Thank you to everyone who's already completed this survey, your responses follow. The winner of the $30 gift
certificate from cdbaby.com is Amy Mestancik. (Congrats, Amy!)
The number in brackets indicates the number of assenting responses. Example: [0] Not good means that 0 people
thought the subject in question was not good.
Most tango festivals in the United States are giving in to the ease and consistency of having most or all of the festival’s events in a hotel.
There are several good things about this system, since guests can stay in the hotel and never have to leave, but I personally miss the individual
character of each city’s dance halls. (All the Holiday Inns and Best Westerns pretty much look the same kind of bland whether you’re in
Alaska or Alabama !)
-- Did you care/notice that each milonga/event was in a different venue for Tango de los Muertos?
- Got to see a little bit of Boston. - GS
- While it doesn't weigh heavily into my selection of which festivals to travel to, having everything in one location does carry some weight in
the decision making process. It significantly reduces the cost of the trip and aggravation in terms of not needing a rental car, gas, parking, and
trying to navigate a city you're not familiar with. -TC
- I appreciated very much that you found what seemed to be some of the best halls in Boston. (Are there
more?) - LG
- I liked the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center although the small nature of the floor really required everyone to be on their
best behavior. The Brazilian Cultural Center was "interesting" particularly the floor that went from too sticky to too slippery to just about
right after several tries. Still, it was the perfect place to have an all-night milonga: no windows. I liked the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center but
the parking situation was aggravating. While the shuttle service was reasonable I believe Boston resident parking also operates on Sundays vs.
Cambridge which allows parking anywhere on Sundays by anyone. The place where you had the milonga grande (costume ball) was beautiful, but very
crowded and the floor (being marble) was very hard on the feet. That being said, I know how tough it is to find an unusual (charming) place that
is designed for dance. - TC
- You guys did a great job organizing the venues. I know there were challenges and constraints. I would just say, I loved the all-night milonga, but
think you could improve the concept if you were able to hold it elsewhere next time. I totally understand why it's difficult to find a place that
will let you go all night, especially in Boston . Perhaps a joint venture with Providence Tango, including an organized transport option to/from
Boston/Cambridge...all pre-registered, of course. - WC
- Hmmm.. I have to think about that one. Wait... wait... it is coming to me... oh yeah, perhaps that linoleum-floored dungeon of
slippery death? Yeah, that one I could do without. - KS
- When I arrived on Saturday night, I took one look at the marble floor and knew I wouldn't be dancing. Too many of my friends have ruined feet/knees
on those. - VG
Overall:
[0] Not good
[2] Just fine
[7] Quite good
[5] Awesome
- The [Jean-Sebastien] workshop I attended was crowded, and a bit advanced for me, though I held my own! I
found him to be a beautiful dancer. I did take a private lesson, and he was so kind, and focused on just what I needed. It was
inspiring to see him perform.
I did not get to take to take a lesson, but I have been to a workshop by Rebecca before. I love her instruction, dancing, style (the
long ribbons tied to her jeans in class...). Her creative presence is felt.
I enjoyed [Homer's] performances very much. Another person with wonderful presence. - LG
- I particularly liked Jean-Sebastien. His material, his teaching methods, his personality, everything. - WC
- [I was] very influenced by the quality of [Jean-Sebastien's] dancing and subtlety of his technique.
Rebecca and Homer had great exercises and games. - PS
- Tango games and the X-session were great and a nice twist on things. - TC
- Homer Ladas -- didn't take his workshops but was lucky enough to get a dance with him at the last TdlM milonga..."Wow" is all I have
to say there. - WC
- I particularly liked all three beginner classes with Providence Tango, Jackie Wong and Tova and Carlos Moreno . The way
they were set up really helped you feel comfortable and didn't confuse me in anyway. Each class made sure I knew what was important and that it was
covered but without repeating what was already taught before in other classes. Excellent classes since it was my first time at tango. - JF
- [i didn’t like the] musician's workshops & most of the classes - practicas r soooo much>important, especially for beginners, even
for advanced dancers supervised practicas r sooooo much>valuable, then tipical lessons!!!! what another gr8 move will do for u compare to some
correction of a technique &/or that boiling question/correction u've been wondering for years...I particularly liked practicas!!! I didn’t
like so much importance [given to the] music. - Anon.
