I live in Washington, DC and have regrets that tango festivals with great instructors are so far away from Washington, e.g. Miami, Montreal, San Francisco. You can imagine my surprise when I found that New York City was going to host its first (and hopefully NOT THE LAST!!) tango festival. It came and went last weekend and it was GREAT!
The teachers were excellent. I won't list all of them but they include New York's finest: Diego and Carolina, Guillermina Quiroga, Virginia Kelly, Carlos de Chey, and Alicia Cruzado. (The full list is at www.nyctango.com.) Besides the classes, practicas, AND YOGA SESSIONS, there was a special Black and White milonga and the regular milonga venues of New York, including Bethesda Fountain inside Central Park. There was a special lesson and short milonga on the Staten Island Ferry, hosted by Audrey Martinez. Everybody on board admired the Statue of Liberty's excellent dance frame as we sailed past Liberty Island. I congratulate the modest organizers, Lucille Krasne, Gayatri Martin, and Trey Parker on a wonderful festival filled with enthusiasm and camaraderie. I hope they will have NYC's second tango festival. Instead of the opening milonga on a barge on the Hudson River, which was too small, I hope next year it's someplace bigger, like the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid. So if you live on the East Coast and think the only great festivals are in Miami and Montreal, sorry WRONG!! Come to New York. You won't be disapointed! Michael Ditkoff Grateful in Washington, DC
