Elba Estey

October 10, 19__.

Elba went to dance tango in Confiteria Picadilly on Corrientes at the age of 19.  She learned tango by dancing.  She has been a regular at Lo de Celia from its inauguration in July 2000, and she has a reserved table by the bar no matter what hour she arrives.  At the stroke of midnight, friends were going to her table to kiss her for her birthday although she didn’t want to celebrate it that night in the milonga.  Her favorite orchestra is Osvaldo Pugliese, and she prefers tango over vals or milonga even though she will dance them with good partners.

Raquel Borja

July 28, 1928 –

You never see Raquel without her dance partner Cacho.  They have been dancing together for decades.  They danced in Salon El Pial when Cacho completed sixty years in the milongas.  They are always demonstrating their style in Salon Canning and other milongas.  This is footage of them in El Beso.  

Raquel confirms for all of us that tango is a dance for life.

Clara Raquel Lamdan

December 24, 1939 — April 26, 2009

She was known in the tango world as Kely.  She looked as good as ever the last time I saw her  in Centro Region Leonesa when we had a conversation during the first anniversary of Atilio’s milonga in February.  I was so happy to see her.

Here is a nice video tribute compiled by Alberto Paz.

Kely and Tito Palumbo (La Trastienda, April 1998)

P.S. July 6, 2009: I was watching the documentary film, Tango: un giro extraño by Mercedes Garcia Guevara last night which includes a scene with Kely and her student at a tango shoe shop.  It was an unexpected surprise to discover Kely in the film.

Elba Celia Biscay

February 26, 1941 –

I have admired Elba’s dancing for the past ten years in the milongas.  She learned to dance as a teenager in a neighborhood club.  Elba married and raised a family.  This photo shows her as a redhead, but she is more often a blond. 

Elba was the only milonguera interviewed for the television series Codigos de Milongas  on Solo Tango.  In the July 8, 2006 broadcast, Elba talked about experiences in her youth and how much things have changed today.  Women never wore pants to dance, but that’s her normal attire these days.  Her advice to women is to wear colored clothing rather than all black to tell everyone “estoy aqui” (Here I am).  In her early dancing days, she went to Confiteria Sans Souci and Club Monte Carlo, both on Avenida Corrientes.  Her best advice is “You have to like tango before you learn to dance it.” 

Elba competed in the finals of the III Campeonato Mundial de Tango (August 2005) with Osvaldo Centeno.  In 2006 she and Antonio Yuffré placed tenth in Milonga and sixth in Tango of the V Campeonato Metropolitano de Baile de Tango and then fifth in the Senior Tango division of the VI Campeonato Metropolitano de Baile de Tango in 2008.

Elba has been dancing in Milonguisimo with Alberto Dassieu and other partners in Oscar Hector Malagrino’s show in Confiteria Ideal.

Carmencita Calderon

February 10, 1905 — October 31, 2005

Carmencita was the dance partner of the legendary Ovidio José Bianquet, better known as ”El Cachafaz” (February 14, 1885 — February 7, 1942) for ten years.   She was nothing short of amazing.

Catalina Feldberg

December 20, 1938 –

She was known in the milongas as Greta.  She went every Saturday night to Club Juvenil until it closed in 2001.  There hasn’t been another milonga like it.  I filmed Greta dancing with milongueros.

One night several years ago in Lo de Celia, Alito asked if I had Greta’s telephone number.  I told him that I did.  He introduced me to Jorge who said that he wanted to call her.  They had known each other during their teenage years.  I checked first with Greta about giving her telephone to Jorge.  She said it was fine.  Later I heard more of the story.  Greta and Jorge knew each other when they were 16 and 19 years old.  They went their separate ways.  Greta married and had a family. After fifty years, Jorge called Greta.  They were reunited.  I took this photo of them on August 17, 2003, when they were in Lo de Celia.  They have been together ever since.

De Milongas y milonguer@s

I attended the book presentation today in La Manzana de las Luces for De milongas y milongueros (with @ in place of “o” to signify the femenine and masculine forms) where many milonga organizers were present since they participated in interviews for the milonga chapter.  Leticia Maronese is the general secretary of the Commission for the Preservation of Historic Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture for the city of Buenos Aires and author of the book.

