3588  Interview to the winners of Salon Tango Championship

Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 15:47:38 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Interview to the winners of Salon Tango Championship

The newspaper Clarin from Buenos Aires published an interview to the winners
of the III Metropolitan Championship of the City of Buenos Aires.

I have translated it for those that could be interested. It certainly
reflects the live history of most milongueros .

04.07.2005 | Clarmn.com | Espectaculos

DANZA | ENTREVISTA CON PEDRO VUJOVICH Y GRACIELA CANO
Romance de tango

Los ganadores del III Campeonato Metropolitano de Tango Salsn hablan de un
vmnculo al ritmo del 2x4.

Laura Falcoff.

Through the window of a Cafe situated at the corner of Brasil and Defensa
one sees the arrival of Pedro Vujovich and Graciela Cano. They come from
Sarandi, place where they have lived for a long time, but they are very
familiar with this area: a few meters away on Brasil street is situated the
Russian Orthodox church where they got married 44 years ago.

At the close by Lezama Park, Pedro, who had just left his infancy dutily
started his practice of tango dancing.

The Vujovich's just won The III Metropolitan Championship of Salon Tango.
This event was organized by the Government of the city of Buenos Aires. It
was held at "Club Glorias Argentinas".
The judges deservedly selected this couple which represents the most
authentic and characteristic attributes of this dancing genre: long dancing
tradition, musicality and style.

Both of them were born in Buenos Aires - he is from the neighborhood of "La
Boca", she is from "Parque Patricios" - they have three sons and as many
grandchildren. Pedro will turn 70 years old in a few days, he is retired. He
was maintenance supervisor in a Metallurgic enterprise. Graciela, close to
become 65 years old was an employee at a television sets factory till she
got married.

They met dancing at "Club Bohemio" (neighborhood of La Boca) on a very warm
day by the end of 1958. Before I met Pedro - Graciela tells us - I used to
go with my aunt, my brother and my cousins to the matinees of clubs in San
Isidro, Beccar, Tigre and Olivos (west suburban residential neighborhoods) .
I never went to the downtown confiterias, my mother did not like them.
I learned to dance when I was 13 in private parties that we used to call
"Asaltos". I did it just observing and serving as Guinea pig for the males
of the family.
..........

- And how old were you, Pedro when you started to dance? -

By the time I was 14 I had already started. We used to come here, to Lezama
Park with a group of boys: Petroleo (not the one from villa Urquiza), Lalo,
Poleto and Martin. I used to have friends all over. We would bring a
victrola, in which we only played D'Arienzo. We would start practicing among
ourselves. One would say:" Do you know? I saw a guy doing this move and then
he crossed his other foot like this"
"Let's see", we would answer, and then practiced and practiced till we got
it right.

- And your first formal dance? -

Some of the boys told me once, - "Skinny" come with us we are going to take
you dancing. -

- No, no (I answered) I do not want to end up going to jail. - (I still was
a minor then). - Don't worry you will be nephew - So we went to "Club Rancho
Grande" in Quilmes. Once there one of the guys said:

-"Pinocho"- this was another of the nick names applied to me (I had a big
nose) ask that chick to dance, she has been looking at you - I thought they
were kidding me - (or probably they knew she had a limp of something like
that). It was not like that, she was all right.
It was this way that I started to go out with the boys. I used to go to
clubs were the codes were more relaxed, as well, and to pic-nics where there
was dancing. But sometimes downtown, my dad had to pick me up at the police
station.

- Really? and what did he say? -

You can imagine, he was from Montenegro (former Yugoslavia).
Later on when I was 16, since I was tall and grew some beard on purpose, it
was easier for me to enter in the clubs of bad reputation like "Palermo
Palace, Kakuy, La Enramada, Palacio Guemes, Mi Ranchito, El Palmarenito

End first part , Sergio

Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 15:50:00 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Interview to the winners of Salon Tango Championship - Part II

-How was that you found your style? -

I knew millions of figures but my style started to change when we started
going to "the Savoy".

It was so crowded that it was practically impossible to dance there. I
eliminated the ocho completely, because if I did it I would certainly kick
the guy in front of me. Started inventing steps to be able to follow the
rhythm. Since you could not turn then I used the "American turn" - to give
you an example.

- When was that all this occurred? -

It was in the 60s.

No, - Graciela intervenes - it was in 1980 because we had already moved to
Avellaneda, we used to come by bus to Constitucion and then took the bus 60
to the Savoy.

- What orchestra do you prefer to dance to ? -

Both answered at the same time - Di Sarli.

Pedro : "it is the orchestra that talks, this was also said by Mariano
Mores" .

- Is Glorias Argentina the club you most frequently go to? -

Graciela : " It is situated far from our house but I like dancing there
because of the music they play.

My daughter and her husband pick us up on Saturdays and drop us at the club
while they go to play bingo or do something else. Then they return at about
3 am to take us home.

- Do you go to other milongas? -

Graciela : " if we are tired, we go to a matinee in Avellaneda, from 5pm to
midnight. - End.


Have a beautiful day and may you keep dancing till you old days like this
couple does.

Sergio.




04.07.2005 | Clarmn.com | Espectaculos

DANZA | ENTREVISTA CON PEDRO VUJOVICH Y GRACIELA CANO
Romance de tango

Los ganadores del III Campeonato Metropolitano de Tango Salsn hablan de un
vmnculo al ritmo del 2x4.

Laura Falcoff.

