Festival and World Cup 2013

The festival includes free dance classes which has not been the case other years. The city budget for culture funds the festival.  Charging for classes limited the attendance to those who could afford to pay.  Last year people had to register for classes; this year they just show up.  There was a large group in Usina del Arte for the afternoon milonga class by Julio Balmaceda and Corina de la Rosa.   They were explaining a short sequence that perfectly fit a musical phrase, but Julio was counting the steps, not relating it to the musical beat.  It was no surprise that the men didn’t get it after an hour.  It’s not easy for non-musicians to coordinate a rhythmic pattern into a four-beat phrase when someone is counting five steps.  If only teachers would learn something about relating the dance to the music.  It would make things easier for people learning to dance.  Wishful thinking on my part.

This is the milonga con traspie class trying to work out the sequence with a partner. Julio and Corina are standing in the center of the floor.

Usina del Arte is a magnificent building that was an electrical power plant in another life.  It sat empty until the city decided to renovate it for the arts.  Usina is a site for the festival for the last two years.  It has an installation of Vincent Van Gogh replicas entitled My Dream Exposition.

The exhibition is chronological to show his evolution as an artist.  Included are quotes from letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo and close friends giving us insight into his thoughts as an artist.

Can you believe that the price of admission to this dream exposition is only ten pesos?  Replicas of 200 works  until October 6 .  I went to browse after a concert of young bandoneonistas who played solos on Anibal Troilo’s bandoneon.  I was soaring from the concert that ended with Quejas de bandoneon.  And then seeing Van Gogh’s masterpieces was an incredible experience.  What an afternoon!  And there was more to come.

The newest group of the Orquesta Escuela del Tango Emilio Balcarce has been together only three months.  Members auditioned six months ago for the two-year program learning the unique styles of Di Sarli, Troilo, D’Arienzo, Gobbi, Piazzolla, and others.  Milonguero Viejo by Di Sarli is always on the program.

Zita, the inseparable companion of Anibal Troilo, died in 1997.  Her grandchildren discovered original manuscripts for 489 arrangements and handed them over to the Escuela de Musica Popular de Avellaneda.  They took up the task of scanning and digitizing the arrangements and then adding details in the recordings Troilo made.  This concert was the result of this work and performed by graduates of the school.  We got a glimpse of what’s in store for the Troilo Centennial, July 2014.

Violins:: Pablo Agri (son of Antonio Agri), Guillermo Rubino, Carlos Cosattini, Raul di Renzo, Mayumi Urgino, Christine Brebes, Damian Gonzalez Gantes, Valeria Matsuda. Violas: Clara Nardozza, Fernando Herman. Cellos: Jorge Perez Tedesco, Xu Chao.  Contrabass: Juan Pablo Navarro.  Bandoneones: Lautaro Greco, Santiago Segret, Nicolas Enrich.  Piano: Emiliano Greco.  Singer: Lautaro Mazza.  Director Juan Carlos Cuacci