Very cool Skyscraper tango video!!!!
if you have to cut and paste this it’s worth it 
))
Cindy and Keith’s Tango Wedding Video :)))
Cindy and Keith\’s Tango Wedding Video
6 months of practice led to this cool dance. They are both GE Nuclear Engineers who’d never danced….
Amanda’s Cool blog about photo shoot at Cameron Art Museum
The last time I shot local tango instructor Kent Boseman, we took to the beach to capture some quintessential poses against a stunning backdrop (I distinctly recall standing on a boardwalk handrail while my assistant held my legs to keep me from falling face first into the dunes…). This time around, I met Kent and his new partner Jessie Poteat at Wilmington’s Cameron Art Museum where they were to perform three numbers as part of a fund-raising event. There would be no static posing, just two dancers in motion and me with my camera attempting to capture images that speak for the drama, passion and longing of the Argentine tango.
This was my first attempt at shooting dance in motion, and what a challenge it was! Part of the problem was being too enraptured with the dance to properly photograph it. So for the first two practices during warm-up, I made myself merely observe and take note of the lines created and of the moments that moved me. Even with those in mind, it was a matter of anticipating and staying ahead of the dancers, and admittedly, there was plenty I missed or wasn’t able to catch at the proper angle. The good news is, if you keep at it, eventually you’ll catch something brilliant.
The other problem I ran into was the lighting situation. I’d brought my flash and flash bracket, but I found when testing that it created a horrible glare in the large windows surrounding the dance floor, and it didn’t bounce well off the ceiling, either. It was, however, quite bright in the space, so I took a chance and grabbed my fixed length lens. While it allowed me to forgo the flash, it meant no zooming in or out, so if I wanted a shot, I’d have to move. A lot.
When I got the images into Lightroom (my editing software of choice), I decided to give them an added simplicity by going black and white. Due to the low light I’d decided to work with, there was a little noise to remove, but this allowed the forms to be the focus, rather than the features of the dancers in particular. Next, I turned up the drama a bit by pumping up the contrast and highlighting the tension in the dancers’ limbs, et voila! I’d managed a good number of final images that achieved the look and emotion I was hoping for.
So, quite the learning experience. And, inadvertently convincing your boyfriend you should take tango lessons together? Priceless.
Jessie after demo:)
Bandoneon Tango “Adios Nonino” Astor Piazzolla
A clip[1. YouTube Clip.] from the marriage of Princess Máxima of the Netherlands featuring the music of Astor Piazolla, written when his father died. This clip was sent to me by Heike McDoniel, whose grandfather (German) played the bandeneon for his family and now Heike’s father has tragically died ;(
Embedding has been disabled by the poster, so you’ll have to go to YouTube to watch. Enjoy!
Another Clip from the 1997 Film “The Tango Lesson” Featuring Music of Yo-Yo Ma
Another clip[1. YouTube Clip.] from the 1997 film “The Tango Lesson” featuring my friend Fabián Salas and the music of Yo-Yo Ma.
As many reviewers have noted, there isn’t a lot of talking in this movie, and indeed, this makes for a slow first half hour, but as the movie unfolds you realize that silence is the genius of the film. It’s appropriate that writer/director/star Sally Potter has chosen tango for her subject, for, as we see in the film, tango at its best is about two dancers communing with each other, silently and sharply.[2. IMDb Review.]
Ashokan Farewell: A Waltz
This is the theme song of the Civil War Series by Ken Burns on PBS. A lovely, melancholy Waltz that I’ve used in Waltz classes including one at Halyburton for the City of Wilimington. This is my son Brandon’s favorite waltz. Ken Burns is on PBS now…….
Metin Yazır & Vanessa Gauch @ Bodrum Latin Fest ’06
Metin is one of my principal instructors and will be in NYC the end of Feb. Many, many ganchos
Wedding Dance Practice Video from Actual Students
If you’re curious what the WAC looks like, or you’d like to see what six months of lessons and lots of practice can do, check out Cindy and Keith’s wedding dance practice video below paz y amor
Video Courtesy of Cindy & Keith
Clip from the 1997 Film “The Tango Lesson”
A clip[1. YouTube Clip.] from the 1997 film “The Tango Lesson” featuring my friend Fabián Salas.
As many reviewers have noted, there isn’t a lot of talking in this movie, and indeed, this makes for a slow first half hour, but as the movie unfolds you realize that silence is the genius of the film. It’s appropriate that writer/director/star Sally Potter has chosen tango for her subject, for, as we see in the film, tango at its best is about two dancers communing with each other, silently and sharply.[2. IMDb Review.]
Random Photos
