Tango Noticias: What brought you into tango? For example, why tango and not another type of dance or another profession?

Geraldine: I didn’t have the opportunity to choose. I was a gymnast until I was about 9 years old and then I quit because I started to dance. If I could choose I would have preferred to be a gymnast. It is not that it was a family tradition to dance but it was difficult to see outside of this life; my Mother danced for fun and I would accompany her, when my Mother went to see a show it was a tango show, and all of my Mother’s friends were tango dancers. When I had my first dance partner my Mother was so excited that she brought me to the milongas to show me off. She was a big fan and very proud. My Father hates tango because its one of the things that split their marriage and he can’t dance. He has no rhythm. I do not come from a traditional line of tango dancing.

Ezequiel: When I realized I was dancing, then I was dancing tango. A friend brought me to a milonga and I liked it. It felt good so I began dancing.

TN: How did you learn to dance tango?

G: In the beginning it was a game, I didn’t realize I was learning something. I was just a child. It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 years old that I realized I was learning something, when I was tall enough to assume an embrace (before I was too short). Then I wanted to learn to dance.
E: I went with a friend to the milonga and I saw part of my country that I hadn’t seen. I didn’t grow up knowing that tango was something I could learn. You know, since 1955 there was a revolution and the military took power and, well, for example my Father grew up with both jazz and tango but my generation did not so when I was introduced to the world of the tango it was something very nice for me. I met with my friends at the milongas and took some lessons here and there. Then I was very lucky because I met a couple that could really teach me how to be a dancer. Vanina Bilous and Roberto Herrera were teaching a seminar which I took and I really liked them and they took me in. Then I started to work with them, it was a nice relationship.
G: For me it was different because there used to be a lot of practicas and I used to go and practice different steps, but always with the old people, the milongueros. At that time it was not fashionable to take workshops or classes.
E: Geraldine and I took group classes with Omar Vega about a year and a half ago at Salon Canning. He thought that we wouldn’t come so he was shocked to see us there, and so were the other people in the class. People do not usually think that professional dancers take group classes anymore but it is useful. We learned a lot, he is a good teacher.

TN: So how old were you when you started dancing tango?
G: That depends. Do you mean when learned the basic step or when I started to dance?

TN: Well, both.
G: I learned the basic step at about 7 or 8 years old but I didn’t really start dancing until I was 15 or 16 years old.
E: I started dancing when I was 23 years old.

TN: How has tango changed since you began dancing? How have the milongas changed?
E: It went backwards, it didn’t grow up. People talk about different styles but we don’t think there are styles. The only style that exists is the tango. Not open, close, new, old – the style is tango.
G: In tango now people discriminate too much. If you are like this, then you dance this way, if you are like that then you go to the other group. Before it wasn’t like this. If you are 20-25 yrs old you belong to one group, if you have long hair you belong to another group. If you learn to D’Arienzo you are a rhythm dancer but if you learn to Di Sarli then you are a salon dancer etc. But all of these orchestras come from different periods. At that time each orchestra had a different rhythm but is wasn’t intended to separate people. Now if you like a particular music you are different from someone who doesn’t like it. Right now people think they are the protagonist of the story, its not that tango is special and it makes me dance. Now people think they are special because they dance a particular way. Its not like the tango is special and it makes me happy. People have lost this first concept of dancing and having fun.
G & E: The tango that is selling now is a European tango, it is not the real Argentine tango. People are looking for new styles and new technologies but that is not the tango. Tango is something simple, a way to be and that’s all. It is complex to dance the tango the right way, you need to study and practice and quit many things. You need to quit pretensions and egos to belong to something. These are internal things. If you say you are dancing tango and you believe in tango then it is only one way because tango is just one. Its like blues and jazz. If you listen, you know if its blues, jazz, rock, or soul. It’s the same with tango, you know what is tango.

