Carole Edrich Weblog

different rhythms

It's so difficult to understand the Argentine view of time. In Buenos Aires an ‘hora’ is simply an hour, but in the rest of the country an ‘horita’, which translates directly as a ‘little hour’ can be anything including exactly 60 minutes, several hours, or in extreme cases days.

Over lunch at Finca Las Nubes in Cafayate; Salta, Señora Mounier; the Dueña, explained; “It’s not really possible to expect people to arrive at a precise time. Distances here are huge and depending on weather conditions and the state of the road, a journey might take an hour or it might take three. It would be silly for friends to travel for hours to meet us for a meal if they arrived and found out that we had already eaten and there was nothing left. So we have had to adopt a more elastic approach."

Vineyard of Bodega Etchart, Cafayate
photo (c) Carole Edrich, 2006

Her explanation makes a kind of sense although I'm sure it's not the whole reason. Argentina is a big country and distances are huge. It's also another culture where its inhabitants unsurprisingly have their own priorities, habits and rhythms.

I’m feeling the difference even more as my time in Argentina draws to a close. Salta, Cafayate and Colomé are spectacular, I’ve been really privileged, have seen so much, have sampled the best wines and food of the country, have met some fascinating and lovely people and what I’d like to do now is consolidate my notes and rest for a few days. But I can’t. My time in this stunning, wonderful country is running out. With only a few more days left there are still so many people to talk to, so many notes to make and photos to take that I’ll be lucky to fit it all in.

The terrible rain in the North delayed my flight this morning, reporting the theft of my money to the police ran into the late afternoon (it’s a story in itself), and everything overran to such an extent that I completely missed lunch with Alejandra Sagesse of the Panamericano Hotel where I am staying tonight. I wasn’t to discover that Roberto Ferrari had arranged for me to have a tango lesson with the Escuela Argentina de Tango until I had tea with her around 5:00pm.

I was thrilled! I had been so busy trying to fit everything in that Roberto’s promise had entirely slipped my mind. I had originally planned to do a couple of private tango lessons at the end of my time in Argentina, but had accepted that they were not to be after my money was stolen. I had been planning to buy shoes, and when I told Alejandra she arranged for Andy Maroglio; the president of Escuela Argentina de Tango, to take me tango-shoe shopping on the way to my lesson.

An evening lesson at Escuela Argentina de Tango
photo (c) Carole Edrich, 2006

Andy is a very interesting character. He runs Escuela Argentina de Tango with his brother Octavio (who manages the day to day stuff) and I hope to write a feature about him and his wife Natalia as they seem to live a very interesting life.

I watched the end of one lesson and started the last lesson of the night but it was very slow and I didn't think I'd learn enough. Since I want to make the most of my present I've arranged to take a lesson tomorrow instead.

link rewards

I’ve been really busy whilst in Argentina. That's not so surprising, it's a jam-packed work trip, crammed with visits, exercise, interviews and fantastic experiences. I have gigabytes of photos, a whole book full of notes and even more on my laptop but very little time to consolidate or do much with them. However, I've started pieces for Square Mile and Food and Travel, have finally got back into the habit of maintaining my dance blog and have completed a couple of articles for Dance Today.

I try to send people copies or links of whatever I write as soon as I can. It's an important courtesy which if left too long might cause resentment or decrease any PR advantage to the organisations concerned.

Upsalla Glacier and environs in Patagonia
(c) Carole Edrich, 2006

After cycling around parts of Patagonia and Neuquen it was time to go back to Buenos Aires for a couple more luxurious days at the PanAmericano Hotel. I met Roberto Ferrari and Alejandra Saggese again over an excellent lunch at Tomo 1 and they're so happy with what I've written that Roberto says that he’ll arrange for me to dance tango on my next and final stay in Buenos Aires!

Malbec Grapes from Bodega Humberto Canale in Rio Negro, near Neuquen
(c) Carole Edrich, 2006

That's great news and a wonderful gift. The theft of most of my money less than ten days into this expedition means that while I've been able to do everything I planned, there's no spare money and I can't do more. I still don’t know what Roberto meant, or even if I’ll be able to do it, but that’s all part of the fun.

I’ll blog anything that happens, crossed fingers it does…

More tango at the PanAmericano Hotel
(c) Carole Edrich, 2006

the best laid plans of..... editors

I had planned to finalise this quarter’s Flamenco News at least a week before I left for Argentina.

I thought I had it covered; the production schedule was in the last magazine, I had reminded all the contributors about deadlines at least twice, had talked to Tim about his availability and the flat plan and we had worked together on the timing. Unfortunately things didn’t go quite as hoped. Part of what I had promised in the last issue arrived so late that I had done all but the finishing touches on its replacements. I also had to hold back on most of the rest of the magazine because of the juggling that might have been necessary and that put pressure on Yo too, as she needed to complete the Japanese section before going to the Festival de Jerez.

(c) Flamenco News, 2006

I’d like to say that the final, important piece arrived just in the nick of time but the truth is it didn’t. Even though I turned everything around as quickly as I could, Tim had to work nights and weekends to fit the work in between his other commitments (commitments which we had originally planned to avoid completely). He was only able to get the proofs to me when I was already in Argentina on the Harrods Press Trip.

All press trips are tightly scheduled, intense, information-rich experiences with little or no free time for those involved. The organisers do their best to present as many opportunities for articles as they possibly can and this trip was really special. Harrods will be promoting Argentine food and wine in its own prestigious, spectacular and professional way in May, and Andre of Harrods and his Argentine associates had pulled out all the stops.