A travis de la ventana de un bar de la esquina de Brasil y Defensa se ve
llegar a Pedro Vujovich y Graciela Cano. Vienen desde Sarandm, donde viven
desde hace mucho tiempo, pero esta zona les es particularmente familiar: a
pocos metros sobre la calle Brasil, en la iglesia ortodoxa rusa, se casaron
hace cuarenta y cuatro aqos. En el vecino Parque Lezama, Pedro, apenas
salido de la infancia, comenzs aplicadamente a hacer sus practicas de baile
de tango.

El matrimonio Vujovich es el flamante ganador del III Campeonato
Metropolitano de Tango Salsn, organizado por el Gobierno de la Ciudad
(concursaron por Glorias Argentinas), cuyo jurado premis merecidamente a
esta pareja en la que se reznen varios de los rasgos mas autinticos y
valiosos del ginero: larga tradicisn en la pista, musicalidad y estilo.

Ambos nacieron en Buenos Aires il en La Boca, ella en Parque Patricios y
tienen tres hijos y otros tantos nietos. Pedro, que en pocos dmas cumple
setenta aqos y esta jubilado, fue supervisor de mantenimiento en empresas
metalzrgicas. Graciela, cercana a cumplir sesenta y cinco, fue operaria de
una fabrica de televisores hasta que se cass. Se conocieron bailando en la
pista del club Bohemio, en La Boca, un dma de gran calor a fines del 58.
"Antes de conocerlo a Pedro dice Graciela, yo estaba acostumbrada a ir con
mi tma, mi hermano, mis primos, a bailar a matinis de clubes de San Isidro,
Beccar, Tigre, Olivos. A las confitermas del centro, no; a mi mama no le
gustaba. Aprendm a los trece aqos en las fiestas que se hacman en las casas,
esas que se llamaban "asaltos", mirando y haciendo de conejito de indias
de los varones de la familia.

Graciela, cuando usted baila hace unos "adornos" muy personales con los
pies. ?Son invenciones suyas?

Sm. Un amigo de Pedro me dijo una vez que yo mezclo pasos de tango con pasos
de fox trot o de dixieland. Ni me habma enterado.

Y usted, Pedro, ?de qui manera comenzs a bailar?

A los catorce aqos habma empezado. Venmamos aqum, al Parque Lezama, con una
barra de muchachos: Petrsleo (pero no el de Villa Urquiza), Lalo, Poleto,
Martmn. Aunque vivma en La Boca yo hacma amistades en todos lados. Tramamos
una vitrola, solamente mzsica de la orquesta de D4Arienzo, y nos ponmamos a
sacar pasos; uno decma: "sabis que un chabsn puso el pie asm y despuis lo
cruzs aca". "A ver", decmamos; y asm hasta que lo sacabamos.

?Y su primer baile formal?

Una vez me dijeron los muchachos: "Flaco, venm que te vamos a llevar a
bailar". "No, no, a ver si voy en cana", digo yo. Es que era menor de edad.
"Te hago pasar como mi sobrino", me dice uno. Y me llevan al Rancho Grande,
de Quilmes. "Pinocho en ese entonces me llamaban Pinocho, por la nariz,
saca a esa mina que te esta mirando". Yo pensaba que me tomaban el pelo, que
me iba a ensartar, que a lo mejor era renga. Pero no. Fue asm como empeci a
salir con los muchachos. Tambiin iba a algunos clubes donde no habma tantos
requisitos, y a los pic-nics, que tambiin se bailaba. Pero la de veces que
en la capital llamaron a mi viejo para que fuera a buscarme a la comisarma.

?Y il csmo lo tomaba?

Imagmnese, era montenegrino. Despuis, ya a los diecisiis aqos, con la buena
altura que alcanci y un poco mal afeitado, empeci a entrar facilmente a los
bailes mas reos: Palermo Palace, Kakuy, La Enramada, Palacio G|emes, Mi
ranchito, El Palmareqito.

?Csmo fue encontrando su estilo?.

Yo conocma millones de figuras, pero mi estilo fue cambiando cuando
empezamos a ir a... ?se puede decir el nombre?, al Savoy. Habma tanta gente
que llegs un momento en que no se podma bailar. Elimini el "ocho" porque si
lo hacma le pegaba una patada al tipo de adelante, y fui inventando pasos
para poder seguir el ritmo. Por ejemplo, como no se podma girar, metm la
"vuelta americana".

?En qui ipoca ocurrma esto?

Pedro: En el sesenta y ...

Graciela: En el 80, porque ya nos habmamos mudado a Avellaneda. Venmamos con
el colectivo 51 hasta Constitucisn y de ahm al Savoy con la lmnea 60.



?Qui orquestas prefieren? Me refiero a orquestas para bailar.

(A dzo) Di Sarli.

Pedro: Es la orquesta que habla; y no lo digo yo, lo dijo Mariano Mores.

?Glorias Argentinas es el salsn que mas frecuentan?

Graciela: Aunque nos queda un poco lejos nos gusta mucho la mzsica que
ponen. A veces me llama mi hija un sabado, que es el dma que aprovecho para
pintarme las uqas. "?Salen hoy?", me pregunta. "No; papa cobra la jubilacisn
reciin la semana que viene". "Espera que vamos a buscarte", me dice. Viene
en el auto con el marido, me da unos pesos, nos lleva al baile, despuis se
van al bingo o a otro lugar y a las 3 de la maqana vuelven a buscarnos.

?Suelen ir a otras milongas?

Graciela: Si estamos cansados vamos a una matini en Avellaneda, de 5 a 12 de
la noche. End.

May all of us grow older like this beautiful couple., Sergio.