TN: What is your most memorable tango experience?
E: I have two memorable experiences. One is when I started to dance I started to realize myself – I became a better person. In a personal way it improved me as a person. In a professional way, I danced with a rock band in front of 2,000 people at a stadium in Buenos Airies. It was a good artistic experience to dance for people who don’t know anything about tango. The band was “Bersuit Vergarabat”, a big rock band in Argentina, and they wanted a video clip for one of their songs with tango (Perro Amor Explota). I danced in Luna Park, a stadium in Buenos Aires with only my pants on (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1RdwLXY214). It was a nice space to dance in because most people didn’t know anything about tango and didn’t know who I was.
G: In a personal way, when I dance now I feel the baby and this is a great experience for me. I also realize that love is true. In tango everyone talks about love but it isn’t really true love. After the milonga you go home and you don’t have a family.
G and E: We both realize that now we have a family and the tango dream is a reality. We have met people inside the tango scene that worked for many years with families. It is a lie that married people can’t enjoy tango. People say that when you go to tango the marriage is over. In fact, it is the reverse because when you are in a family and you are strong you are really making the tango from the base root.
G: Its like you cross the street and you can see in front of you that its full of love. And you say to yourself, wow I am lucky, I am safe. In a professional way, the first job I had was working with Roberto Herrera and Vanina Bilous when I was 15 years old at the Michelangelo. The first time I traveled, I went to Korea with Gustavo Moro and he danced with me there representing tango and Argentina in an international festival. This was a great experience for me to dance with him because he was a great dancer. Gustavo did not dance tango but he was a professional dancer. He usually danced as a cross dresser but this time he danced as a man. After that I was given the chance to be in the movies. I was in Assassination Tango (2002), Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé (2005), and The Man Who Captured Eichmann, where I danced with Nestor Ray (for T.V., 1996).
G and E: When we started to dance together we started in a musical hall on Corrientes Ave in a show. The amazing thing is that Gustavo Mora was there to see the performance. It had been 10 years and he had worked with Geraldine so it was a nice surprise for her. It was even more amazing because this job was totally outside of the tango scene in a music hall.

TN: How did you decide or what caused you to become a professional tango dancer?
G: At age 16 I ran away from home so I went to work. I went to live with my Father. I had to work because my Father didn’t have enough money. My Father didn’t want me to dance but at 16 I couldn’t get any other work because I was too young so I decided to dance. He ended up being proud of me. He thought that it wouldn’t be a good life for a child. He didn’t want me to forget that I am a woman, not just a dancer.
E: I became a professional because people offered me work. They thought I was good enough. I was dancing with my girlfriend and people asked me why I didn’t do more. At that time Roberto and Vanina said okay you can be a professional if you work and they taught me.

TN: How and when did you first meet each other?
E: We met in Amsterdam in 2002 at a festival. We were both with other partners and there were about 6 couples total. It was at the time when the government broke down and there was an economic crisis in Argentina. Gustavo Naviera and Giselle Anne decided to do something about Argentina’s problem so they decided to put together a show in connection with the festival. (“Turbulencia”, at the Amsterdam Tango Festival, Meervaart Theater, 2002) We were rehearsing for the show in Buenos Aires and in Amsterdam. There were many scenes in the show. In one scene, the police were chasing me. I fell down and the person that picked me up off the floor was Geraldine. At that festival I told Geraldine that I loved her and could spend the rest of my life with her. She didn’t believe me. We spent another week in Amsterdam and secretly we kept talking about how we could be together. After the festival Geraldine went back to Buenos Aires and I stayed for another month in Europe. We arranged to meet in Buenos Aires at Porteño y Bailarin (a milonga there) on February 12th. During that month we emailed each other and said, “are you sure?” “yes I’m sure, I love you” etc…So I went to Porteño y Bailarin and I was waiting there. I saw a friend at about 2 in the morning who asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was waiting for the love of my life. By 5 am I was drunk still saying that I expect the love of my life. She never came.
G: I had a performance that I had forgotten about.
E: Many people tried to keep us apart. They argued that we needed to continue our careers separately. But, I acted like a man. I went to Geraldine’s home, rang the bell, took a seat at the table with Geraldine and Javier, and told Javier that I was in love with Geraldine and she was in love with me. Nobody could tell him anything because I told him everything myself.

