Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Tango!
[D?Arienzo?s ?La Cumparsita?]
THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN WHO LOVED THE TANGO SO MUCH......
(MUSIC STOPS BRIEFLY)
SHE MARRIED IT.
(MUSIC RESUMES AND FADES)
ROBIN : The idea of the tango had some sort of romantic notions around it. And I can?t even put my finger on exactly what they were- but it sounded mysterious. Tango.
THIS IS ROBIN TARA. ROBIN IS BLOND, 57, AND SHE?LL TELL YOU SHE?S GOT GREAT LEGS. GREAT DANCING LEGS. AND DANCING HAS BEEN HER PASSION SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL.
ROBIN: ...We always danced in the kitchen- my mother loved to sing and I can remember her singing ?Jealousy...you are my destiny?
AS WITH EVERY GREAT LOVE AFFAIR, IT STARTED WITH A CRUSH. IN THE MID 1980?S, ROBIN VISITED NEW YORK CITY TO SEE THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF ?ARGENTINE TANGO,? A SMASH HIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE DANCE.
ROBIN : After seeing the show, the only thing in my mind when people would say well, where do you want to go on vacation, what do you want to do with your life, I would say I want to go Argentina, and learn to dance tango.
AND SO HER COURTSHIP BEGAN. AT THE AGE OF 47, ROBIN LEFT HER JOB IN MAINE AND MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY. SHE DANCED THE TANGO ALMOST EVERY NIGHT FOR FOUR YEARS. A FEW YEARS LATER, SHE FOLLOWED HER HEART TO ARGENTINA TO ATTEND A TANGO WORKSHOP IN BUENOS AIRES.
ROBIN : it was, such a life changing experience to find myself in a beautiful old ball room with marble floors and little tables around the edges of the room, and the tango music that you could hear even out in the street as you approached the place, this old cafeteria, confiteria, confiteria.... you hear the music wafting out of the buildings.
ROBIN DANCED THROUGH THE HOT SUMMER NIGHT, AND INTO THE MORNING. BUT AS SHE DANCED, SHE WAS RUINING HER FEET. AND THE ROMANCE. HER FEET BLISTERED AND SWELLED. ROBIN WOULD VISIT THE SHOE MAKER ALMOST EVERY DAY TO BUY LARGER AND LARGER SHOES.
ROBIN: .... And not only could you buy shoes, but you could ask them to make you a special pair in bright red patent leather, with a four inch tango skinny stiletto heel. Or you could get them with a lower- I mean, it was a joy to be able to go and look through leather samples and pick out colors and styles and have a pair of shoes made...
ROBIN RETURNED TO MAINE WITH ARMFULS OF SHOES FOR HERSELF AND HER FRIENDS. BACK IN SOUTH PORTLAND, ROBIN HAD WHAT SHE CALLS ?A LIGHTBULB MOMENT...
ROBIN: this is Tara Tango shoes, this is our studio and we're surrounded right now, literally surrounded by metal rolling shelves...
METAL ROLLING SHELVES FILL THE STUDIO, ALL OF THEM STACKED FULL OF BLACK SHOE BOXES WITH RED LIDS. INSIDE THE BOXES ARE TARA TANGO SHOES.
ROBIN: the minute I put an ad in the tango catalogue, it became really really busy. (phone rings) Hello, tara design.
ROBIN CREATED TARA TANGO SHOES IN 1999, AND NOW HAS CUSTOMERS FROM SOUTH PORTLAND TO CYPRUS. SHE STARTED WITH THREE SHOES OF HER OWN DESIGN. NOW SHE HAS SIXTEEN. EACH SHOE HAS A NAME AND IT?S OWN PERSONALITY. FELICIA IS SECURE, CONFIDENT, AND COMFORTABLE. ALMA, ROBIN?S FAVORITE TANGO SHOE, IS SENSUAL, ELEGANT AND SOPHISTICATED.
ROBIN: i decided to name them after my favorite tangos,
(shoe medley)
so recuerdo is a beautiful tango....malena is another beautiful tango that i love... crusada, the standard, what people think of as the standard tango shoe. that's a hot little shoe....Then we added Felicia, Felicia, that?s another tango....
MUSIC
The tango has become such a part of my life. My life changes my tango, tango changes my life?
(fade in to Maine Ballroom)
ROBIN: we?re at Maine ballroom dance, and this is our intermediate tango group, intermediate and advanced. Javier is reviewing some of the basic movies of tango...
EVERY WEDNESDAY EVENING, ROBIN DANCES TANGO AT THE MAINE BALLROOM DANCE STUDIO. SHE MET THE INSTRUCTOR, JAVIER, ON HER FIRST TRIP TO ARGENTINA. ROBIN CALLS HIM A GENIUS OF TANGO.
JAVIER: just make sure you?re comfor table. so, we?re walking, and we?re mostly starting all the motion from the upper body, now, I want you to relax your arms...
[dance class ambience]
IN THE FALL OF 2001, JAVIER CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AND MOVED IN WITH ROBIN. SINCE HIS ARRIVAL, HE HAS BECOME THE PREMIERE TANGO INSTRUCTOR IN PORTLAND, AND PERHAPS ALL OF MAINE. ROBIN HELPS HIM DURING CLASS AS HIS DANCE PARTNER.
ROBIN: we are like two kids playing in the music.
JAVIER: I think if you?re watching, or if you?re dancing, the first thing that?s going to impress you, is the quality of the embrace......
ROBIN: My face is right next to his face, ON his face,
JAVIER: ... it?s like a real hug, like when you?re hugging someone you like,
ROBIN: , my arm is up around his shoulder, his other arm is all the way around my back, my right hand is clutched in his right hand and it?s held close to his body,
JAVIER: and you?re kind of enjoying holding your arms around that person, and that person around you.
ROBIN: Chest to chest. They say heart beat to heart beat.
THE TANGO IS ROBIN?S LIFE. IT IS HER WORK, IT IS HER PLAY.
IT IS ALSO HER HUSBAND.
IN THE SPRING OF 2002, ROBIN MARRIED HER DANCE INSTRUCTOR.
THAT?S RIGHT, SHE MARRIED THE....
ROBIN: Tango!
(MUSIC FADES. THE END)
