Dear Readers and Friends:
Thanks so much for all your support and enthusiasm for Tango Time Machine! I hope you'll agree that in the few short months of our existence we have demonstrated the value of this unique historical resource many times over. But there is much more to to be done. We still have at least 5000 unanswered questions about tango history!
TANGO TIME MACHINE 2016 RESEARCH EXPEDITION
SCHEDULE AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
December 2015: Visit and examine the archives of still-extant tango venues such as Villa Sahores, home of the innovative Surcos del Disco (Grooves of the Disc) weekly dance with recordings; the IMPA aluminum factory, host of unique "entrada gratis" (free-entry) shows by Troilo, Laurenz, Donato, and other orchestras; the Centro Región Leonesa and the Associazione Nazionale Italiana ("La Nacional"), site of countless milongas going back to the 1910s.... This will require 20-30 days of footwork, interviewing, and data retrieval.
January 2016: Complete the retrieval of images and data from the El Mundo Dance Guides for the years 1941-46 (currently ~30% complete). This will require approximately 25 full days of research in the National Library, the Library of Congress of Argentina, and other sources.
February 2016: Identify and visit sites of tango activity 1920-1950 in Montevideo, Uruguay, and retrieve advertising, documentation, and other historical materials from AGADU (Uruguayan Authors' Association) and the National Library of Uruguay. Conduct research on tango's Uruguayan roots and the city-wide llamadas (candombe festival).
Of course I'll do a bit of dancing on this trip; I'll eat some bife and some empanadas; I'll visit some old friends and make some new ones--it could not be otherwise! But my main objective is research, the results of which I'll continue to share with you freely as I have in the past.
Might you consider helping to fund this expedition in some modest way? If each of this group's members contributed $10, or 10 Euros, or the equivalent in any currency, we would be well on the way to meeting our fundraising goal of $6000. What do you say?
DONATE VIA PAYPAL:
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hey! this is a beautiful initiative and it's an honor for us that you care so much about our history. I made a collaboration through a partner's paypal, I invite you to contact me if you need any kind of help here in Uruguay. Best!
Posted by: lucia | 10/28/2015 at 05:55 AM
Thanks so much for your generosity, Lucia! I will certainly contact you when I'm in MVD!
Posted by: Michael | 10/29/2015 at 12:33 PM