Workshops during the Piteå Tango Festival were a success. 10 of our students travelled here from Kiruna och Gällivare ( some 400 km), Luleå, Umeå, Skellefteå, Stockholm and Finnland!
The organisation permited up to 12 couples in each group class. Here we have our Kiruna students who participated in all the worskhops.
But the festival special was the possibility to participate in semi-private worskhops during three days. Each of two groups ( intermediate and advanced) had only 3 couples eager to get more attention and more tango work. Here, nuestros pollitos: Kjell and Margareta, Trevor and Erica, Stig and Eva.
After the festival, Monday till Wednesday night, still eager students could take private classes. Suprisingly enough we kept busily working giving some 10 extra classes, mixed with bastu and dinner invitations ( reports below).
" Even though I have never been to a milonga in Buenos Aires, this is what I think it must be like" said Lalia, our tango student we have know for 5 years, but only now, on our welcome back dinner, we got to know her as an artist. A painter and a sculpturer. Victor fell in love with her art and got inspired to go back and create.
Welcome to Pitea dinner was a lovely surprise prepared by our students in the house of Laila and Bror. We been coming to Pitea for the last 5 years and they really become our family and friends. They know our tastes too: Bror prepared his speciality: moose meat. Combined with Elisabeth's plum marmelade it was our favourite sweet and souer combination.Catrin and Ake prepared the entreé: avocado filled with shrimps and smoked salmon. Laila prepared Victor's beloved cold cheesecake. We had hot hjotron to add to it. Wines and snaps were not missing and the Thursday dinner lasted till midnight. Fun, filosophical, spiritual and tango conversations were had.
On the first ground: our cherished tango student and cook Bror, tango inactive because of his plastered foot; he perfectly compensated being culinary and socially active. Jan brought him a reindeer's horn as a present. It is meant to be an afrodisiac, hopefully it will help him with quick recovery.
" Fumando espero", tango and cigar with Ake after the dinner under the norrland's skies.
It was a clear, stary night. We were looking for aurora borealis.
Our " norrländsk" home is traditionally a house in Bölebyn, by the tannery ( Garveri). We love this house by Piteå river. If felt like coming back home.
Bölebyn' s houses are all traditionally Swedish, painted red ( falu röd) with white decoration.
They look like dolls' houses. Picturesque and lovely situated on the river banks make a pleasant, peacefull view.
There are may glass houses situated right over the river. They are used to grill and have meals inside, even if outside it s too chilly or blowing.
We have something we enjoy a lot: a sauna situated on the river bank. Traditionally we have sauna after the workshop with our students and all of us jump to the river. NOT THIS TIME! Outside it s only a couple degrees above zero and only brave Swedes like Jan went from sauna to the river.
This glass house remebers us smoking and eating salmon here a good couple of times during the last 5 years...
The view from our balcony on the tannery and the river.
Victor and Jan, inside the tannery.
Jan showing us how he prints the company' s logo on the leather suitcases.
We were explained once again about the process of preparing reindeer skin to become a bag or a suitcase. First, a couple of months in the water with birch bark.
A photo of a tanner removing flesh from the skin.
Victor and Jan in front of containers with birch solution. 1,5 m deep
A rifle´s cover prepared for his Majesty the KING OF SWEDEN!
A tanner made into tanguero ( our Jan is the first on the left)
Yes, yes, these are the real prices! Jan says he needs money for his tango and trips to Buenos Aires.
Bölebyns garveri, the tannery, is an official provider for the Swedish Royal Family.
Opera " Maria de Buenos Aires", by camer orchestra from Piteå with Argentinean bandoneon player was such a peak of the tango festival this year in Pitea! In Swedish but with Argentinean emotions!After 3 months of touring in Europe it made us very nostalgic...During the workshops- men have to train more...
There is nothing better to relax inbetween the tango workshops than a good gammla dans. Aisha is dancing schottis for the first time in her life! Bengt from Luleå, Goran from Kiruna and Stig from Piteå are good and patient teachers.
Finally the farewell dinner party arrived. Too quickly and unexpectedly. Britt made her bast to make the evening unforgettable in her 160 year old house. Evening's menu: soppa pa norrlandsvist and gravad alg. Bjorksnaps and zafransnaps.
TO BE REPEATED NEXT YEAR!
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