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<TITLE>MISC: STORY TIME ABOUT TANGO, MEXICO, PASSION OF THE AMERICAS FESTIVAL</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Dear Readers,<BR>
Make sure you go to the link at the end to see the photos!<BR>
Christina Johnson, Beyond Tango, LLC<BR>
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</FONT></SPAN><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'>Vol. 2, No.8 </SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:16.0px'><I>A Tango Happenstance<BR>
by Matt Kropp<BR>
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</I></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>I hadn't planned to end up at a tango<BR>
festival in Mexico, but that was just the first of many happy happenstances. At first I was only planning a vacation trip to someplace new. I had heard from several people what a great place San Miguel de Allende is, and decided that should be my destination. My plan was to go there for the Dia de los Muertos celebrations. Having recently become an Argentine Tango addict, I thought it might be worth a try to google "San Miguel de Allende tango" and see what came up. I wasn't expecting any tango in this small colonial<BR>
mountain town 170 miles from the nearest big city (Mexico City), and a 1-1/2 hour drive from the nearest airport. To my surprise, I found "Passion of the Americas Tango & Jazz Festival," taking place in early October. I would have to choose tango or Dia de los Muertos because I couldn't take off work for a month to do both. But when I called Christina Johnson, the event organizer, she told me I was looking at the 2004 event info, and that the 2005 festival would take place the first week of November. Perfect! Now I could do both.<BR>
Christina puts on tango festivals that are a little different than you will find elsewhere. She limits the number of people who attend to 80, and invites 5 teachers who teach without a partner. If you are tired of large festivals with over 100 people in a single class run by a couple who show off advanced moves and give little personal attention, then this is the festival for you. The teachers demonstrate with the students, and<BR>
you will receive plenty of attention. Most likely, you will also become close friends with almost everyone at the festival. The small classes encourage new friendships and camaraderie. The milongas take place at several locations around town, and a couple of them feature live tango orchestras.<BR>
San Miguel de Allende, sitting at 6,400' elevation, was founded by a Franciscan missionary in 1542. It is also the birthplace of Ignacio de Allende, a general in the war of independence from Spain. The city has been declared a National Monument, and much of its history is well preserved. You will find cobblestone streets and a complete lack of traffic lights, neon signs, and fast-food joints. There are two large art schools, and you will find original artwork just about every place you go. All this makes for an interesting setting for a tango festival.<BR>
Besides tango dancing, you can experience the Dia de los Muertos celebrations, try out many of the excellent restaurants around town, explore the old churches, walk through the historic neighborhoods, go on house tours, visit art galleries, and take a short trip out of town to see beautiful gardens and swim in hot springs.<BR>
The tango was not the only happy happenstance. I happened to wander into La Parroquia, a gothic-style church in the center of town, just in time to explore the crypt. I found out later that the crypt was only open once a year, during the short period that I was there. Another time, as I was wandering the streets, I came across a beautiful spa located in an old colonial house. I asked if I could get a massage, and I just happened to be there when they had an immediate opening. A woman that walked in after me was told they were booked the whole day. What luck! The entire trip was an amazing, uplifting experience. I recommend it to all adventurous tango dancers.<BR>
(Author info on page 2.)<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">Our guest writer this month is Matt Kropp, a native San Diegan and a software-engineering consultant by trade. He has been a tango addict for about 1-1/2 years. He can be spotted dancing tango at various locations around SD at least 5 nights a week. You can see Matt's trip photos at<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U>http://</U></FONT> sdma2005.shutterfly .com,<BR>
visit the official event website at<BR>
http: //www.beyondtango.com, and/or the San Miguel de Allende website at http: //www.internetsanmiguel.com.<BR>
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