Sadly, 'Que descanse en paz' is a Spanish phrase I've learned recently, although 'resting in peace' is perhaps the last thing you'd wish a deceased 'milonguero'. According to a friend who emailed me about him today, Eduardo Aguirre, although not young, could nevertheless outlast many younger people on the floor. I'd never heard of him, although he seems to have lived and taught all over Europe, and in Turkey too, over the last ten years. But not London, I assume, and never will now.
I'm really struck by how varied tango can be. Thinking of Ricardo Vidort, Pedro Sanchez, Luisito Ferraris, Tete Rusconi... Watching the videos, it seems that Eduardo moved strongly, even abruptly. I don't see the smoothness of, say, Osvaldo and Coca, Pocho and Nelly, but his walk and posture look solid and assured: maybe his personality had forceful and direct side that was reflected in his tango. I assume his dancing in milongas, where abrupt movement can be unsettling, was quieter; like Tete, he could probably adjust immediately to the available space. There are a few videos, including teaching videos, with Yvonne Meissner.
Video thanks to Muller Patricia
This is not the most cheerful post, but happy 300 tango commuter!
ReplyDeleteThe most wonderful thing in dancing with Eduardo - and rather unique, as well - was to listen to him singing when he was truly happy. He had a beautiful voice and loved a variety of orchestras. And he was also very happy to hear his partner singing for him during the dance. For me, this brought the experience of tango at a different level (even when the singing unduly interfered with the dancing :-)
Thanks for remembering the 300th post! I'd forgotten it! No, hardly a cheerful 300th, but people walk onto the floor and they leave it, and I'm glad to celebrate the happiness Eduardo brought through his dance.
ReplyDeleteThe connection of dance with singing - and with breathing - is interesting, and I must think about it. &, as you say, a partner who sings can bring '...the experience of tango to a different level'. It's been shown that when we sit and watch dance, our muscles are 'busy' following the movement, and it wouldn't surprise me if our voice box isn't similarly active.
I was also waiting to congratulate you on your 300th!
ReplyDeleteEduardo did teach in London several times with Yvonne, at Carablanca (when it was at the Welsh Centre). He was very genial & sociable - I used to dance with him a lot in BsAs milongas in the 1990s and when Ian and I visited Istanbul in 1999 we went to find him at his class (he had a teaching residency at Istanbul University for some years) and he took us for dinner. He also invited us to join him and his students at various milongas. He spoke no language other than Spanish and his students were all busy trying to learn Spanish so they could understand his classes!
Many thanks for filling in a bit more about Eduardo. I'm sorry I didn't hear of him until after he left us, but there are a number of videos with Yvonne. He seems to have enjoyed the affection of many people, and I'm sorry I wasn't around when he taught in London.
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