Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ney


on Broadway above the tunnel
Russian Hill
Friday noon

***

I am a native New Yorker, I was born in the South Bronx, attended high school on the Upper East side of Manhattan, and lived in an apartment in the East Village. My San Francisco experience happened by chance. I have a younger sister who relocated to San Francisco a couple of years ago and I would make a point to visit her if I was teaching tango workshops on the West Coast.

About 2 years ago, I was getting tired of the NYC grind and my visits to my sister became more frequent. On one of those visits I went apartment hunting for fun and I actually found a decent apartment in Nob Hill! So I decided to test SF out for a couple of months. A couple of months after that, one block away from my SF apartment, I found the space that was to become the TangoVida studio. Once again, I decided to "test it out".

In a short amount of time, the studio amassed a large following and I have become more comfortable with the idea of living in SF. The most difficult adjustment I had to make was to let go of the idea of "the struggle". Whether they realize it or not, many New Yorkers are hooked on NYC because they have become conditioned to think that simple things should be a struggle (getting an apartment, getting a job, getting a cab, etc.) but that is not the mentality here in SF.

SF is a much healthier and stress-free town than NYC. The people here are into being healthy and eating well. That is such an easy thing to do since the restaurant scene here is fantastic and it is very easy and inexpensive to drink good wine!

***

Ney and his partner Jennifer own and teach Argentine tango at Studio Tango Vida.

Studio TangoVida
1120 Pacific Ave
San Francisco CA 94133
www.studiotangovida.com

***

The rest of Ney's photo shoot, also with his partner Jennifer, can be seen here.

4 comments:

Char said...

this photoshoot was absolutely stunning. what a gorgeous set of shots. you and your partner are gorgeous together.

Laura Doyle said...

Again...such a wonderful description of the city from a fellow East Coaster. I'm longing for laid back!

These stories are so connecting. That may not be the most apt word, but personal tales span distance, class, and age and bind those that would otherwise be separate. New perspectives are so much fun. : )

paris parfait said...

I lived in New York for eight years and you are right about the "struggle." It's almost a neurosis and one starts to feel you have to race everywhere, even when there's no reason to hurry. Difficult to slow down in New York. I prefer San Francisco (and miss it like crazy) because of its physical beauty and more relaxed pace. You can still find many of the benefits of a city, but it's more manageable in San Fran. I think it's great that you've been able to create a successful biz in SF - and in such a beautiful area! Best of luck to you. (Oh and fantastic photos of you and Jennifer).

studio wellspring said...

damn, ney, what can i say ~ you look hot. and i miss your tango like crazy. julie sure has a wonderful way of capturing on film the sweet intensity, suave demeanor, and hint of playfulness that make you so adorable.
sorry i didn't get to see you before i skipped town, but i'll be sure to see you when i'm back at the end of may.
from one tango-heart to another, ms.wellspring