So I’m in New York City a week ago for about five days on a work (and play) assignment and on my last full day there (a Sunday), my younger brother Ruben takes me out for brunch in Battery Park City and afterwards, we walked up to Pier 45 at the end of Christopher Street and the West Side Highway. He told me they have an outdoor “milonga” (a social event or location for tango dancing) there every Sunday and that it was a cool place to just hang out and “people watch”.
He was right.
Every fair-weather Sunday, starting at around 1pm until about 6pm, Argentine Tango dancing takes place under the gazebo at the end of Pier 45. It’s called VolvoTango and it’s a free, or rather a pay-what-you-wish event, hosted by Tango instructor Steve Beltzer, who started the outdoor tango events playing music from the car stereo of a Volvo. Beltzer calls it his “mission” to “expose the tango to the public” and get people feeling as passionate about the sexy dance as he does.
In an article I came across online, the Tango is described as not being about leading and following; but about dancing. “A great tanda (a turn of dancing) is magical coming together of two sentient, creative beings ready to make something happen in motion, in harmony with each other, with the music, and with the room. Both individuals are creating the dance in fluid response to the sensuous ebb and flow of the music.”
Now, I never travel without my camera and as I pulled it out of the bag on Pier 45, I realized that this “magical coming together of two sentient, creative beings, in harmony with each other, with the music” was not just something you’d hear a judge say on TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance”. It was what I was witnessing. It really was special and I couldn’t help but try to capture it with my camera. I think I might just have succeeded enough. That it was an absolutely glorious day in NYC surely helped. Enjoy…
Check out the schedule for upcoming VolvoTango events in NYC, grab a pair of dancing shoes, and create a great “tanda” of your own…
