I'm thinking

Three cool looks by Benito Fernandez.
Inspiration: La Habana, Cuba, setting he chose for the W2011 campaign.
(by the way, isn't it great that soon Cubans will get to travel?)

See more of this collection here.

Music and Nature

Photographed: Maria Andreeva (Russia)


Children and Adolescents Choirs and Orchestras Festival 2011
(Second Edition).

If you love music and nature, an unforgettable experience awaits in the Province of Misiones, Argentina. The reasons are many: this is an ideal time to visit the Iguazú falls: the weather will be glorious, the place, unbelievable; the purpose: magical.

From May 23 to 28, the Ministry of Culture, Education, Science and Technology of the Province of Misiones, will be offering a one of a kind cultural event: the Second Edition of Children and Adolescents Choirs and Orquestras Festival. Organized by Andrea Merenzon.

A total of 700 children and adolescents will be meeting to talk in one single language: the language of music, their passion, their love. They will be coming from 18 countries as different as Germany, Peru, China, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Russia amongst others. Daily rehearsals will take place under the direction of world- famous directors. The children will perform classical and traditional music from their countries of origin.

Individual and group performances will take place in various prestigious hotels in the area (in both sides of the falls, Argentinian and Brazilian).

In the individual performances, you will have the pleasure of enjoying not only the music but the virtuosity of the young musicians. In the group performances you will be able to evaluate the amount of work, effort and coordination put together by all of the participants. No tickets are required, you are free to attend any performance you please.

Music will bring everyone together at the closing of the Festival which will take place at the gardens of the Sheraton Hotel where the beauty of symphonic music will meet the beauty of the stage: Iguazu Falls.

Post by: Vale

tango reborn

Photo: Aldo Sessa

Tango has been defined by Enrique Santos Discepolo - one of it's greatest poets - as "a sad thought that is danced".

No one can really tell for sure how tango started out. It is said that the word tango was originated in Argentina and Uruguay by the African slaves that arrived in the beginning of the 1800's. It is very likely that it is was the result of mixing a Portuguese word meaning "tambo" (drumming) with an Argentinian word.

The slaves lived by the river (Rio de la Plata), in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in very rudimentary and basic housing called "conventillos". These consisted of a house with various rooms in which many families lived. One family per room. In Spanish, the word "conventillo" also means "crowded" or "mess". There is a very popular expression: "Esto es un conventillo" meaning "this is a mess".

At first, tango was a dance meant only for the slaves. They met and danced to forget the hardships they went through and to have a good time. Tango was created in the beginning as a dance. There was no music. That came later, musicians improvised trying to adapt their music to the choreographies they saw in a 2 x 4 music compass.

Tango started to sprout in dance houses, in "conventillos" in the southern area of Bs. As., in dating houses, and dance academies with the use of a particular language and very tight codes. In the 1880's it was brought to theaters. Actors began including the dance in their performances.

Slowly, tango started shifting from the outskirts of the city and moving into it. Men began dancing in the streets and hiring women to dance with them in dance academies.

Tango was considered an unacceptable dance by the Argentinian middle and higher classes. In the issue of the magazine "Club de tango" dating from 1922 there is an article called "What do you think about tango", where there is a testimony: "My boyfriend is a good man and never lies. He has said to me that I shouldn't dance tango because in doing it one risks it's own purity and dignity. When he says "I love you", I believe him, now I must believe him as well, that is why I don't like that dance."

It's interesting to see and understand why through time, tango went from being a low street dance repelled by the majority of middle and high class "porteños" (people from Buenos Aires) to a very prestigious and internationally recognized dance.

Tango was introduced in Paris in the early years of the 20th century, when dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires, travelled to Europe. Tango became very popular in France, where it began to shine around the time of the First World War. The dance later became popular in Berlin and London. It was a hit. In France a new era was born for tango: intellectuals, orchestras and musicians very much embraced tango and contributed to the improvement of the music and the lyrics. It was after this European love for tango that Argentina opened it's arms to it. The thought that prevailed at the time was: "Tango is embraced with passion in Europe, we're missing something."