TN: Did this cause a fight?
E: No. There were no fights but there was a lot of drama. After that there were many situations at the milonga. We would look at each other and dance together. So one night it caused a scene and the three of us stepped outside. Javier said that he didn’t want any more situations and that we should do whatever we want. Geraldine told me to pick her up the following afternoon. I went to bed happy that night. The next day I called telling her I was going to pick her up but she said no, that she was thinking she can’t do it and decided to work things out with Javier. After that she left Buenos Aires on a tour and we didn’t meet again for about three and a half years. This happened on a Tuesday and she was leaving on Thursday. On Wednesday night I called her and I told her if she changed her mind or if something happens I will always help her, I told her that I loved her and I understood. In fact she did call a few times and then I acted like the tough guy, saying, “What do you want?” All the people were taking turns to try to keep us apart by not letting us meet at the same festivals or milongas. Then, after three years I was sitting in Salon Canning watching a performance and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and it was Geraldine. We hugged and now we are here.
G: Yes, everyone was paying attention to us not to the performance. They were saying, here they go again. Another round!
E: All of this happened about 2 ½ years ago. After 11 months we were married. Now our family is getting bigger (patting Gerldine’s tummy).

TN: As you mentioned, you both worked with other dance partners for many years before you formed your current professional partnership. Many people associate both of you with your previous partners. Does this interfere with your current professional partnership at all?
G and E: We didn’t know we were so important for people. We just changed partners; that was all. It was a surprise to us when all the people worried about what we are doing.
G: For me personally, I can’t believe people believed the biggest lie in the history of love (she and Javier). It was like coke and pepsi. Many people mourned that I was breaking up our relationship but we were not in love. I had to take care of myself. Many people talk as if they feel something. If people make opinions about me professionally that is one thing, but creating opinions about my personal life, about inside my house or my bathroom is not cool. People try to mix my professional and my personal life making it the same thing.
E: Yes, people make opinions about me, if I am good or bad. For the people I am a professional dancer and that is all. They don’t care about my life. We are not like famous stars we are just tango dancers.
G: In a personal way, only our friends can make opinions about us. When I made this professional split I knew who my friends were.
E: I also realized through this experience who my real friends were. At least 3 friends I have from tango should have supported me but they were scared. We did what many people want to do but are afraid to do because of their careers.
G: I have a sad vision about this because the people take a look, see that a partnership is not working out and feel that they might lose their master teachers. They start to worry that they won’t improve their dance. People can analyze it all they want but we are in love.
E: For example, yesterday at the milonga when we were introduced the host said our names as Geraldine and Javier. People looked at us to see how we would react but we don’t care. If you look at me you know who I am. But, some people think they can create some situation. They think that since they have a dirty mind everyone does. That kind of mistake about the names we don’t care about it, but for the people its very important. They think it will cause a fight but we don’t care. When we got together, we realized many things that we were wrong about before. We will stay together to have a healthy family. If we have to quit tango because of it then we will. We can dance always in our house. But if we continue to do what we are doing now we want to do our best job. This makes us feel nice.
G: When we decided to be together, we already knew what would happen. We knew the people would talk but we decided to stay together because we really feel good together.

TN: How has your dancing changed since the two of you became a tango couple?
G: For me everything.
E: We think that now we know what it means to dance in a couple. In my life before when I danced with my partner, I learned with her and I spent a big part of my career with her but I was dancing alone in the end.
G: I had to start to learn how to dance with a man that is my partner in life not just in dance.

TN: How would you describe your method of teaching?
E: When we teach, we try to share knowledge. We want to make it possible for people to dance. Many teachers make it difficult. We try to let people have more fun. Some people want to learn performance. In those cases it is very hard and we have a rigorous program. Roberto and Vanina taught in a certain way and I try to teach in a similar way.

G: Teaching is about interpretation. Before, it was more than a transmission. Now it is like a philosophy of tango –what you must do or else you don’t dance tango. Some teachers ask for contra positions and use many terminologies but they don’t know what it means. We are losing a belief in something. We used to believe in our maestros. We saw what they were doing in class and knew it was the best. Now in classes people act like judges. They go to many different teachers and compare. Believe in yourself and find what you want. Some people criticize you and then take your class. Many people are not interested in moving forward, they just want to be critical. Why not go to the president and say, ‘You are shit.’ but they can’t because they have no authority. Instead people go to classes and say things about the teachers. They think dance is talking about people but learning to dance is a quiet activity. Dance quietly and learn quietly. Nobody knows anything about tango – day by day we are making tango. You realize its tango because it is tango.

TN: What is your philosophy behind tango? Is it just a dance or more than that for you?
G: It is more a myth that there is a philosophy of tango. It’s a feeling you dance. Tango as a way of life is a myth. Tango came into our lives. Tango touches you, you don’t touch tango. It just happens. Dancers don’t believe in a philosophy, they just dance. People start to believe in a 3rd thing, not in themselves.

