Roberto Bonavato

October 12, 1938 —

Roberto and other milongueros hang out at a men’s club a block from my apartment, so we often see one another and have a brief chat about the milongas.  A few years ago, he danced regularly at Lo de Celia and goes to El Beso and Centro Region Leonesa.  One tanda of Carlos Di Sarli with Roberto is all I need to feel content.  One night a couple months ago at Lo de Celia, I had several tandas with Roberto.  One of them was a tanda of Miguel Calo.  After the first tango, he commented on the music of Osvaldo Pugliese.  I said, “Roberto, we’re dancing to Miguel Calo.  I don’t dance to Pugliese.  As you have pointed out to me several times, the music of Pugliese was rarely played in the milongas of the 1950s.”  Even milongueros who know the music so well can make a mistake.  Roberto is one who talks about the music and nothing else between dances.

 

Nelida Fernando

Roberto Angel Pujol, Nelida, Roberto Carreras (10/12/03)

October 12, 1935 —

Nely has danced tango since she was a teenager.  She traveled to Chicago in April 2008 to teach at the Chicago Mini Tango Festival at the University of Chicago with Pocho.  They danced tango together as teenagers, so there is a long history in their dancing.

I have attended birthday celebrations at Nely’s house when conversations about tango last into the wee hours of the morning.