But, why does tango continue to attract so many people? I don't know if you have ever tried it. It takes some practice and coordination and requires a partner. But once you have it all down and are in the dance floor with your partner, there is a mystic to it you simply can not stop wanting more of. You feel sensual and feminine. It helps if you understand the lyrics of the songs. They are so incredibly sad.

They are mostly about frustrated love relationships, but also about horse racing, drinking, prostitution, cheating, growing up in Buenos Aires, the nostalgia one feels when one is away from Bs. As., etc.

Many talk about loss. They are very melancholic. I have translated one of my
favorites for you and included a link were you can hear it.


The burr

by Jesus Fernandez Blanco (1926)
Translation: Valeria Mendez Cañas

"I burr has stuck on me. Inside of my heart, I have sorrow,
Why did you leave home so ungratefully? Why did you make my
peaceful life, painful?
I will never be able to take off my chest that painful burr.
My soul is agonizing, I'm faithless,
I have lost my home and my love
because of all the sorrow you've caused me.

I don't know why you went away from me
If I adored you with such intense passion
I don't know why you were keeping something from me
without letting your lack of interest show....

Your love made me a very happy man,
I never thought your passion would turn
into a dagger that would cause my
heart such a wound.
I want you to know that I am moving sadly and alone
along the paths of life. The memories I keep have grown on
me like burrs in a pasture land...
I hope we stumble into each other some day
so that I can see if you have finally found everything
you have unconsciously dreamed of.
And maybe then the two of us can start again!

Here is the music and lyrics


In the early nineties a lot of young people started to learn tango, along with many
foreigners and people in-the-know. Before, it was considered a marginal or an old people's dance. It was danced in middle to low class neighborhood clubs called "milongas" (a milonga is a variety of tango).

Imagine the environment: an indoor court, cheap lighting, cheap drinks, tango music. Back in the old days, in the 1950's tango orchestras played live, that is how: Gardel, Goyeneche, Sosa, Pugliese, Piazolla and Salgan, to name a very recognized few, became famous.

Some things have changed, but the spirit is the same.

If you would like to learn more about tango, see a tango show or dance at a milonga, feel free to ask us for information.

Co-post: Vale and Mich

Uruguay

JIG, Uruguay

VIK - Curiocity's newest addition to their private villas collection, is a one-of-a kind beach paradise with the best location in José Ignacio. Everything about the property is thought-enhancing. From the outside, one cannot help to look at it and then look at it a little more. It just does that to you.

But it's not only the "bizzare" architecture - with the Japaneese -looking grass roofs that has locals raising an eyebrow, it's the interior design, the art, the breathtaking views, the details. The courage to do something that has nothing to do with the rest of José Ignacio. Planet VIK.

There are six villas with two and three en suite bedrooms each.
Three of the villas house two master suites with their own private gardens or terraces, a third bedroom en suite with a living room, two have two master suites with private gardens and living room and one villa has two master suites each with its own private garden. Every villa features a fireplace, art-filled interiors and has a unique design scheme, including Ebony Macassar ceilings, hand painted floors and a remarkable mud adobe fireplace.

Most spaces, a 40-foot long wine cellar or Cava, game room, gym, spa and BBQ dining room feature large glass windows overlooking the beach, the garden, BBQ terrace and fire pit. With its traditional barbeque, the Parrillero terrace also looks out to the beach. The epitome of Uruguayan casual dining on the generous 14-foot cinnamon-wood table, the barbeque area can accommodate from two to sixty guests.

A Brasero, a traditional fire pit, offers comfortable seating of four sides for casual time relaxing in the evenings under the indescribable stars of the Sauthern Hemisphere.

This place is different from every other property in José Ignacio, it's like a spaceship that landed here, unique, daring, and that's a good reason for me to love it, and welcome it and recommend it. You can book VIK through Curiocity Villas for your next luxury villa vacation in Punta del Este. Sit back and enjoy the most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen. If I'm wrong, I'll buy you dinner. Seriously. 