- I didn’t like parking at the venues, weather might have been nicer in a slightly warmer month for walking to T. - MK
- I wish there was a way to deconflict the music and dance workshops so the musicians can take a few dance workshops. - BS
Overall:
[0] Not good
[2] Just fine
[2] Quite good
[13] Awesome
- I thought Tango Lorca was fantastic. Not only was the music awesome, but the musicians were cool, approachable, and
great to have around. I loved their special Halloween arrangements for the costume ball. - BS
- I bought the CD for Tango Lorca, it was so good. They added so much to the atmosphere of the night. Magical. - JF
- I found Lorca difficult to dance to. - KS
- [Regarding the Monster Orchestra] I loved meeting the musicians, and seeing [people I knew] up there! - LG
- I loved [the Monster Orchestra] especially because it made me proud to be a member of the Boston tango community. Thank you Tova and Monster
Orchestra! - PS
[1] Just decent to dance to
[2] Pretty good to dance to
[6] Really good to dance to
[8] Loved it
- The music seemed to be more complex at the last (Monster) milonga, sometimes difficult for a beginner like me. But the
energy of live music is so gorgeous, and inspiring. I felt I danced well that night. Like when you feel the music, and the dancing just happens. (LG)
- To me, the live music made TdlM very special. (WC)
- Lets concentrate on dance & learning from each other, not the musicians. - Anon.
- The DJ variety at milongas was great. (JW)
[8] more live music, please
[9] about the same amount of live music
[1] more DJs, please
- More singing from the Hosts.... - WC
- We want to dance, not listen, sorry. - Anon.
[1] Hmm, I didn’t really enjoy it.
[1] It was fun to play with other folks
[0] It was awesome
- The jams during the festival were anti-climactic after rehearsing with Hector all day. I like high intensity
rehearsals. - BS
- Ben is constantly trying new things in Providence. I like where he's headed now and I'm not ready to suggest any course
corrections at the moment. - BS
[0] Decent
[2] Good
[1] Really excellent
- My favorite part was playing and learning new techniques, but that wasn't really "what makes a tango a tango". No
one really talked specifically about structure, form, etc. - VG
- It was a total mixed bag. I loved Hector's insights, and I REALLY loved the hour we broke off into sections. I felt trapped into staying for the
last hour since I had no interest...in adaptation of tango for non-tango instruments. -BT
- I would have liked to just listen in on this one, even though I am not a musician. I want to know, musically, what the players do to clue and move
the dancers. I am fascinated by stories of milongas with improvised music and dance happening all at once. - LG
- This was awesome, incredible, astonishingly cool!!! - BS
- Hector is a fabulous musician and I really enjoyed working with him. - VG
…glad because that meant you were able to take lots of care with each of them - VG
…glad because it would have been impossible to do more. Rehearsals were fast and the music was hard. - BB
…very good. - VG
…too modern. - BB
…excellent choices - I loved the Pugliese arrangements and the way we really dug deep into the intricacies of just a few songs. - BS
[1] Decent
[2] Good
[2] Really excellent
- I think we should have stuck to the original rehearsal schedule. Last-minute changes meant that some people showed up 2
hours early (at the old time) and then we ran late, which was annoying.
The overall quality would be better if we could get the music beforehand. Particularly with the bandoneons, there was a lot of time spent on
learning notes. I felt that I could have paid more attention to style (and learned a lot more) if I weren't sight-reading. - VG
- [Hector was] great at conveying the meaning of the music and the "secrets" that you never find on the written page. - BS
[3] Discounted or free events
[5] Meeting people/Being part of a team
[8] Inspired by the event's concept/design
[3] Other:
- Help/support Tova & Carlos
- I had the time to help, and I like to help when I can
- Represent Boston tango community in a postive manner
[11] Yes
[0 ] No
[1] Mas o menos
- A bit more direction. - SS
- Being a non-Bostonian, a suggestion for methods of public transportation would have been ideal so I could get around between venues more easily. - JW
- I found the check-in lists/notebooks for milonga were difficult to navigate. - LG
- From a publicity execution perspective, more details set further in advance is always better. Please understand that's not a criticism, just an
area where improvement is almost always possible. From a host-appreciation/cooperation perspective, the experience was great and could not have
been better! - WC
- If you could arrange my midterms so that they don't conincide with the festival, or move Halloween to July. - JE
- Foot massager. - PS
[11] Yes, if I haven't up and moved to Buenos Aires by then
[0] No way! Are you crazy?
[1] Maybe, but depends on my personal situation/whether available.
[2] They were irksome.
[6] I loved them because I love to dress up.
[16] It was fun to see everyone else be so creative
[2] I didn’t really notice or care, I was so lost in the dancing
- Costumes are difficult. It is nearly impossible to find good tango clothes to dance in as it is, but a costume... good idea
though. Keep doing it, I think. Though some people I think (myself almost included) were kept away by the costume thing. - KS
- Costumes at a multi-venue travel event further necessitate a car, as did the weather and distance, obviating the use of T. - MK
- It was fun to see everyone else be so creative, although more floor space would have been ideal to minimize the number of inadvertent crashes
due to costumes extending outside of the expected space (particularly difficult to judge when following with eyes closed). - JW
- I think the themes were well chosen. - LG
- I think 1-2 events with the option of costume, but not the "pressure" of costume [all the time]. I couldn't come in costume for
everything, but I never felt out of place. I think that's what you want. - WC
[3] I didn’t know there was one
[3] I had one but didn’t really use it
[8] It was a great resource
- This was a wonderful festival guide - the best I've seen. - BS
- The web was a better substitute. - JW
- I didn't use it b/c i didn't need it. It was a nice touch for travellers. - AM
- Suggestions for subway lines and buses to travel between venues. - JW
- People who are willing to be guides. - Anon.
