Happy New Year 2011

Here is my wish for you that I wrote on the snow! Hard to see? Please click the photo on the left.

Last year, “Prince of Tango Club” had a variety of interesting classes and thank you all for your support.

Plus, we had a one-month special workshop series at Triangulo. The theme was “A Twist in Tango Movements“ And some of you guys came to that workshops, too. I thank you for that.

This year we are going to expand our classes and activities. Please stay tuned…See you at our weekly Prince of Tango Club session at Ripley Grier Studio. (520 8th Avenue between 36th and 37th street, 16th floor, Room 17C)
Besos,

Hiro Tanaka
Prince of Tango Club

Flan in BsAs

In Buenos Aires, there are some items I need to eat in order to keep me up dancing all night.

This is one of them!!!! Flan in Buenos Aires. It’s not too sweet but sweet. It reminds me of sweets in Japan.

This tastes really good!

When I have one, I can dance 3 hours longer.

Media Lunas in BsAs

I wish they sold them here in NYC. I don’t know. When I come back from Buenos Aires to NY, that’s one of the things I miss most!

Another thing is OJ. Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice! That’s my favorite. So fresh that I can feel so refreshed!

Water I love

There are so many brands, but I like this “ECO de Los Andes.” From the name, I imagine they get water from the Andes Mountains.

I feel as if I would get 3 or 4 years younger when I keep drinking it. Maybe I will be younger.

Because of these energy sources, I learned so much new stuff in tango at Buenos Aires. I would like to share with you.

Please come to our Prince of Tango Club Meeting and let’s have some fun together,exploring tango!

Gustavo y Giselle

I went to Buenos Aires for 3 weeks !!! That’s why I didn’t have a chance to update this blog.

Well, there are so many things to share with you. I don’t know what to start with. But I will do my best.

So, I would like to see you in our Prince of Tango Club Meeting!

This is my 9th time to go to Buenos Aires and 6 years in a row. As always, I took Gustavo Naveira y Giselle Anne’s (photo above!)one-week workshop again.

I have taken it 4 times so far and this is my 5th time. Every time they have a different theme and I learn so much. It’s so addictive!

Gustavo has a great sense of humor, thus he is so funny as well as is a great teacher. Giselle is always so caring and is very sharp to give us her insight in details. It is also great to know them in person.

I am very proud of being their students. I would like to share with you what I learned from them.

Let’s have our famous tea session after our club meeting this week. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!
Besos,

Hiro

splash tango shoes

A friend of mine imported these shoes from Buenos Aires, and I looked at them and realized that they are pretty much like “Comme Il Faut.”

The new brand name is “Splash Tango.” Click the photo!

My guess is that they copied “comme il Faut.”

But the difference is the PRICE!!!! THEY ARE MUCH CHEAPER! Only $85!!!!!

Sabrina has been wearing these for a few weeks. And she loved them. She bought Green, Wine-Red and Black color.

Lyna was interested in SplashTango, but unfortunately I couldn’t find her size… Sorry, Lyna, but I will keep looking!!! And Annette said she liked the shoes that Sabrina was wearing this Sunday at ROKO.

almost comme il faut

Of course they are not Comme IL Faut. But they are very inexpensive. They are good for your second, third or fourth pair!!!!

If you are interested, please let me know!

By the way, Prince of Tango Club meeting will be held tomorrow Wednesday 9th! from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. NOT TUESDAY this week!

I’d love to see you all.
Ciao,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Ave. Bet. 36th and 37th street, 16th floor. Room 16J. From 8:30pm to 9:30pm
Quality Tango Lesson

margarita !

Last week, MARGARITA, our beloved friend of “Prince of Tango Club” just got married!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!

We wish her all the best and happiness!!!

They actually trained very hard for their wedding dance! They danced TANGO at their wedding reception!

And it was a blast! They did a terrific job!!!

wedding dance!

