To wiew the trailer of my second book click
http://bit.ly/1Y2bEZH
To buy my book about 8 years' in South America click

http://bookShow.me/B00Y8SY57O


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    Barbara M Webb  graduated in English at Queensland University, St Lucia. She has lived in 7 of the 52 countries she has visited. and now lives in Cornwall in the UK.

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