[3] No
[10] Yes, sometimes
[4] Yes, often!!
- Yes, sometimes -- usually because seating areas surrounded the dance floor, rather than clustering in one area, which
makes socializing easier since everyone "off" is in a central location. - JW
- Yes, sometimes, but I have trouble asking, so partly my own fault. - WD
- It is ALWAYS a problem at festivals. - KS
- Yes, often, but I have that experience in Boston generally anyway. - VF
- We had a friend here from out of town who is a lovely dancer and lovely person. She was very demoralized and I heard other women mention
[the same thing]. But you know this is almost ALWAYS a problem! - PS
(Thanks, Alison, for the suggestions!):
[10] Have local ‘ambassadors’ whose quest it is to welcome newcomers and those not as known.
[14] Have a 'mixer' song or tanda where a few couples begin and either they must go and find new partners from around the room or new people
must go in and 'steal' one partner until virtually everyone is dancing...(may call them switches or shuffles)
[7] Have a welcome song or tanda for the 'foreigners' where all from far away are in center and locals come and choose to dance with them
[4] Have a song where all beginners are paired with experienced dancers and other experienced dancers must then switch in and out.
[17] Outside of the dance, in between or after classes, have a time to share meals and introduce people to each other (maybe have designated
volunteers to help facilitate the mixing)
[7] At the beginning of classes, introduce teachers and then also ask folks to self identify names and the different places they have come from
perhaps (brings attention to the diverse group) and just welcome.
- You mean taxi dancers to get into milongas for free for say 1 hour dancing with unknowns? Good idea. The other ideas I am not so sure about, but if
you want more gimmicks, try some of the el-corte stuff (randomly pairing people for a dance or more using interesting "mystery" devices). - KS
- Dissent: I think forced socializing during the dance would be a turn off. Rather, have motivated locals try to greet people and
provide opportunities for people to interact off/away from the dance floor. Likely, this will provide the desired effect and not artificially strain
things. - TC
- Dissent on welcome dance for 'foreigners': it isolates the foreigners, almost reinforcing their status as
"foreigner", and allows for the potential of some foreigners still not being asked/feeling bad. - WC
- Dissent on student introductions at beginning of workshops: It's awkward, it puts people on the spot, and it's a
time-drag; I personally never enjoy this or remember others from it. - WC
- Warning on student introductions at beginning of workshops: But keep it REAL brief on the students' part -- maybe have name tags that say our
name and where we are from. - AM
- Encourage the 'elite' to mix more, ya know what I mean? At all festivals there is a night (or two) where the known people see each other and
kinda stick together dancing just with each other. Fully understandable, but frustrating, especially for followers. Ask teachers and performers to
dance with the fetid masses ;-). - SS
- More ideas: a mixer dance that randomly pairs people or requires picking partners you don’t know or have never
danced with; and/or a gentle, flattering request in registration packet for everyone to ask for dances from
guests or people they don’t know. - PS
[0] Bad, because…
[0] OK, sometimes quite fun
[5] Really quite nice
[16] Extraordinary, I loved it!
- I didn't get to do much dancing, but I absolutely loved [being in] the Monster Orchestra! Thanks so much for organizing TdlM!
It was a lovely event. - VG
- Your [Tova and Carlos's] energy and zeal - without it, it isn't the same. - SS
- Festival had a very special quality and ambience, I think due to the unusual Muertos context and the musician emphasis. - AS
- Halloween Milonga (Saturday night) was most spectacular but too short. - NK
- The web site and graphics for the event were incredible! Answered all my questions, and lots of info about musicians, artists, and dancers. - LG
- Good: We appreciated having a couple host us for the weekend. It helps to defray the cost and enables us to attend more out of town events.
[Our hosts] were great…Bad: Cold weather and snow (we are from Florida and cold/snow are four letter words). - GS
- I loved the concept of involving local music talent, seeing people I knew in the Monster Orchestra. That was really cool. - WC
- Good: the great energy of the organizers! I'd like to see Carlos sing another song or two next year. Also, I think that Homer and Rebecca's
teaching gave a lot of inspiration and creativity to many, many of the dancers. - JE
- You guys rock! - KS
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