Yes, Prince of Tango Club will provide “Wedding Dance” lessons as well. So if you know anybody getting married who are interested in doing tango for it, please contact me!

Oh by the way, I hope you are enjoying Memorial Day! It is a very summery day!!!

You know what? This is my 14th Anniversary of being in New York City. I landed NY exactly 14 years ago today, May 31st!!! Since when I consider this day as my second birthday.

My first one is November 21st. But May 31st is as important to me! So I get to celebrate it tonight.

Anyways, tomorrow, Tuesday, June 1st, Prince of Tango Club meeting will cover some of the “Ah Ha!” steps that I “accidentaly” found during my 10 years of dancing. It’s quite unigue! So stay tuned.

Hope to see you all. Of course our famous tea session will follow the meeting. Any 2nd birthday gifts??? are welcome. hahahaha…

Ciao,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th street, 16th floor, Room 17C.
Quality Tango Lesson

with Mario in Tigre

I have known them since 2003. Oh boy, it’s been a long time.

Last August when I went to Buenos Aires, Mario was very nice to take me to Tigre, about 50km away from Baires.

Tigre has a nice river and it has mostly nice air! In Buenos Aires, the air is so polluted, sometimes it is hard to breathe, with the old buses from 70s(?) running right and left, spreading literally “black” emission.

Therefore, we decided to take a break from Buenos Aires to enjoy a relaxing time in Tigre.

Tigre Sunset

So, this Tuesday, our Prince of Tango Club Meeting will be covering super great steps that I learned from Mario and Anabella.

Hope to see you all. There are some steps that remind me of beautiful river and sky of Tigre! I would call them Tigre steps!

I’d happy to share them with you.
Best,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th, 16th floor, 17C
From 8:30pm to 9:30pm
Quality Tango Lesson in NYC

season opener tomorrow!

In fact, they are having a season opener for 2010 tomorrow, Tuesday April 13th!

They will open a 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

As you know, ex-yankee, “Hideki ‘Godzilla‘ Matsui,” the MVP of the World Series of 2009, will come back to the stadium. However, this time he will not be in the pinstripes. But in the Angel RED uniform.

I hope Godzilla will show what he’s got in the series and let NY know that GM Brian Cashman made a bad choice releasing him.

As I headed for Manhattan from the Bronx, I passed by the OLD Yankee Stadium. It’s been already one year since they stopped using it. And I was shocked to see its current condition.

old stadium

Oh my god! It reminded me of the GROUND ZERO!!!! Please click on it to enlarge.

I was feeling sad….The house the Babe Ruth built was now almost gone!!! The end of the era. But I hope RED Godzilla will probably create a beginning of the New Era, starting tomorrow!

The Old is gone and the New has come!!!

Anyhow, tomorrow’s Prince of Tango Club Meeting will cover “Salon Tango Nuevo.” We are going to mix the “Old” tango and “New(Nuevo)” Tango. It’s not milonguero style, but it is not completely “Nuevo” either. It’s a combination of both.

It is being spread by my favorite couple, “Jose and Virginia” in Buenos Aires. Now you don’t have to have two floors…You can enjoy both at the same time. Hope to see you all tomorrow.
Besos,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th street, 16th floor, Room 17C. From 8:30pm to 9:30pm
New York Quality Tango Lesson

spring flowers

Considering we had a very cold rain two weeks ago, it is amazing.

TGIS doesn’t mean “TiGer Woods Is Shameless!” You know Tiger Woods apologized to his fans and other golfers, during the press-conference in Augusta, GA, before the Master’s Golf Tournament this weekend.

But that is not the end for his ordeal. His ex-lover, a porn star, Joslyn James held a press conference at the same time when Woods was holding one. She said she would talk to Wood’s wife, Elin, whenever Elin wants. Josliyn insists that Woods is still lying.

woods apolozied but...

I don’t care she is going to strip. But near Augusta??? For REVENGE???