E: I think the most important thing is that tango fixes into your life, you don’t fix into the tango life. Some people say, ‘Tango changed my life, it can do many things, my life was very hard with the tango but I can transmit it to you in an easy way.’ but its all bullshit. Tango is something that you breathe, or smoke depending upon the situation! (we all laugh)

TN: So would you say that people who are not from Argentina, who did not grow up in a specific kind of culture, with a specific kind of music, that they can still find this tango?
E: Of course.
G: Yes, sometimes they are even better at it! There is a well-known stand-up comedian, Antonio Asaga, who is very good. He has different personalities that he portrays in his characters. There is one character who is really evil and uses a wheelchair but she is lying because she isn’t a parapalegic, she doesn’t need the wheelchair. Asaga used to go to the theater and stay on stage alone for 2 hours. It was really amazing. One year ago we went to the theater in Maipu, one of the most beautiful theaters in Buenos Aires, and he began by criticizing Argentines. He said that Argentines always say they are great because they invented so many things: they invented dulce de leche, the fingerprint, matches etc.. Some of the people from Argentina use this to say that we are good, we are special because we created all of these things, as if all of the Argentine people created these things. With the tango it’s the same. Many people say, no, I saw the real tango. Many people need to talk to introduce themselves, if they stand up nobody knows who they are. They tell people that they saw the real tango, but did they dance it? You’re lucky that you saw it but you didn’t dance it.

TN: So because they saw people dancing tango they are saying that they know more?
E: Right. The perfect example of this is the people who left Buenos Aires and moved to Paris. They say that the people in Buenos Aires don’t recognize their talent so they had to go to Paris. They claim that the French people understand them better saying, ‘I am a genius and they only understand me in Paris’. Look at Tanghetto, they will put on their resume that they played at Symphony Center in Chicago but they only played in a rehearsal room. It makes them look very successful, especially to people in Buenos Aires. The real musicians in Buenos Aires would say that this is not music because it is too easy. The electronic sounds are very simple compared to actual musical instruments. If you look at the sheet music of a pianist there are so many expressions written there, even if you can’t read music you can understand that. One time we went to Canning and we didn’t know that an electric band was playing that night. We went there with some friends, had something to drink and the band started playing. People started to walk out. Because Salon Canning was the only place that was still open during the military times. So for the people that dance tango, Salon Canning is like a chapel, its like a church of tango. Its one of the best floors of Buenos Aires.
G: It’s the place where you have the most milongas; you have milongas on many different evenings and in the afternoons. On Saturdays they start at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and finish at 2 in the morning. Its amazing.
E: The point is that there are people that say they are important and doing great things, but these are the people that would not be allowed into the disco. In Buenos Aires they won’t let you into the disco if you are a little dark, or a little fat, or if you are wearing sneakers. There are some discotheques that are only for beautiful people. Now, I don’t go to those places because I don’t like them, but the point is that the people who are being rejected in Buenos Aires are getting the recognition they believe they deserve abroad, not in Buenos Aires. We used to work with José Colángelo, he is maybe in his 60’s and was a pianist for Troilo. He has been in many films with Troilo back when he was 25 years old. He is one of the best musicians we have. He was the last pianist playing for Troilo. We created a show with dancing and some singers and if I tell you how much he charged us you won’t believe it. We tried to get him to take more money but he said no because he liked us. He even gave us his arrangements. We danced in the show and when we finished he introduced all of the company, we were around 12 people. José pointed us out and said that we were the crazy people that knocked on his door asking him to be a part of the show and that we were responsible for the music, the choreography and everything but it’s a lie because the music was from him, we don’t know anything about music. He was really kind with us.
G: And a long time ago the female singer used to be his girlfriend and they used to be together many years ago. After that they split and they never worked together again even though they liked working together. They couldn’t believe that they were brought together again for a show after so many years. We made about 6 shows and by the 3rd show the two of them had become close again. It was fantastic.
E: One time when we were dancing during an adagio part, we passed by the piano and heard Colángelo saying, “yeah, good, uh huh”. And just think, he used to work with Troilo. I paid him to work with us but I didn’t pay him five thousand dollars, it was hardly anything. When we called him again to work with us he was busy because he was working on something with the government but he said that he could give us any arrangement that we wanted. We went to his house and he opened his closet and it was full of arrangements, all original from Troilo. He is very nice, but these electronic bands say they are musicians and they act like they are above everyone else asking for a lot of money.
G: Once we were in a festival and a couple was performing to Narcotango. The dancers asked for more power from the band, “Power up” they said. We were laughing so hard. You can only ask that of a human being playing real wooden instruments, not a computer.
E: So when we wanted to make this show again and Colángelo was busy we called the friend that got Colángelo for us in the first place and he was able to get us Osvaldo Berlinghieri. Berlinghieri was from before Colángelo with Troilo. For example, when you listen to Quejas de Bandaneón or La Cumparasita, all that style is Berlinghieri style. He is alive in his 80’s. We went to meet him in a café and we were so honored to meet him.
G: He played for the real people, he played for the people who danced to Troilo.
E: We started to talk and explain that we wanted him to play for our show and he said he doesn’t play for dancers. We were shocked because he used to be the pianist for Tango Argentino. He said he doesn’t like dancers. He asked us if we were dancers and we said yes and he shook his head and said, “It’s a pity.” We weren’t sure what else to say after that! We kept talking and he said he also doesn’t play for female singers, male singers only if they are really good. He told us he was a professional musician and he would come with his musicians, play, and then we would give him the money and that is it. We were learning how to work with a musician who has had such an extensive career. Finally he told us he would play just for us to dance one song. We were very happy about this of course, practically bowing down to him in thanks! This show will be coming up in February 2008 and its called “Royal Tango”. We are currently looking for a really nice theater. Part of the show will be with Martín La Bruna and Andrea Bestvater because we have a company with them. We hope to get another type of tango artist, other people from the city who do things related to tango. People think that tango is poetry, music and dance but there are many things inside the tango. For example murga or individual artists that dance alone, not just tango. You realize what is tango when you see these kinds of artists, because it is not obvious that what they are doing is about tango. Its like Blues music, the artist might not be playing a guitar but you know it is Blues. Tango is like this. Even if you aren’t listening to tango music you know it is tango.

