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Please, Dear god . . .

. . . let this fucking show be OVER already!

It's a mere 7 days before the 2007 Evolution Tango extravaganza opens at the latino cultural center, and all Yours Truly has to say is that He can't wait for it to be over and done with.

Posted by earwicker at 10:36 PM

It's coming!

The Evolution Tango shows have finally (FINALLY!) come to an end. If you REALLY want to know how they went, and what that means to you and the future of the universe as you know it . . . you'll have to stay tuned a bit longer.

In a very few hours you'll get your wish!

Of course, I'll make fun of a few folks, too . . . so please: indulge yourselves. Come back soon.

See you then!

Posted by earwicker at 11:59 PM

Evolution, Spirit, Darwin, and Decoder Rings

In which Yours Truly succumbs to the unspoken expectations for words to be spoken (ok . . . written . . . typed . . . whatever), reflects upon the survival of the fittest, and has a laugh or two with his blow-up doll.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This weekend played host to the long-awaited second annual installment of Evolution Tango. Long-awaited, that is, by those of us who were ready for this particular soul-sucking, time-absorbing behemoth to die its annual death, go into temporary hibernation, and return to our workaday lives those of us who have been in its service for ooooooh so very VERY very fucking long.

And so our anticipation did, indeed, find its release these past three days. All the frustration, anger, panic, nerves (are you nervous yet Betsy? How 'bout now? NOW?), and exhaustion came to fruition. The event came, lingered but a moment, and departed once again . . . leaving Cast and Crew exhausted and--I believe I speak for the majority here--pleased.

Your Hero, at least, felt good about the "Spirit of Tango" chapter in the ongoing narrative that is Evolution Tango.

Now, I suppose it is at this point that some folks out there are hoping/expecting that I'll something outrageous and/or offensive so they can be entertained whilst feigning outrage and offense, since there is apparently little else in their lives to titillate and amuse. Oh well. I admit freely that even a largely silent PseudoLatino is a hell of a lot more amusing and worthwhile than, say, watching brainless drivel like Dancing with the Not-Really-Very-Big-Stars [editors note to fellow cast members: I wrote this BEFORE our monday night viewing session, folks. Cross my heart and hope to die] or, ummmm, well . . . spectator sports (the next-to-last resort of the unimaginative and intellectually stunted . . . the absolute last stop, of course, being Dancing with the N-R-V-B-Stars). Be that as it may, I don't really have anything to say that is outrageous or offensive. However, not wanting to disappoint those of you who live for my every Word (an excellent sign of your good breeding and keen intelligence, by the way), I'll provide--in lieu of offense or outrage--a quick synopsis of my (most excellent and correct) opinion regarding this year's show.

So here's the deal. In every way that really matters, the show was a great success. We all had fun, we had a great audience, and we did a good thing for Tango--that nutty little dance we so love. Despite that success, it is fair--and important--to point out that Spirit of Tango was far from perfect. It was in some ways superior, and in some ways inferior, to last year's inaugural Evolution Tango Happening. How so? Well . . . I'm glad you asked. The dancing was, without a doubt, far superior. Each and every dancer in the troupe, including our fearless leaders, has improved dramatically since last year. Though Fred and Ginger still stand Head and Shoulders above the rest of us, we have all--I believe--made remarkable progress. Even when we screwed up (and boy, did we screw up!), we did a superior job of covering the bloopers and moving on.

Also vastly improved: the technical aspect of the production. Mother Teresa and her minions provided us with substantially more complex inter- and intrasong lighting changes than we were capable of last year. Although not obvious in the same way as the improvement in the dancing ("not obvious" means that--if she does her job well, and she did, the audience doesn't even realize that this stuff is happening . . . they just think "wow! COOOL choreography!!" . . . directing credit to the dancers, rather than towards those who actually deserve it), this behind-the-scenes change made a tremendous difference in the subtlety and variety of the show. Mama T deserves mad props for stepping up to the plate and taking things to a new level. MAD props, I tell you.

Together, these two things (dancing and technical production) comprise the bulk of the show, and for these things we can all be tremendously proud. "The Spirit of Tango" was wildly successful. Evolution Tango is batting a thousand. Two for two.

Nevertheless, not everything was an improvement. We did some things only as well as we did last year, and some things we did less well. Hopefully we'll learn from these things and create an even more amazing show for next time. But to learn, we have to analyze, so . . .

Let's start with "as well as." The most significant item in this category is the live music. Our show has some great musicians in it, which makes the whole "Music Minus One" thing we often rely upon a little cheesy, and totally unnecessary given the high level of musicianship of everyone involved. Next year, we need a couple of additional musicians and some honest-to-goodness, well-orchestrated arrangements of these pieces (hmmmm . . . I wonder WHO in this group might have the chops and world-class skills to provide such arrangements?!?!? Oh wait . . . that'd be . . . well . . . ME!). We don't need to use freakin' KARAOKE and cheesy synthesizer tones for accompaniment. Doing so distracts substantially from the authenticity and richness of the music (imagine listening to The Art of the Fugue played on a Casio). It is a bit like dancing all of our choreographies in street clothes with the damn house lights turned up all the way. Sure, we'd be doing the same steps, and it would be just as difficult technically, but it would cheapen the presentation. It would lessen the impact. That which was multi-dimensional would become flat. Less alive. Less compelling. This is an area where we have the resources and ability to up the ante a thousand-fold. And yes . . . in case you're wondering . . . I DO volunteer to take responsibility for making this happen.