The only time available to review the proofs was late at night when I should have been asleep. Sometimes I had no access to internet at all or it was so unpredictable that Tim didn’t receive my emails nor I his. In the end Vera King; Chairman of the Peña Flamenca de Londres, stepped in to do what she could, for which I am extremely grateful.

Despite all of this, and mainly because of Tim and Vera’s heroic efforts, the magazine was sent out to all subscribers on time and was available for the March Peña. I’ve had a couple of feedback emails already but won’t see this quarter’s Flamenco News myself until I’m back in London next month.

Had I been travelling on my own it would not have been such a production, but I’ve learned an important lesson and won’t try to edit a magazine during a press trip again!

tango surprise

Our flight from Mendoza back to Buenos Aires had been delayed and we were tired and hungry when we arrived at the Panamericano Hotel in Buenos Aires. I had planned to go straight to sleep, but Roberto Ferrari, General Manager of the hotel, had other ideas.

He ushered us enthusiastically to seats in the hotel’s beautiful lobby where we were greeted by Rodolfo González, the Operations Manager and offered empañadas and a choice of champagne or orange juice. Once settled, we became the priviledged audience of our own very special surprise tango show. The tangueros; Rosalía and Alejandro Barrientos, danced in sophisticated, sensual, stunning patterns with perfect musicality and the singer José De Brun provided a moving counterpoint to the dance.

Alejandra Saggese, the hotel's PR manager, later told me that they had arranged it all in advance with the “Escuela Argentina de Tango” which is run by Andy and Octavio Maroglio under the musical direction of Mariano Moreno. I plan to check out the school as soon as I can.

My only regret was that the next day’s early flight to Calafate meant I wasn’t able to spend more time at this gorgeous hotel. Luckily Alejandra has arranged for me to stay again in a couple of weeks. I'll do some exploring and hope to find out more about a famous flamenco dancer rumoured to have used their top-flight spa and gym.

in the lobby at the Panamericano, there are better shots in my moblog here and here
(c) Carole Edrich, 2006

If you’re looking for a taste of tango in England, May is a great month. Miguel Angel Zotto will be performing at Sadlers Wells between 28th May and June 11th or, if you would rather something a little different, Harrods are holding their own special tango performance as part of their Argentina Promotion in May. Contact Andre Dang of Harrods on 0207 893 8155 for more details.

Barefoot in Buenos Aires

Leaving the car less than a block away from the Plaza del Congresso, I was surprised that I couldn’t hear music and wondered whether the ‘worlds largest open air tango festival’ really was as big as billed.

I shouldn't have wondered. Tango doesn’t need to be played at full volume to be appreciated and maybe sound doesn’t travel as far here as it would in London because of some accident of urban design, but as we rounded the corner all I could see was people and the music of tango was everywhere.

Me at the open air tango festival
Other tango shots are dotted through my moblog
(c) Cheso, 2006

Loudspeakers were dotted throughout the proud Plaza de Congresso and leafy Avenida de Mayo. Tangueros danced in front of each, creating pools of space around which good natured clusters of people gathered.

Here was the proof of what I had read, that the momentum of the tango revival is increasing and that it is once again becoming popular with the young. Whether young or old, dressed casually, in evening wear or to tango, the fascinating diversity of individuals were united by their appreciation of the music and a languorous, coordinated sensuality of dance.

We watched the tangueros while threading our way along the Avenida de Mayo towards the stage and I saw proof of something that Paul and Michiko teach in London; that everyone leads in a slightly different way. Some used very slight movements of body or changes in orientation, or pressure of hands or arms, while others gave signals that were so unsubtle that they were impossible for dancer and watcher to miss. Older married couples emitted an aura of familiarity and you could tell those who had danced together regularly because they looked both well-coordinated and comfortable. All moved with the intoxicating flow of the dance, seeming to float in magical seas of space and music.

Tango was originally danced by men in pairs and although it’s much less fashionable to do so now, one of the most striking memories I have is of two men who seemed oblivious to anything but the dance. Well matched physically, their musicality and footwork was impressive and they looked both sensual and comfortable dancing together in public. Also impressive were two children of nine or ten years of age. Dressed for the part, he in a suit and she in a short skirt with her hair tied into a tight bun they were serious and intent on their dance and an absolute delight to watch.

Because my friends had whisked me away from a formal dinner at the famous La Cabana (part of the preparations for the forthcoming Harrods Argentina Promotion in May) I had no time to change. My evening wear probably gave the impression that I knew how to tango and I was asked several times. I soon discovered that three months of lessons was nowhere near enough, that my shoes were completely inappropriate and that it’s even more difficult to dance when you’re barefoot in the street, on the balls of your feet and struggling for balance. In a milonga it’s normal to dance two or three turns with the same person. If you are only asked to dance once it's because something is wrong so I was thrilled that my partners didn’t drop me after the first dance (except for one and that was mutual). My enthusiasm was only slightly dampened when I heard one man telling my Argentine friends that the ‘Gringa’ (that’s me) was ‘very brave’.

This celebration of tango was the culmination of an annual open air Tango Festival. It is celebrated in the first week in March and events are organised all over Buenos Aires. Most of it is free or with a small nominal charge, and it includes guided tango-related walks, historical talks and tours, classes, shows, concerts and of course milongas which are opportunities for everyone to dance.

Perspective of La Cabana from my personal blog is here.