PDP, Uruguay

Around Chile

Thanks W hotel for your hospitality!
Photo #4 kindly provided by W Hotel, Santiago. Thanks!

The art of Tigre

Tigre is not only about blissful boat rides, kayaking, river-side markets and island retreats, there's also MAT - The Tigre Art Museum (ex-Tigre Club, built in 1912 and reopened as a museum in 2006). Displayed are figurative paintings from Argentinian artists that date from the late 19th century through the 20th century... check out Pellegrini, Spilimbergo, Butler, Castagnino and Roux.

Stay tuned for new and exciting temporary exhibitions.

In Mendoza, Art & Environmental commitment

Familia Zuccardi's Cava de Arte is currently presenting “Tierra” (Earth), the latest work by Mendocinean artist, Fernando Jereb. The show is an invitation to become aware of - and perhaps reflect upon - crucial issues such as the impact of global warming and the earth's natural resources crisis.

Fernando Jereb has presented his work in several cities of Argentina, Chile, México and Spain and has obtained many prizes in our country as well as in Europe.

In his work, nature is presented in it's various manifestations, showing a particular concern on climate change, and the importance of finding a balance between our needs, what the earth gives us, gratitude and care.

-> When? Now!! it's only until Februray 2010, every day, from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
-> Where ? La Cava de Arte de Casa del Visitante - Ruta Provincial 33, km 7,5, Maipú, Mendoza.

About la Cava del Arte: Since 2004, la Cava de Arte de Casa del Visitante dedicates a large space for the exposition of Mendocienan art, providing local, upcoming artists the opportunity to present their work to people from all over the world.

More than 50.000 people visit Casa del visitante per year to enjoy it's wide range of offers in wine, art and gastronomy. Thumbs up!!

Aldo Sessa celebrates 50 years of photography.

Aldo Sessa celebrates his passion for image with a photographic exhibition at the Centro Cultural Recoleta, composed of over 100 photographs of Argentinean landscapes, his world trips, tango and portraits, among others. Saw it today. Loved it!
























Sessa photographed by Bruce Webber in 1995
- La Nacion.

La Coca

For those of you who don't know her, Isabel Sarli, nicknamed La Coca, is a retired Argentine actress, model and a sex-symbol of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Sarli was discovered by filmmaker Armando Bo after she became Miss Argentina in 1955 (who she married) and became the star of his films, starting with El Trueno entre las hojas in 1956. She became an international Latin American star, filming in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, and films like Fuego (1969 film) and Fiebre (1970) reached the American and European markets.

The new campaign of the drink Fernet 1882 at the Flower Park (Plaza de la Flor) displays 1,882 images of the sex symbol.

Greetings from Salta & Jujuy!

I just got back from the northern Argentinian provinces of Salta and Jujuy. Aside from the strikingly beautiful sceneries, dramatic change of landscapes within minutes - try driving from Salta to Jujuy via the camino de la cornisa. You'll pass from being in the desert with giant cacti, to being in the middle of the jungle on a one-lane, curvy road where cars come and go from both sides! yes, it's a bit stressing, and a little dangerous, but it's so worth it!! and you can always get a driver who knows the road well. If not, just honk your horn in every curve. But don't forget to, cause there is no room for two cars for most of the way. And those cliffs are intimidating. But, where was I? oh, the sceneries, the food, the colonial architecture, beautiful churches, wine, it's all magical... the gorgeous towns surrounded by the Andes mountains... not to mention the Quebrada de Humahuaca - a World Heritage site where there are still indigenous towns that have been a major trade route for over 10,000 years! once again, it was incredible to be there... to meet people from these towns. I say go North! It's like being in another world. If you would like to visit remote, Andean towns that regular tourists do not have access to, inquire about new ranges of excursions to enjoy more authentic experiences, stay in one of our villas or recommended boutique hotels, or if you would like to help the local host communities, contact one of our dedicated travel experts. There are plenty of rewarding ways to make a difference between wine tastings, trekking and horse riding in the mountains, and a soothing spa treatment.