May 14, 2010: Tango Groove Party

We are hosting a Tango Groove Party this Friday evening, starting at 8PM and going late. It will be held at Zorongo Studios, 3012 Minnehaha Ave, next door to Patrick's Cabaret.

Wine, beer, soft drinks and snacks will be provided. The admission cost is $15.00.

Eron Woods will be our guest drummer and Rachel la Mala will sing a few tangos. Singer Elina Ruppert and Violinist Sara Pajunen will join Bob Barnes on Accordion for some Finnish Tangos. We are expecting a few other guest musicians as well.

We will be playing some traditional tangos but mostly emphasizing the Tango Nuevo side of the genre. It will be great dance music and intriguing to listen to, we promise.

Please come early, stay late, help us celebrate Tango Nuevo in South Minneapolis!

Questions: feel free to call Mateo, 612-749-2662

Thank you, all, for your friendship, support, and consideration.

April 9, 2010: April 2010 Trip Back East

• April 21:Red Bank, NJ
• April 22:Princeton Tango Club
• April 23:Washington, DC (Tentative)
• April 24:Private Party in Wilmington, NC
(link has nothing to do with the gig!)
• April 25:A tea dance with Daniel Arredondo of www.passionfortango.com

February 12, 2010: Valentine's Milonga in Worcester, MA plus guest appearance in New Haven CT (Yale Tango Club)

We're heading back East for a Valentine's Day Milonga in Worcester, MA, about an hour from Boston. In the past, this event has brought over 200 dancers from all over the region and has a reputation of a great mix of music and lots of fun! It's on Friday, February 12. there's a beginner lesson with Jackie Ling Wong from 8-9 and a dance from 9-1.

Alden Hall (100 Institute Road) on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

General Admission: $20
Students: $10
WPI students: *Free*

All proceeds fm the Dance go to ABBY's HOUSE http://www.abbyshouse.org/ A non-profit house for homeless women in the Worcester region. You may write a tax deductible check payable to "Greater Worcester Community Foundation" (for Abby's House impoverment fund) For tkts email: Hossein Hakim or purchase at the door: hakim@ece.wpi.edu c: 508.954.3233

And now, a very special appearance at Yale!!!

On Saturday Feb 13, we will play 2 sets at the Yale Tango Club in New Haven, CT. We will play a set at 9PM and another at 10. The milonga is a fundraiser for Haitian relief efforts. $15 general admission, $10 students. This will be held at Pratt Hall, 311 Temple Street in New Haven, CT.

January 18, 2010: East Coast Mini-Tour

Mandrágora will be making a quick 5-day East Coast tour January 18-25. We will be playing in Princeton, Washington, Allentown, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham and possibly a quick stop in Chicago. We’ll post more details here as things fall into place.

January 16, 2010: Tango Concert, Milonga and Lecture at the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center

On January 16th, we will be performing a concert, milonga and lecture at the Saint Paul JCC. At 8 PM, we will play a short concert with live dance of Tango with a special emphasis on some of its Jewish origins. After the concert, Lois Donnay will teach an "introduction to tango" lesson for all those who might be inspired to learn to dance. We will follow the lesson with a Milonga (a tango simcha, or dance party) until late in the evening.

Argentine Tango has a rich and fascinating history stretching back over 100 years. Argentina in 1900, much like the United States, was a cultural melting pot of many European immigrants. Today Argentina has the 6th largest Jewish population in the world. Tango, much like Jazz, had influences from many cultures. Just as early Jazz had many Jewish songwriters and musicians (George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Benny Goodman, etc…), Tango had many Jews involved from the start (Luis Rubistein, Ismael Spitalnik, Julio Korn, etc…) By the 1910s, tango was popular all over the world, and was even written in Yiddish. At 7PM, Bob will give a lecture on a few points where Tango, Klezmer and Yiddish intersect.

For more information, see the Saint Paul JCC Website