Triangulo, Maura and NYC

               I’ve been dying to make a trip to the Big Apple for tango but have been having a problem with the distance. From my current location, it is now twenty minutes further and Philadelphia is closer by the same distance. I got up too late to hit the practicas at Dance Manhattan but I still had plenty of time to go to Triangulo. http://www.newyorktango.com/#Triangulo

               In spite of the holidays, traffic was light going into the Lincoln Tunnel, probably because it was 3:30 p.m.  A little later and my wait would be longer. I parked on the street, at 20^th street, near 8^th Avenue, so I only had a block and a half to walk and didn’t have to pay for parking.

               It was pretty close to 4 p.m. when I arrived and had to ring to doorbell to get someone to buzz me in. On the third floor, I walked down the bland, narrow hallway to a door. Inside, I enter another world: the milonga. The room reminds me of a Turkish ballroom, though I’ve never been to Turkey. There is a small anteroom and a coat rack filled with coats. The floor is carpeted with an oriental rug. On the far wall is a mural of all the tango greats dancing in a ballroom. Maura, the hostess, greets me with a kiss on the cheek and a big, Russian bear hug. I am loved and feel totally welcome.

               In science we learn about the four forces of nature: magnetism, nuclear, electricity and gravity. In tango, you will learn about one more: Maura Hays. You can find her at Triangulo on Saturdays between 4 and 8 p.m. She is the force that inspires men to tango!

               And what a force she is. If ladies are looking for men to dance with, Triangulo is the outlet store for tangueros. Tall, dark and handsome are generously represented, here. To be fair, it is the holiday season and leaders are typically in abundance at this time. Nonetheless, in a town notoriously brutal on women waiting to be asked to dance, Triangulo is the exception, thanks, I believe, to Maura. It was -1, one more guy than gal, all night.

               It would be impossible to review Saturdays at Triangulo without talking about Ms. Hays. She is like a cake with icing, sprinkles and candles. If I had to compare beautiful women to a holiday, then she is the Fourth of July. When a particularly favorite tanguero arrived, she would shriek with delight.

               A gracious hostess, she danced with several men. I danced with her twice. When we tangoed, it was like she was just another tanguera, only better. In my embrace, she was my partner, not the hostess. Her concentration was on my lead and she was an excellent follower.  With her, I feel god-like. I lead a move and she makes flowers appear, carving delicate circles on the floor and in the air. She is a sight to behold as I lead her to pass, adorned with jewelry, deep, rich eye shadow and lipstick, clothed in scarves and a tight-fitting shirt. Her embellishments were to die for and all within the span of my lead. When I made a mistake, there was no negative energy from her, she simply waited for my next lead.

               This woman, this goddess, is not just a treat for the eyes and ears, she is a virtual factory of fragrances. One of them, patchouli, put me at ease. She smelled like a warm breeze blowing upstream through a stand of evergreens. She smelled like late Summer or early Autumn. Her aroma transports me back to the forest and I am whirling around with a wood-nymph, a fairy, an apparition; I am in a dream.

               Was I on Mount Olympus, dancing with the gods? I’m not sure but I knew it couldn’t get any better than this and cancelled my plans for attending another milonga that night. I thought of her, and all the other women at Triangulo, all the way home.

               Yes, I did dance with other women that night and all were wonderful, skilled tangueras. One of them, Julie, was on her way to dinner with friends and decided, instead of going to a movie, to go to a milonga. What a nice thing to do before dinner! Only in NYC. I was so glad to see her there and we shared at least four tandas in an absolutely blissful embrace. Incredible!

               All this happiness would not be possible if it weren’t for the musical arrangements of the DJ, Tine Herreman. I would have to describe her mix as traditional but many of these songs I’d not heard before. Her waltzes were wonderful and well-timed: soft and subtle at first, becoming progressively bolder later. Does that sound like I know what I’m talking about? Probably not because I don’t. What I do know is no one complained and I thoroughly enjoyed ALL her selections. The Nuevo was held off until later, which suites me fine, because I need to be drunk with tango before I can do a good job.

               I was dancing with Julie when the Nuevo music began. I know we both commented on how much we liked the selections. The entire tanda felt like one long hug. And that would be the best way to describe the whole night: one long hug with an old friend…Triangulo.

(For a more in-depth looking into the mind of the Kayak Hombre and his thoughts on tango, buy his book: River Tango, now available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/River-Tango-perri-iezzoni/dp/1453865527 )