As part of this project, they filmed interviews with people connected in various ways with tango and the milongas.   A 35-minute DVD was presented in the auditorium to an audience of 150.   It is an informative and interesting compilation of views from a cross section of people who know and love tango. 

This book and DVD project began in April 2008 and was completed in seven months after preliminary research.  Plans are to have the book and DVD translated for the English-speaking audience.  The book is 120 pages of text and photographs in paperback with the first run printing of 1,000 copies in Castellano.  My favorite photo is the one of Antonio Todaro dancing with Mingo Pugliese in Club Bristol.

Copies of the book and DVD were given to everyone in attendance at the presentation.  The Milonga chapter includes Alma de Bohemio in La Boca, A Puro Tango in Salon Canning, Club Gricel, Club Pedro Echagüe, Club Sin Rumbo, El Abrazo Tango Club, El Arranque, El Beso, Glorias Argentinas, La Glorieta, La Marshall, La Milonga del Indio, la Milonga de Susana in Salon El Pial, La Viruta, Lo de Celia, Niño Bien, Parakultural, Porteño y Bailarin, Sunderland Club, Tangocool, and Viejo Correo.

The book is available for purchase in the store on the main floor of the Casa de la Cultura on Avenida de Mayo 575 in January 2009, until all copies are sold.  At some future date, it will be available in English.   The book costs 25 pesos.  Unfortunately, the DVD is not being sold or subtitled in English.

A milonguera . . .

Devotes time and attention to personal grooming and her clothes

Makes her entrance at the milonga as an actor does on stage

Observes the room and the floor before dancing

Selects a partner according to the orchestra and dance

Respects the codes of the milongueros

Dances for herself and her partner, simply and musically

Sits quietly and enjoys the music at her table

Converses briefly and privately with her partner between dances

Goes to a milonga to dance.

Nilda Araceli

Adan and Nilda in Lo de Celia (June 2004)

November 22, 1936 –

They are one couple who I enjoy watching on the floor.  Their tango is all feeling and being with the music.  I haven’t seen them in Lo de Celia since I took this photo of them.  Nilda told me today that knee problems are keeping her from dancing.  She wants to dance but suffers afterwards with pain.  I thought they might be going to Salon Canning tonight to celebrate her birthday, but instead they will be spending time with friends.

Ada Peloso

Ada and Ricardo Suarez

November 5, 1929 –  

I called Ada today to wish her a happy birthday. She says that it’s not only her health that keeps her from the milongas, but the shortage of good dancers. Recently she was asked to dance an exhibition in Salon Canning with El Chino Perico, but she declined. The last time she danced was at the ceremony on April 28, 2008, honoring Maria Nieves Rego as an illustrious citizen. Ada didn’t know she would be invited for a tango with Julio Duplaa.

I went to Club Akarense only once, but it was there that I first saw Ada dancing with her companion Armando Giocovelli.  I have footage of Ada dancing with El Chino Perico in Salon Canning and with Miguel Angel Balbi in Afiche.

Ada learned to dance when she was a teenager. Her husband wasn’t a dancer so she didn’t go to the milongas until after his passing. She went to dance in her early 50s at Sin Rumbo and Club Sunderland, but hasn’t danced at all in the past year. She said in part:

“Tango is a feeling. Every one dances what they feel. All one needs to learn is how to walk and the salida. After that, learning steps isn’t important. I can tell if someone is dancing with feeling or not.

Tango was created for us to dance. Even though my husband didn’t dance, he felt what I transmitted when we danced together. Once at a milonga, the tanda ended and I asked “where am I?” I didn’t know with whom I was dancing or where I was. I was present in the music. I felt the music and danced the silences.

I’ve had a good life and traveled around the world. I have my family–two daughters and two grandchildren. I am content.”

Noche de Milongueras in Salon Canning (Sept 21, 2004) Pocho, Ada, Nely and Coco