TN: Have you ever listened to Juan Carlos Caceres? Do you like his music?
E: Yes. Its nice music.

TN: I ask because he studied murga and tried to incorporate it into his music.
E: Yeah, but he doesn’t live in Argentina, he studied it in Paris. I mean, his music is nice and I like it, but it isn’t murga. The main theme of the murga is a poor person dressing like a rich person. They use silk for their costumes. They dance with big movements and big drums showing off to the rich people. That is the spirit, like a party. A friend of mine named Checho has a murga in Pompeya called Los Cirosos De Pompeya. It is a very traditional murga. The most important time for the murga is during carnival in February. You can also pay them to have them come to parties; we had them come to play at our wedding. The entire family is in the murga, the older ones and the children. Its really family oriented. There are no drugs or alcohol. It is after the murga that people get drunk.

TN: Tell me a little bit about your school and other things you are planning in Buenos Aires.
E: We have a very beautiful place for our school. It is an old tile factory from the 19th century. The floor is full of different tiles and so are the walls. They are all different tiles from floors all over Buenos Aires. For example, the kind of floors you find in San Telmo, we have in our place. I also have many old photographs and historical things there so when you go inside you travel through time. From outside it doesn’t look like anything but when you go upstairs you are transported back in time. In the school people can study tango. We also teach ballroom dancers. We are trying to make short courses for 2-3 months to give basic knowledge about tango. We have different programs for the different things people want to learn : if you want to learn social dance we will tell you to come one day, if you want to learn stage tango we will tell you to come a different day. We don’t talk about “styles” in our school, we just go straight to the point. If you are looking for social dancing we can teach you, if you want to learn stage we can teach you, if you want to learn tricks or jumps we can also offer that. We try to help people to learn what they want to learn in the shortest time possible.
G: We also do not want people who come to us to think that we are the best dancers. We give them advice and try to introduce students to our teachers. If someone comes to us and says they love the way we dance we want to show them where these things come from. We try to introduce them to the people that inspired us to dance. Tango is part of history, it doesn’t begin and end with us. Whether you like it or you don’t you need to know what came before you and then you can choose what you like. Tango students must know what was before them and before their teachers. There is a mistake in tango today when the maestros say that they created tango. Some teachers tell their students that they suffered through their learning experience and now they are going to make it easier for the students to learn. But instead they should make people look behind to the past. Masters say they created tango because it makes people believe they are the tango and story begins with them. People die ignorant thinking that the person teaching them is the only one who knows how to dance. They don’t realize that they are dancing because many things happened before they were even born. Teachers are egoist because they don’t create things for the audience or for the people, they just make a competition with their colleagues. They say, ‘No, I should dance first.’ or ‘No, I should close the show.’ The moment you become an artist, a dancer, the most important thing is the audience, the public, not you as an artist.
E: We were in Italy and we were working with Carlos and Maria Rivarola. They are not like Copes, or Gloria and Eduardo, they are younger, but from a nice generation of dancers. We learned a lot from them. They showed us that the dancers are not important, it’s the people who have come to see the show.
G: Right now it’s the fashion to dress casually all the time and make fun of the people who dress up and wear suits. When you dance this style, the people believe that they automatically become artists.
E: For example, we went to Moscow to teach and we became very frustrated. We asked the people if they ever listened to Tchaikovsky. They said they didn’t. We thought that was strange because some of the best music and dance came out of Russia. We stood in front of the Bolshoi Theater and I had goose bumps. It is the best ballet in the world and I couldn’t believe I was actually there. But for the people in Moscow that we met, they didn’t think the Bolshoi was important. They were only interested in ‘being artists’ and dancing tango nuevo. We did meet some people who were interested in traditional tango and we taught them, but the others, the main group, were making fun of these people that wanted to learn Argentine tango.

