Albuquerque Tango Festival 2014: No Need to Call a Taxi Here!

                I just got back and once again I am super-elated after four days of total tango immersion! It was the usual smorgasbord of classroom instruction combined with evening milongas but something was different this time and it was us.

               I can’t quote numbers but every milonga and every class I attended was packed. Big deal, you say, we hear that every year about the ABQ Tango Festival, so what else is new? The women were EXTREMELY satisfied, at least the women I met, with the amount of dance invitations they were getting, that’s what was new!

                I have never heard a lady utter the phrase, “I am getting enough dances,” until this weekend! I didn’t hear this from just one person either. It was repeated many times by many tangueras.

               This festival will not be remembered for its fantastic instructors and their teachers, who were absolutely superb; it will be remembered for its awesome milongas and the proclivity of tangueros to sample as many tangueras as possible.

               I asked the show's organizer, Daniel Boardman, if he seeded the field somehow in favor of the ladies but he denied doing anything, crediting it to the good nature of the people in attendance.

               Another recurring event was also different, Tango InForm, a tango warmup session devised and conducted by Carrie Field, a tango/pilates instructor hailing from Taos, NM. 

               I was blown away last year by how well thought-out this exercise was yet she found a way to make it incredibly better. Carrie doesn’t just help us prime our bodies for a weekend of tango, she educates us on what muscles are being used when we dance.  

               The muscle-stretching exercises we performed to her easily understood narration were not the same as those of a year ago but they were just as safe and even more effective. 

               What I found most edifying about her routines were how closely they mimicked tango movements. By the end of the session I felt as if I’d already taken my first class of the day but also felt completely relaxed and refreshed!

               For more on Carrie Field and Tango InForm, check out her website here. For more stories about her click here. And here is a link to their original website where she was and still is one half of the dynamic tango teaching duo known around the world as Taos Tango: click here. Mike Malixi is the Yin to her Yang and he’s also an awesome force in tango as well. If you need more proof of that, clickhere:-D

               Having been to many tango festivals, I employed a new strategy for getting the most out of my investment. This time I decided to focus on one set of instructors to get a clearer picture of their teaching technique as well as to get a feel for how the students reacted to them.

               I chose Cristina and Homer Ladas for two reasons. First, I’d been following them on the internet for most of the eight years I’ve been pursuing proficiency in this dance and didn’t want to waste this chance. Second, they are the most frequently requested tango instructors in Madison, Wisconsin, a place where I tango often but never had the chance to attend one of their workshops.

               I’ll write a separate post about my experience with them but you should know that it was all good! Thank you, Cristina, you've helped my lead for the colgada immensely!

               Once again, the milongas were fantastic! I didn’t lack for partners and the partners I encountered were absolutely thrilled with their experience of the festival. The QTango Orchestra played once again on Saturday night and they were awesome as always. I am their biggest fan so you know I’ve blogged about them before just click here and here for two raving mad reviews.

               The accommodations at Hotel Albuquerque were exquisite: comfortable beds with great pillows, refrigerator upon request; great view of Sandia Peak on the even numbered rooms and a balcony on the odd numbered rooms. If you like the open air, choose the latter. Service was impeccable as it was the last time I stayed here.

               Finally, there were vendors, lots of vendors selling dresses and shoes and much, much more. I think they only take cash or checks so bring some with you if you come next year. I ended up buying a pair of practice shoes in my size, something I’ve been reluctant to do online.

               Thanks to all who made this event possible, mostly Daniel Boardman and the Tango Club of Albuquerque. Evidently you guys are not just getting older, you’re getting better. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and I want to thank you profusely, so here goes: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, a hundred times, Thank You VERY, VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




For more on the Kayak Hombre and his adventures, check out his two books: