The Very Last Corazón de T ango


Friday Sept 30th
is
a 5th (Philanthropy) Friday of the month
and
a benefit
for the Portland Tango Community Fund!
and
the very last Corazón de Tango!

We (Scott Forbes and I) want it to be
special, yet affordable
fun, yet low-key
with a focus on just dancing, talking, nibbling
-- enjoying the company of friends old & new
while raising money for the Fund.

So!
there will be NO auction, silent or otherwise, no videos, no raffles.
I (Megan) will teach the Lesson for Beginners & Reviewers from 8 - 9:00.
Scott will talk VERY VERY VERY VERY briefly about the Fund.

Most importantly,
MOMO will DJ really wonderful, irresistible tango music
from 9 - 12:30.

The food will be better than ever
and
the cost will be lower than ever!
Just $5 minimum (of course with an option, of course, to give more).

Please join us for
good food! good folks! good fun!
one last time at Corazón de Tango
for the Fund.
(at the Berretin, 6305 SE Foster Rd, Portland)

If you really need more info, contact meganpingree@comcast.net

Ah-HEM!
Happy September, Portland area Argentine Tango Dancers!

This is not a farewell speech. I am not leaving Portland, nor dying of anything (that I know of).
I just seem to be in a phase marked by a sustained urge to let go of what I've been doing for a long time, to make room for whatever might come next!
So ...
my much-loved house of 23 yrs is on the market,
I have retired from ~ 15 yrs of dedicated tango festival organizing,
and
I am retiring Corazon de Tango after enthusiasticly hosting it for ~ 10? yrs).
(I will continue to assist Alex & Bill, teach private lessons,
offer occasional mini-special workshops, and
infrequently bring a "hotshot" to town to teach.
And more frequently, I hope, go out dancing!)

This September is the last month of
Corazón de Tango.
There are 5 Fridays in the month:
the 2nd Friday, on the 9th, to be Dj'd by Rahul (from Portland's fine crop of newer Dj's!)
the 4th Friday, on the 23rd, to be Dj'd by Pamela Roman (a seasoned pro from Eugene!)
and the 5th (PHILANTHROPY) Friday, on the 30th, to be Dj'd by Momo (one of Portland's newest!)

Most of the Philanthropy Fridays have called for highlighting painful realities
-- children with cancer, homeless war vets,
survivors suffering the aftermath of earthquakes in Haiti and Japan,
and so on (and on) --
in order to move attendees to donate their hard-earned money to The Cause.

This time I want to back it up a step,
by
focusing on the relatively healthy ground from which philanthropy springs
-- in this case, the Portland Tango Community.
In the interest of keeping the local tango scene healthy, open and vibrant,
the super-experienced Scott Forbes is administering
The Portland Tango Community Fund
to provide financial assistance to worthy dancers,
encouraging their enthusiasm for the dance,
and supporting their fullest participation in the local tango culture.
Who knows what such a tanguero/a might contribute?
Dancing, for sure!
+
Djing? musical aptitudes? cinematography skills?
teaching and/or performing whiz-bang-ery?
artwork? brilliant event ideas? execution/implementation talents?
??? ??? ??????? ??? ???

On a more personal level,
I want this evening to give back to Portland tango
in thanks for all that Portland tango has given me:
a platform for causes I care about,
a training ground for my fledgling organizational impulses,
an incubator for my energies and passions,
a nest of fellow enthusiasts, playmates and workmates,
and of course, trance dances!

You'll be hearing much more about the Philanthropy Friday to benefit the Portland Tango Fund
as the time grows closer.

Meanwhile,
please stop by
one or all of the September
Corazones de Tango!

Tangazos, Megan

$3230 to Mercy Corps from 1000 Cranes Milonga on FRIDAY night alone!

Well, it's taken me a few days to collect all the info
and get enough sleep that I can trust my basic math skills.

But here's the bottom line:
1000 Cranes Milonga on Friday raised
$3374 for Mercy Corps/Japan!
Pacific NW tango people, I adore you! -- I especially appreciate:

Tommy & everyone at The Purest Cafe
for the space, $1 on every drink sold + help with setup & cleanup;

Benita Legarza and Marlana Boyd for offering Tommy's space to Corazon de Tango
& then putting in COUNTLESS hours on a huge range of related projects
to make it all happen;

Johanna Cummings, Michael Fisher and Nancy Reid
for all the auction posters + bid & raffle sheets;

Scott Kelley for sound set-up, and Jerry Wallach and Bill Alsup for the components;

Alex Krebs, Hannah Poston, Chisao Hata, Christine Knight, Marlana, Peter Zisa, Yukiko Vossen, Joe Powers & John Mery for performing,

Caroline Peattie for the lesson, DJing and MCing!;

crews of folks who handled the door, the bid sheets and the raffle;

Polly for flocks of cranes; Larry Dworkin for 1000 cranes;

all the generous folks who offered items for auction and raffle;

Carrie Whipple & Matthew Schwartzberg for telling us about
Mercy Corps' work in Japan;
...
I am surely forgetting some folks without whom it wouldn't have worked!
Well, the obvious folks are all of you who came,
giving your money, time and energy for the cause.
I hope you had a really good time doing it!
It's not too late to contribute if you missed it earlier. Go to the Portland Tango Community's Mercy Corps/Japan web site:
Domo Arigato.

1000 Tangos for Japan/Mercy Corps


When?
Fri, April 29, 7:30pm – Sat, April 30, 1:00am
Where?
New Market Theatre Atrium. Enter thru the Purest Cafe, 115 SW Ash St, Portland
Why?
Japan has suffered a multi-faceted catastrophe that calls for an international response. That's very abstract, but what it comes down to is a lot of INDIVIDUAL responses, channeled effectively. Mercy Corps, along with its partner, Peace Winds, is well-positioned to continue to deliver emergency supplies to families evacuated from homes in four tsunami-stricken cities in northeastern Japan. And to provide micro-financing and other forms of economic stimulus. And they are launching Comfort for Kids, a program to help children recover from the emotional effects of a large-scale disaster.

Description
We will be participating in the Portland Tango Community's "1,000 TANGOS for JAPAN" (Mon 4/25 - Sun 5/1). We aim to have an especially fun tango event, while raising money for Mercy Corps' invaluable work. Note the vintage Portland tango-virgin venue! Other great features:
7:45: 8:45 Lesson for Beginners and Reviewers by Caroline Peattie from San Francisco!!
8:45 PM - 1:00AM Fun, experienced DJ, Caroline again :-)
(Caroline is also doing the Women's Tango Jam on 4/30 http://stumptowntango.blogspot.com/)
Silent auction
Drawings for prizes
Special performance piece by choreographer/dancer Chisao Hata + tango's own Christine Knight, with Yukiko Vossen on the koto!
Tango performance by our beloved Alex and Hannah
Live tango dance music by internationally acclaimed Joe Powers & John Mery
Tasty food, and more!
Stay tuned for more details.
Your host, Megan Pingree -- with huge help from Benita Lagarza.
Minimum donation: $15.
For info call Megan 503 222-4691, or email meganpingree@comcast.net. Check back here for updates.
How to Help?
Well, the quickest, easiest way, I suppose, is simply to go to the Portland Tango Community's Mercy Corps Donation page (http://www.mercycorps.org/fundraising/portlandtangocommunity0) and enter the info!
A much more fun way is to come to Corazon de Tango on Friday April 29th at the New Market Theatre Building!
BE THE CHANGE
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)