This week we will have tango dancers flying in from all over the USA to come and dance tango with YOU!!
We went yesterday on a road trip to Frontenac to go over the last details at Villa Maria, and all I can say is: it will be GREAT!
We have CLOSED registration for all classes and practicas, we have reached our max. Which is great! Thank you so much for all of you who signed up. We are beautifully balanced in the classes for leading and following.
YOU CAN STILL WALK IN FOR THE PRESENTATIONS AND THE MILONGAS
We also have some rooms ( about 5 ) left in the Villa Maria, and we do have some more beds available at the cabins. If you want to come to the milongas and stay on site. ( It does make it a whole lot easier) But we cannot accept any more requests for meals at this time.
Our TTC team is very excited that we have reached full capacity. It will be a blast.
I would also like to remind everybody that David Hassis will be teaching the Wednesday 6.30 and 7.30 class Wednesday at the Social Dance studio, but the 8.30 class has been canceled. We have also canceled our Saturday practica this upcoming weekend.
Here is the welcome email that we sent out to everybody who registered, but we want the walk-ins to be aware as well of some TTC tango camp details:
www.tangoteachercoop.org for more detailed information about the wonderful presentations ( held in the evening before the milongas)
Hello TTC Tango camp dancers!
A couple of things you need to be aware of before you come out for a great weekend at Villa Maria with us:
#Out of state, or local and want to share a ride? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A0e1tLOlMEoi5Uu-7Uim5CG8FIImkKJ-1928jVouj1Q/edit#gid=461902006
# Thursday evening we will have a potluck dinner at 5.30 ( we do not have a meal from Villa Maria for that evening). Idea (just to be safe): before you descend to Baggage Claim, veer into the commercial mall at MSP and pick up some take-out from D'Amico or other vendor, or pick up something in Redwing on the way down.
# If you arrive and have debts to pay, we will ONLY accept cash or checks; TTC DOES NOT accept credit cards (except that the Housing Coordinator has a Square reader account; if you take advantage of that (just give him a little cabaceo wink) it will cost you an additional 2.75% of your charge; the Coordinator promises to reimburse TTC for the net charge, and, uh only if the internet is working…)
# Bring a flashlight, the paths leading to the milonga from the Villa and cabins are not lit. Those small pen lights work great.
# Light sleeper alert! You never know who snores and who does not. It also protects those who retire early — from those who do not. It's effective protection, too, from haunted spirits, and those haunted by them, while they sleep. :-| Having said that, the area around Villa Maria is soooooo quiet and peaceful. (yes for ear plugs)
# There is limited internet and cell-phone access; Villa Maria sits on the south side of a bluff in an electro-magnetic shadow — or, maybe, 21st Century technology avoids the whole complex. It's a retreat, after all. You're suppose to forget about the rest of the world for just a few days.
# If you change your mind and decide to join your fellow tangueros for a meal for which you have neither reserved nor pre-paid, you are SOL. Suggestion: plead for someone to drive you into town to dine at a restaurant (or the coop — consult the Housing Coordinator). It'll be nummy, but you will probably miss your first class afterward, not to mention all the scuttlebutt exchanged at the communal dinner. They will undoubtedly be talking about you in your absence.
# Villa Maria will serve a very light breakfast, but the lunch and dinner will be more substantial. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available at all meals. This made the most picayune eater very happy last time (2012). Breakfast is also served on Monday morning.
# You can only go to a store if you have a vehicle; no store on site (only very simple snacks and a big coffee urn). If you are hungry and you don't have a meal ticket, consult the Housing Coordinator.
# It's June in Minnesota. It can be hot as hell. It can be near freezing. The bunk rooms and Marion Hall are not air conditioned. It's all part of living closer to the environment in which we live. Think grounded. Appreciate the days that the old milongueros lived in. Capture the spirit!
# Towns nearby include Redwing to the north (about 10 miles — an historic, prosperous village on the Mississippi), and Lake City to the south, on Lake Pepin (about 5 miles — birth of water skiing and at least one foodie restaurant and one small coop). Consult the Housing Coordinator or Villa Maria staff for more information.
# If you want an afternoon free of tango, head up to Frontenac State Park for a hike. It's close enough so that you could hike to the park itself (and save you the entry fee). The park used to be a farm owned by a Scandinavian immigrant. He donated the land — a bluff high above Lake Pepin — to the state for recreational purposes. Great hiking. Awesome vistas.
# Architectural history buff? Just head up the hill (on the way to the Park) from Villa Maria and walk through the historic village of Frontenac. Your TTC Tango Camp Housing Coordinator or Villa Maria can provide you with more information.
# At night, while you saunter up to Woodhaven Lodge for the milonga, pause to gaze upon the fireflies in the high grass flanking the pathway. Fireflies almost disappeared from Minnesota, but have been rebounding in recent years.
# Bring an umbrella or rain jacket and bug spray, weather can change rapidly in Minnesota in June. Last time, our late night milonga was embellished with lightening and thunder and pouring rain. It was awesome — especially when they played a Pugliese in the midst of the tumult. (DJs: take note!)
# If you are renting a car and you are unfamiliar with Minnesota, it is highly recommended that you bring your smartphone or GPS device; or print out maps beforehand. Villa Maria is about an hour (plus) south from MSP down highway 61. Highway 61 ends up in New Orleans, so stay alert for Frontenac; Villa Maria is not far beyond (Frontenac, silly). If you find yourself in Lake City, you've gone too far. If you end up in St. Louis (or New Orleans), call us for directions back.
-Megan - Don - Sabine -
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