featured articles
Nov.28.2005: neotango.info interviews homer ladas, san francisco, gifted dancer, dj, teacher
of a new era of argentine tango - his website:www.organictangosf.info
at the age of 27, homer ladas discovered argentine tango
- a unique partner dance completely free of basic steps or
rythmic restrictions - and became obsessed with it. nearly
a decade later, homer is known in many countries for his inspiring
dj:ing at tango clubs but also as a charismatic teacher and
creative dancer.
based in san francisco, california, he is spearheading a new
generation of neotango dancers who are eager to dance not
only to golden era tango music but perhaps
even more to the hypnotic beats of electrotango or the melodies
of soundtracks like "amelie".
neotango.info (nti): what are your current projects and plans?
homer: i’m continuing
to get more involved with non-profit projct tango endeavors.
our cellspace alternative milonga is the main project with
a large group of volunteers that help create a positive environment
each week for the mixing of traditional and non-traditonal
music and ideas. our project tango group is also trying to
establish a youth initiative program. furthermore, we are
supportive of musicians and other performance artists, especially
as they relate to the growth of tango in our community.
nti: would you like to give us
an example of one of your "special" tandas?
homer: note: this is an
answer that also includes my alt dj philophy… giving
you only one example is not fare to fully understand the variety
of music and possible combinations that exist. here are several…
one of my “modern tango” tandas may include songs
by gotan project, pablo aslan, artango, piazzolla, other electrotango
stuff, etc. a “contemporary tango tanda” usually
includes a mix of living tango artists/orchestras that have
music arranged similar to the golden age structure. (conjunto
berretin, trio garufa, korey ireland, and color tango for
example). a completely “non-tango hip hop like”
tanda may have music by eminem, black-eyed peas, citizen cope,
or a “non-tango world” tanda may include goran
bregovic, fabrizio de andre, and candan ercetin. in all there
are many more possibilities than those mentioned here...
homer’s alternative dj philosophy 101: as a dj trying
to make an alternative mix that keeps people in the “zone”,
it is not so much what you play but when and how to balance
what you play. also, always inform your audience of the music
style of your event (i.e. mostly traditional, completely alternative,
a mix, etc) and don’t surprise them (that will create
unnecessary conflict and you may lose folks that otherwise
may be open to a lot of your ideas).
nti: apart from playing modern
music, what do you think would help to attract more young
people to go to tango clubs?
homer: to attract a “younger”
generation, you must provide a safe, positive, & open
minded environment while offering a mixture of tango events
(traditional/alternative/combinations of). it must really
be a socially and/or artistically a “cool” thing
for them to want to do. perhaps you could start a youth initiative
to get college and high school students interested (eugene,
oregon has just begun one).
however, tango dancing, at any age, is hard to learn. making
a commitment to it requires a large effort of time and physical/mental
energy. to find “younger” people who want to make
the commitment will always be a challenge. furthermore, we
must remember that revolution (my old way of thought) is very
disruptive while evolution (my current mantra) is the more
natural process of things, tango included. We have to teach
the younger generation about our generation and those before
it. Understand the past, live in the present, and allow the
future to unfold.
nti: you are known for your creative
cool moves - who are your muses?
homer: i have many muses
from a broad tango background. of the “popular”
teachers that are currently out there, i’d say that
chicho frombuli, jean-sabastien rampazzi, luciana valle, alex
krebs, and jaimes friedgen, are some of my most influential
teachers. however, i honestly try to learn something from
everyone. some of my teachers are my close tango friends and
dance partners (including my wife cristina).
nti: what can make you very angry
or happy and why (not just in tango..)?
homer: i am most happy
when i can balance all my tango activities as a dancer, teacher,
dj, community organizer/developer, and recent novice musician,
with quality time with my wife cristina. tango to me has become
a “practice” of sorts. my goal is to continue
to do alittle of everything everyday and slowly mature…
i am most angry when either myself or the folks around me
become ungrounded and the egos begin to do battle with each
other. dealing with ego is another “practice”
of sorts. cristina also helps me stay grounded.
nti: the bay area in san francisco
is known for the number and quality of tango dancers. other
large cities seem to have trouble creating such a scene -
why?
homer: the san francisco
community has been “reasonably” open minded and
cooperative from the beginning. however, there are several
geographic constraints and ideological differences that can
make some cities prosper and others barely hold on. think
of tango as a miniature version of world & local politics
and you’ll begin to understand how complex it can be.
tango is very personal. everybody decides what it means to
them and then proceeds to influence the folks around them.
this can either create a positive environment for the social
and artist development of tango or it can limit one or both
of these efforts.
nti: how would you like to see
tango danced, played in 10 years? will the neotango nights
be separated from traditional milongas (some argue this would
help preserving both) or will teens and 60+ dance happily
together?
homer: i hope to always
be dancing, with folks older and younger than me, to many
kinds of music (golden age to modern age).
in ten years, some things will evolve in a positive way while
others will not... human nature dictates this to be true.
however, the overall energy of tango, i believe, will be more
healthy. the roots of tango will really deepen in many communities
across the globe. folks will start to see that we can all
get along! this is really the only solution if tango is to
survive.
many thanks for your time and good luck with your exciting
mission!
-the neotango.info team
-------------------------------------------------------
we are collecting articles about different tango dance and
music styles, as well as personal experiences and stories.
did you lately travel to a new country/city? tell about your
tango (perhaps even a neotango) experience - good or bad!
send your article to admin@neotango.info
no worries - it doesn't have to be perfect, and english might
not even be your mother tongue. just send in your original
work and we can help with editing, if you wish.
meanwhile, please check out links to the following excellent
articles:
"The
Rise of Neo Tango Music" (tambien en espanol)
©copyright sharna fabiano 2003
"The
New Tango Trades Cheek to Cheek For Hot, Fast Moves",
wallstreet journal,
8-29-05, by kim-mai cutler 2005
"Dancing Tango To Alternative Music - From an Interview with Juan Carlos Copes",
tango reporter #27,
2-xx-03
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