It has happened for the first time on November 19, 2011. [See video of that evening’s highlights.]
And now we’re ready for the second TANGO ON THE MOUNTAIN. Please read carefully:
Dust off your hiking boots and line them up next to your tango shoes. Step back in time with us.
TANGO ON THE MOUNTAIN is an overnight milonga in a stunning natural setting, Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the 100+ year old West Point Inn on Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley, Calif. (Please read about this historic non-profit inn once served by a railroad.)
Live acoustic music will be provided by Ville & Maho. Electricity is not available to the public at the Inn. We dance under gas lights. The Inn also has an 80-year-old hand-cranked Victrola that plays 78 RPM records – and we have a few tango 78’s to play between live sets. The event, a fundraiser for the West Point Inn Association (WPIA), is being sponsored by three of us who are longtime WPIA members as well as tango aficionados, Mark Northcross, Antoinetta DiMeo, and Camille Cusumano.
TANGO ON THE MOUNTAIN is by invitation but not meant to be exclusive. You are among the tangueros we think would enjoy and appreciate this unusual blend of glamorous tango and rugged (not for everyone) lodging. There is an option to attend without having to sleep over – read on. Before we list all the fun stuff, we’d like you to note that overnight guests bring their own linens OR sleeping bag and pillow case. If you know another tanguero you’d like to invite – just let us know, we’ll extend the invitation. The milonga capacity is limited to 40 persons, the overnight option to 30.
Here is all of what is included in the overnight option $95:
• 5:30 pm appetizers and wine, get acquainted and relax (dietary restrictions happily considered)
• 6–7 pm – Beginner tango lesson for newbies (open to all). The inn has a lovely, large wooden floor. Last time, the class was taught by revered Bay Area teachers Jonathan Yamauchi and Olivia Levitt. This time, Camille and smooth partner, Rob, will teach a beginners class, appropriate for all levels.
• 7:30 pm – Delicious buffet dinner, including wine and soft beverages, prepared by professional chef, Antoinetta – served in the inn’s main lounge
• 9 pm. to midnight- The Milonga – includes three sets of live acoustic tango music (Ville & Maho), interspersed with old tango music on 78 rpms on the old Victrola (if you have any 78s, bring them). Note: Electric or amplified music is strictly not allowed at the inn.
• Midnight or so – Option of shuttle or guided walkout to your car for those not spending the night (see pricing below).
• Lodging in a room in the inn or in one of the detached cabins; please read about the accommodations at the WPI website.
• Breakfast on Sunday morning (8 a.m. to 10 a.m.) Checkout time is 11 a.m. but you can arrange to hike the mountain and leave your gear at the inn.
• A shuttle between your parked car and the inn; many people opt to hike to the inn on the one-and three-quarter-mile fire road from Pan Toll (paid) parking areas. Note that all roads on Mt. Tamalpais other than Panoramic Highway are closed at sundown.
*NOTE: There is a piano at the inn – if you can play.
$55 option (no overnight) includes all of the above, up to midnight. We will shuttle you back to your car around midnight. There will also be a guided walk out back to the parking lot at Pantoll.
LODGING NOTE: The inn has 7 “hotel” (nothing fancy) rooms and five cabins (spectacular views from their deck area), with three beds in each.
ARRIVAL – SHUTTLE DETAILS
• Whether you are hiking in or shuttling, everyone should be at the inn by 5 p.m. Meeting time for the shuttle at PAN TOLL will be around 4:30 p.m. We will confirm the time before May 19. • If you park at Pan Toll or Boot Camp, be sure to follow instructions on the signs for payment.
TO MAKE RESERVATIONS:
Email Mark Northcross at [email protected]; or call him at 415 380-9746.
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Keep in mind the spirit of this “Tango in the Wild” event:
If you have been anywhere near West Point Inn or on top of Mt. Tamalpais by day or night, you know the stunning views you get from that vantage, especially as the light changes, the sun sets, the moon rises, the coyote howls. You might be familiar with the facilities—perhaps you’ve stopped at the inn during a hike to rest, or for lemonade, water, or a snack, which the inn sells to hikers on an honor system. So come in the spirit of open-minded adventure—this is not your typical milonga. You can head out to the inn’s veranda and watch a quarter moon through the pine boughs and wake up to sunrise and fog rolling in or out—with the folks you danced with the night before.