From the streets of Buenos Aires to the ballrooms of America”™s ritziest hotels, the tango, a dance fusing art and passion with each step, is also alive and well in the Hudson Valley.
When Sher Singh finishes her day as fundraising coordinator for Crystal Run Village in Middletown, a nonprofit organization that helps the mentally and physically disabled, you might find her at one of her several volunteer jobs ”“ sitting on the board for Safe Homes of Orange County; at a meeting with fellow members of the Pine Bush School Board; or meditating with her regular Monday evening group on spirituality, “something the world could use more of,” she said. In these dreary economic times, “people want to give but can”™t afford it. Everyone is doing more with less. Meditating is a good way to get grounded.”
But on Saturday nights, you”™ll find Singh dressed to the nines with her soft soled high heeled shoes, dancing the tango and enjoying a little night music with her fellow tango enthusiasts. It”™s another form of therapy she enjoys just as much as meditating on the problems of the world.
The group was started by the late Dr. Jerry Neri, who learned the subtle and sensual dance with his girlfriend, Randi Perelle. When he learned he had lung cancer two years ago, he organized a group of fellow tango dancers and began holding “milongas” once a week at his Chester home. “They have a wonderful tent in the yard, complete with a dance floor,” said Singh, “That”™s how Tango Under the Tent was born.”
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Neri created a nonprofit he hoped would one day bring the tango, its cultural heritage and graceful style into the Hudson Valley art world for all to enjoy. He asked Singh to be its president.
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“It was a terrible loss for all of us when Jerry died,” said Singh. “We started out with just 20 members and in less than two years have grown to nearly 150. It”™s not just a wonderful way to dance, but to relax and enjoy yourself.
“Dr. Neri had a vision to branch out, to bring tango to people who are physically disabled. If it will help someone feel more confident about themselves, it”™s an achievement you can”™t measure. After his death, we made a discovery about the tango: studies show people suffering from Parkinson”™s disease or Alzheimer”™s benefit from learning the dance, so not only is it beautiful and graceful, but it”™s therapeutic.”
Tango Under The Tent meets three Saturday evenings each month. Once the first hint of spring is in the air, the tent is taken out and set up for the weekly milongas. “We dance all the way through the end of October outside under the tent,” said Singh. “In the winter, we move it indoors. We have been partnering with the Orange County Citzens Foundation in Sugar Loaf, where we dance during the winter. It helps them because we pay a fee to use the space, and our Tango Under The Tent members have a wonderful place to relax, dance, enjoy the music and ambience.”
For multi-lingual Singh, who once taught school in Pine Bush after leaving her job at the United Nations, the tango not only helps her reconnect with her South American roots but “is the most amazing, relaxing ”“ and intense ”“ dance. People take it seriously, but it is good-natured seriousness. Our members all bring something to eat and share with others at our Saturday evening dance. It”™s a great group of people. We have something in common ”“ a love for the tango and a spirit of camaraderie.”
Unlike other dances, you don”™t need to have a partner when you come to a milonga. “Everyone dances and changes partners,” says Singh. “That”™s the beauty of it. You don”™t have to be ”˜a couple”™ to enjoy it, you can come to a milonga by yourself and dance with a partner.”
Tango Under The Tent isn”™t just about getting together on a Saturday evening for the members. In May, it held its first fundraiser. “We called it a ”˜mega milonga”™ and the money we raised went to buy cell phones for our troops in Afghanistan. Since we are new, we are taking baby steps. We plan to do another fundraiser, but don”™t have the details nailed down yet,” said the organization”™s president.
The mother of three grown children, Singh manages to work, make time to participate on her local school board and still gets a little time for herself. “That is so important, especially for today”™s career women who are always on the run. Find something to give yourself a feeling of well-being. Whether it”™s running or sitting and mediating, you need to find that special place by yourself and for yourself. That”™s what helps keep you balanced.”