She could strip anywhere but why near the Masters? I guess she is trying to use Woods to be famous. Maybe he deserves this mess, considering what he has done to these women…

It’s now so complicated.

Anyhow, I went to a restaurant last night and found something special. This could be an official restaurant for us, Prince of Tango Club!

for Prince Only

We are aspiring to be one of the great tango dancers someday. Perhaps to be Tango King if it is ever possible. Until that day, we are all Prince(princess) of Tango!!!

That’s where the name of our club came from.

Tomorrow’s (4/6) Prince of Tango Club Meeting will be covering “DYNAMIC PIVOT and TURNS.” This is a very energetic step that I am sure will inspire you more!
Hope to see you all there.
Besos,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th street, 16th Floor. Room 17C. From 8:30pm to 9:30pm
New York Quality Tango Lesson

listening to tango!

It just occurred to me that it must be interesting to know what a cat thinks about our favorite tango songs!!!!

When I was soaking my sprained ankle in the hot water, I played tango songs on my iPhone. Mandy was just there, lying down.

When I started playing Astor Piazzola‘s “Oblivion,” Mandy turned up to the bath tub and started meowing!!! Didn’t get what she meant by that. She didn’t even know where exactly the music was coming from!!! Maybe she was singing?

And when I played, Narcotango‘s “El Aire en Mis Manos,” she turned away and left… Didn’t like it???

But when I played, D’ Arienzo‘s upbeat music, “Di Me Mi Amor,” she jumped up and scratched my butt!!!! Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!! It hurt!

Obviously it meant offensive in the cat’s community. I didn’t know that!

Finally I played Carlos Di Sarli‘s music.

enjoying tango?

OK, my advice for you is to never play D’Arienzo to a cat, especially when you are naked. You will be scratched all over!!! with those sharp claws(nails)!

Anyways, Prince of Tango Club Meeting will be covering 2 things. One is “Overturned disassociation” of the upperbody that leads to a great gancho. Especially this is for women, but men have to know when and how to lead it. It’s an interesting and amazing step that looks so nice.

And the other is Volcada with TURNS and PIVOTS. Another amazing step. Hope to see you all.
Ciao,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th street, 16th floor, Room 17C. from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.
New York’s Quality Tango Lesson.

ankle feeling better!

But with this health care reform, they expect 32 millions of people will be able to get insurance!

That means, can I get cheaper insurance??? I pay too much for health insurance every month. More than 500 dollars!

The comedian, Chris Rock, once said, “Insurance is like ‘In Case Sh*t happens.’ But if sh*t never happens, shouldn’t I get the money back!?”

Yes, I totally agree with him! I wanna get money back! I didn’t go to hospital when I almost broke my ankle!

That insurance story reminded me of my bad experience in 1998. I had to call an ambulance, because I was suffocating. Do you know what happened?

As soon as I got on the ambulance, the paramedics made me sign the paper! That basically said, “I promise to pay the medical bill including the ambulance fee.”

Can you believe that? I was suffocating!!!!! I couldn’t breathe! I couldn’t resisit. Only in America!!!

If I had refused signing it, they would have stopped helping me?? by taking away the oxygen mask from me??? Is that how America treats people??? Maybe that’s why they made me sign it. They knew I couldn’t say no!

It cost me 500 dollars back then, more than 10 years ago. I don’t know how much it costs now. 800 bucks??? Who knows.

Anyways, even though many of us get health insurance through this reform, hopefully we don’t have to use it. After all, insurance is “In Case Shit Happens.”

By the way, Prince of Tango Club meeting will take place tonight on 23rd from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. My ankle is healing. So I can show you more! Today we will cover Piernaso(leg wrap) for ladies. Timing and Balance will be the key for this step! And leaders! How to lead it is crucial. Let’s explore!

Hope to see you all!
Sincerely,

Hiro Tanaka
520 8th Avenue, between 36th and 37th street, 16th floor, Room 17C
From 8:30pm to 9:30pm
New York Quality Tango Lesson