Category: Reviews

Tango with Nottoo started life some three years ago as a tango dance venue occupying a Mainland parcel. The brainchild of Nottoo Wise, the club has expanded over the year, both in terms of size and offerings, and in August of 2022, it completed a move to its own Full region, where it continues the original club lounge as well as offering a range of dance venues, a movie theatre, beach, art gallery – and an eclectic mix of “hidden” attractions.

With its primary function being dance, music and entertainment, the region is styled differently to the majority of those featured in these pages, in that there is little overt terraforming within the region. Instead it present a largely flat aspect, the surface area given over to the various venues for music and dancing. Which should not be taken to mean it is without character; it’s simply that its character is invested in the venues and facilities offered.

The dance settings take multiple forms, from the main ballroom, through the outdoor Always Tango area, where – as the name implies – an opportunity to dance a tango is always available (and, for those seeking a dance partner, the opportunity to find one through the Tango with Partners group) and the venues for both blues and jazz, to the outdoor dance expo garden and the very Deco inspired outdoor dance floor.

These all share the region with the Roxy Theatre, where dance performances may be held, the Bijou movie theatre, an art gallery, a 1950’s style diner and multiple places to sit outside and relax. Chief among these are the fine dining area, the beach and and an over-the-water bayou-style bar. Dancing is available through thanks to well-placed dance machines ,and the region boasts over 300 couples dances, a Spot-on Group Dance System, male and female individual dances and even a 3-person dancer!

All of these points of interest are accessible from the main landing point – just follow the labelled paths leading away from it. The landing point also provides a wealth of information via notecard givers (and some gifts for visitors), as well as the daily schedule of events. A bicycle rezzer is available for those wishing to explore by means other than using their feet, and the Landing point is also home to one of the stations’ little railcar stations.

The  latter provides access to the region’s public “hidden” areas, sitting beneath the land and the waves. To explore them, click the railcar sign at the station and hop aboard the little two-seater car it rezzes ((if you are riding on your own, make sure you sit on the right-hand side). Take the car to start the ride, and the car will carry you through an eclectic series of settings linked by tunnels. Each setting has its own little station in the form of a barrier that will stop the car (allowing you to get out and explore) and a further rezzer (allowing you to resume your ride). Should you opt not to explore any of these settings, touch the barrier to make it raise out of the way, and your car will resume its journey.

Off to the east side of the region are two smaller islands. Accessible via jet ski, the northernmost of these islands presents a garden space open to all and, at the time of my visit, caught in the colours of autumn. south of this, the second island is a “members only” area, only accessible to those joining the Tango with Nottoo group (at no charge). Reached via a members-only teleport at the main landing point, the member’s island is one of the many benefits offered to group members – for details of the rest, check the Tango with Nottoo Member Benefits notecard available via the information board at the landing point for full details.

For anyone who loves dancing, Tango with Nottoo offers a lot, whilst the additional facilities – including the art gallery, which I barely touched upon here despite it hosing an exhibition of Milly Sharpe’s fabulous fractal art at the time of my visit – means the region has a lot to attract Second Life explorers as well.

With Nottoo being out-world for much of her time, the region is largely cared for by Mona Layla (Monalayla) – who extended an invitation to me to visit;  and Rachela Rossini – who gave her time to answer my questions during my visit as well as providing a pleasant welcome. To both of them I offer my thanks.

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Tango with Nottoo (Tango, rated Adult – but using Moderate rules within the public spaces)

I’ve missed out on a couple of recent builds by Hera (Zee9) – her builds have a habit of coming and going with some rapidity -, so when she dropped me the landmark to her October / Halloween 2022 build, I tried to hop over as soon as time permitted in the hope a write-up would reach the pages of my blog in time for others to enjoy this latest outing.

Giger Dead Venice brings together one of Hera’s poplar builds wrapped into a science-fiction / horror theme that is perfect for the season. The build in question is Venesha, Hera’s take on Venice, and which has often been a setting suggestive of dark arts, vampires, and the undead. The S-F / horror theme is that of H.R. Giger, as witnessed through the original Alien film and some of his broader work.

Reached by taking a gondola teleport from the region’s landing point, this is a again a build that is unique Hera – with the majority of the mesh elements used within it created by her and utilising over 200 new textures she also created for the build. This version of Venesha also brings with it an enlarged port area, reflecting a recent version of Venesha reworked as the port of Kar from the Gor novels – one of the builds that did not see much light of day before being removed.

In terms of the Giger re-dress, this is exceptionally well done, with a richness of references to his and his work on the Alien movie to be found throughout. In this, Giger Dead Venice – to me – surpasses Drune Giger City, her H.R.G. inspired re-working of her Drune city (see: Hera’s Drune Giger City in Second Life).

I say this because of the rich layering of motifs and in drawing out some of the more sexual aspects found in some of Giger’s work and combining them with suggestions of fetish and BDSM – at this point, I should note that aspects of this iteration of Venesha (or Venice if you prefer) might be considered somewhat NSFW.

The sexual elements are perhaps most obvious in some of the genitalia-like entrances to buildings and the phallic, umm, extensions around the base of the remodelled cathedral. However, these are not simply gratuitous, they are fully in keeping with much of Giger’s art, which often included a combinations of sexual / horror elements (just take his original drawings for the head and tail of his Xenomorph, as a basic example).

Within the cathedral are more direct references to the Alien films – face hugger eggs, sculptures of baby Xenomorphs bursting from the chests of imprisoned humans, and etchings depicting the alien and a humanoid similar to the one known as the Pilot / Space Jockey.

The cathedral is not the only interior to the buildings here. For example, to the north, the church-like building has now been replaced by a temple with a mystical star map at its heart, whilst to the south and east, within what had at one time been home to a library, sits a lounge bar that more directly combines the Giger influences with elements seen within some of Hera’s previous lounge and bar designs and BDSM and sci-fi motifs. As for the others, such as the café and bistro-style settings, I’ll leave them to you to find.

Other touches suitable for the Halloween season might also be found by the keen-eyed, offering a clever mix of the classical with that of H.P. Lovecraft, and what might be seen as a subtle commentary on the modern-day horror of right-wing “Christian” politics which puts love of the gun above love of human life.

Caught under a lurid sky that paints the setting with an otherworldly green tinge – the build really should be seen under the default EEP setting – Giger Dead Venice has much with which to commend itself to visitors and photographers. With its waterside walks, alleys, sculptures, mists and symbolism, it is one of the more imaginative “Halloween”-type settings I’ve seen this year – and definitely the most imaginative builds Hera has offered.

Hera notes that there is no strict dress code for the setting, “But latex, rubber, leather, and metal just about covers it, or not depending on your preference 🙂 .”

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• Giger Dead Venice (Cloud Lake, rated Adult)