TN: Earlier you mentioned that you do not talk about tango styles when you teach. Can you talk a little bit more about that. For example, many people associate you, Geraldine, with the Villa Urquiza style.
G: Villa Urquiza is not a style. I did not dance Villa Urquiza style with Javier. Villa Urquiza is a barrio. If we are making a philosophy, we’ll start with the 120 neighborhoods we have in Buenos Aires! The way that people dance in different neighborhoods is about space. In Villa Urquiza, Matadoros etc.. they used to dance in basketball courts but in downtown, Almagro, they danced in confiterias so the space was smaller. In the center of town there were more people and the dance floor was crowded so people started to dance smaller so they wouldn’t crush each other. Not about style but about space. After the military closed the milongas, people danced in the back behind confiterias. There they danced even smaller. I do not dance Villa Urquiza style. I learned in many places in Buenos Aires: Estudiantes Del Norte (Saavedra), Sunderland (V. Urquiza), Sin Rumbo (V. Pueyredon), and Club Fulgor (V. Crespo). I practiced with milongueros when I was taller, about 13-14 years old. I also want to say that I never taught Ney Melo or Jennifer Bratt. People say they are teaching Villa Urquiza style and that they learned from me but that is not true. They dance more like they do at El Beso. Argentine people make political divisions, money divisions etc. and they are doing the same in tango. Talking about styles in tango is bad for our country. Some people say the tango scene is sick and they don’t go to milongas anymore. The only thing we have in Argentina is our spirit. Everything else is from outside – imported. For normal people, relationships are important. Tango was designed by normal people, the regular crowd. Cumbia is the most popular for normal people now. Its Argentine cumbia. Its always on the TV, radio, everyone listens to it. Its like a new tango for people of Argentina.

TN: How do you feel about YouTube videos?
G&E: We don’t care about it. Its difficult to prevent. The only problem is the comments people write about the videos. It’s a lot of gossip.

TN: What orchestras and singers do you like the best?
G&E: We are currently interested in time periods and singers. Right now we are interested in the last years of Pugliese. Speaking of Pugliese, Gloria and Eduardo organized a special night and brought Osvaldo Pugliese, so Geraldine remembers seeing him. People were turned back at the door because they were not dressed properly. Everyone had to have jackets and dress shoes. It reflected the community that tango once had. We are listening to a lot of singers. For example, we are listening to the singer Adrian Guida. There is a video of Pugliese at the Colon and Adrian Guida sings “Lo Quinto Año”. It is difficult to sing with Pugliese. If you watch that video you will cry. Another singer we are listening to is Abel Córdoba. He is still alive, singing in small cabarets outside of Buenos Aires. It is possible to still go to small cabarets and listen to these singers. Its like a drug. Pugliese really makes the singer work to go forward. We are also listening to Maria Graña who is still singing 4 blocks from our house every Saturday night. People say tango is sad but it just gives you in poetry the real situation. Nobody is purely happy. Tango takes your sadness out. We cry in Argentina when the music is good, it is cathartic.