Poet, lyricist, composer, writer and theatral writer
(15 July 1900 – 3 December 1999)
“An everlasting boy —wrote León Benarós—, Cadícamo seems to live counter clockwise. He keeps his hair intact, of a pale blond color, that becomes square at the back of his neck and rather long in a juvenile fashion… He wears light-colored ties —once we saw him with one of a subtle yellow color— and his sports coats add him youth. He wants to forget about time because he knows that time —“that dark enemy that sucks our blood”, according to Baudelaire’s lines—, feeds on our illusions, on our life…” Continue reading.
I will give you a direct answer: to be able to go to milongas you need basic social skills.
When you are invited to a party, a friendly social gathering, you present yourself with a pleasant attitude, clean, well dressed, and you balance your way of addressing other guests at the party, formally or informally, based on your relationship with each person.
If you’ve never been to a milonga before, I recommend procuring an invite from a regular attendee. This will be a bridge to help you integrate with the crowd of participants.
Often, you have opportunities to meet people in class who could serve as your link to milongas: other students that started before you and now go to milongas.
If you only take private lessons, your teacher is your connection to milongas. The main task of an Argentine Tango instructor is to prepare you to go to milongas.
You should not expect to dance at your first milongas. Try to set yourself at ease by removing any anxieties caused by feeling obligated to dance. Going to a milonga does not imply that you “ought” to dance. A milonga is a social gathering that has the main goal of facilitating the dance of Argentine Tango among its participants. Still, this is the end result of a self-calibrated socialization process. This process starts in your classes. You will do well at milongas if you have this in mind from the beginning of your learning path, in your class. We dance because we are free to dance. It is not possible to dance, for real, under the pressure of obligation. Therefore, it is also important to be considerate of others and not make anyone feel obligated to dance with you.
Bandoneon player, leader and composer.
(11 July 1914 – 19 May 1975)
He was spellbound by the bandoneon when he heard its sound at cafés in his neighborhood. He was ten when he persuaded his mother into buying one for him. They got it at 140 pesos of that time, to be paid in 14 stallments, but after the fourth payment, the shopkeeper died and no one ever claimed for the rest. With that instrument he played almost during his whole lifetime. Continue reading.
Argentine Tango singer, musician, pianist, actor and composer.
(7 July 1906 – 30 October 1990)
In his important work as composer of rare ability to musically express human drama and romantic rapture, the following tunes stand out : with lyrics by the film maker Luis César Amadori, the tangos “Cobardía”, “Rencor” and “Tormento”; with José González Castillo, “El viejo vals”, a piece of rare perfection, unparalleled in Charlo’s rendition; with José María Contursi, “Sin lágrimas”; with Cátulo Castillo, “Sin ella”. “Fueye” and the beautiful waltz “Tu pálida voz” with lyrics by Homero Manzi. And with Cadícamo, besides “Ave de paso”, three tangos of high value, but very different from each other, stand out: “Rondando tu esquina”, “Viejas alegrías” and “La barranca”. Continue reading.
Enrique Cadícamo