And that leaves us with the "inferior to last year" bits of the show.

The most essential flaw in comparison to last year was, inarguably, the programming. Last year's show was substantially more varied musically and dramatically. It was funnier (a lot funnier . . . and funnier to a broader spectrum of audience members) . There was more contrast in mood and tone. In addition to the solo choreographies, we had unusual combinations and presentations: a trio of dancers, two guys dancing together, dances with real-time skits as accompaniment. We had melancholy, whimsy, nostalgia, bawdy humor, as well as unvarnished tradition. Very significantly, we had a much larger percentage of music written in our own lifetimes (which is absolutely ESSENTIAL to keeping a performance--not to mention an entire artform--vital and meaningful). This year we were missing many of these things. If we had met or exceeded last year's strength of programming, in combination with our improvements in dancing and technical production, we would have gone from "very good. Solid" to "frighteningly good. Truly impressive," which is where we all want to be.

In any case . . . all of this is not to say that we didn't do a great job (because we did), but to point out that we still have room for tremendous improvement. Improvement we're gonna achieve, and bring to YOU folks. I'm picking nits because that's the best and fastest way to get better . . . and I know for a fact that improvement is something everyone in this talented and dedicated cast covets highly.

If you don't believe me, ask them yourselves.

Nit-picking aside, this show has left me both exhilirated and exhausted. We performed for somewhere around 800 folks this weekend, and had a great time doing it. I think that I speak for all my fellow Evolution Tango members (a claim I rarely feel confident making) when I say Thank You to all of you--old- and new-timers alike--who came out to support us, to offer us words of advice and encouragement, and to make us realize that the ridiculous amounts of hard work we expended were really worth it. Your kind response leaves us eager to create something even more entertaining, more sophisticated, and more compelling . . . because you peeps deserve nothing less.

And now . . . as I come to the end of my little missive . . . I suppose I personally feel compelled to give MY audience a bit of what they are expecting. If not outrage or offense, at least a bit of bluntness and honesty. I remain this year, as last, appalled by the lack of turnout from the local, self-styled Tango cognoscente. What's their excuse? In the past they have apparently blamed Lil' Ol' Me and my big, foul, divisive mouth. How dare Fred and Ginger allow me to participate! [insert disbelieving gasps here] They can't encourage my blasphemy! Underwrite my hate-mongering! Etc, etc, etc. Blah, blah, blah. Surely no one takes this seriously any longer, if they ever did (I know I never have). I mean, c'mon people. Sure . . . I make fun of the Anal Bede from time to time (he started it and I enjoy letting it continue . . . so sue me!) . . . and I'm happy to point out on occasion the two-faced duplicity of certain "leaders" in our scene. But basically I'm just a tangential participant in a show that is a HUGE boon for tango ("real" or otherwise) in Dallas, TX. For the majority of our local Tango instructors, movers, and shakers NOT to attend a show of this magnitude, and to NOT bring their students, friends, and friends of friends to that show, is . . . well . . . embarrassing. Oh, and STOOOOOOPID, too.

But enough of that. Darwin is as Darwin does . . . and the future of Tango in Dallas? Let's just say that, wherever it winds up, that future is not being secured at the exclusive, invitation-only meetings of the I'm-A-"Real"-Tango-Badass-And-You-Aren't Club, wherever that event is happening and despite those nifty little secret decoder rings that all the members get to wear. If the future of Tango in this town can be secured at all, it's being secured elsewhere. And Yours Truly will leave that "where" up to your highly-evolved and advanced imaginations.

Muchas gracias once again for Your support and consideration . . . I extend to You ALL my deepest gratitude.

Your Once and Future King,

---the PseudoLatino

 

PS

In this vein . . . and before I go, I would like to indulge in a small moment of gloating. Almost three years ago, shortly after I had begun to toy with this dance called "Tango," I managed to get myself blacklisted from the community. You can read about that elsewhere. I was told at that time by a then-instructor (yes . . . he was one of the aforementioned guys with a secret decoder ring), in no uncertain terms, that I would "not be tolerated" in this community. I was told that Dallas Tango had seen many such "wayward cadets," and that, like them, I, too, would pass. My response, nearly verbatim, was that: "I will learn how to dance Tango, and dance it well, if I have to practice naked, on Cedar Springs, with a blow-up doll."

I guess I still don't dance it very well, but I have certainly improved a lot since those days, and I never had to resort to the blow-up doll (unless there's a VERY big secret about the Valerina that I've been overlooking all this time). And most importantly, I'm still here. Mr. Decoder Ring? He's off playing house somewhere and trying to remember that "cross" can occasionally refer to something other than Mrs. Decoder Ring's mood.

(*hoot!*)

As I predicted on that day, it was the wayward cadet who would remain . . . .

[Insert HUGE gloat . . . right . . . fucking . . . HERE]

Posted by earwicker at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)

Way Big Big Way Skills

Tomorrow and Friday is the Big Way Skills Camp at Skydive Spaceland down in Houston. We're doing 14 jumps from altitude, with formation sizes ranging from 20-40. I managed to snag an invite to the event after doing a series of jumps with one of the captains, Larry Henderson, at Skydive Dallas. Now I get to put my money where my mouth is.

If I perform well, I may get an invite to the second part of the event, the 44-way invitational, which includes 14 MORE jumps, all from 18,000 feet with O2. Cross your fingers for me.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Your Devoted,

---PseudoLatino

ps

Oh yeah, almost forgot . . . Happy Halloween, friends!

Posted by earwicker at 02:31 PM