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.

Osvaldo Vicente Centeno

 June 15, 1937–

He is often referred to as “El Oso” (the nickname given to him by Laura Grinbank), but he’s as warm and gentle as a pussycat. He doesn’t talk in the milongas because he goes there to dance. He knows with whom he wants to dance each tanda, and a commanding tilt of his head gets immediate results.

During the daytime, Osvaldo drives a taxi. He is a porteno who lives in Avellaneda, the province of Buenos Aires. I regard Osvaldo as my friend. We have danced together since 2000 in Salon Canning, Club Carribean, Lo de Celia, Centro Region Leonesa, El Beso, and Club Gricel. He loves all the orchestras of the milongas, but especially Anibal Troilo and Juan D’Arienzo. He has told me he becomes completely absorbed in the music when he dances. I know the feeling. He began learning tango in Club Sol at Saraza 951 where he attended practicas. He started dancing in 1956 at Centro Asturiano on Solis and Venezuela. His favorite was Club Almagro, where he danced during its 40-year reign as the place to dance in Buenos Aires.  View his dancing on YouTube. Osvaldo and his partner were one of 38 couples in the semifinal rounds who went to the III Tango Dance World Championship for salon tango finals in August 2005 at La Rural in Buenos Aires.  His daughter Cintia and grandson Nicholas were there to see it all.