InsideTangoArgentino

TheStoryoftheMostImportantTangoShowofAllTime

AntónGazenbeek

Books,ebooks,DVDs,rareTangoCDs-mp3s:http://tango-dancers.com

ISBN:978-1-304-69202-3

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EnricoMassettiPlublishing

InsideTangoArgentino©2013AntonGazenbeek

Acknowledgments

This book isdedicated toMr. Claudio Segovia and hisvision,the lateHectorOrezzoli, and to all the artistswho made Tango Argentino thesuccess that it was. May their hard work, talent, and artistry beremembered…forever.AveryspecialthanksalsotoSergioSeguraforallhishardwork,endlesssupportofthisproject,hisbeautifulgraphic designof thisbookand themany hours shared interviewing, researching, and preparing this book.Graciaschabon!

DisclaimerThisbookistheresultofovereightyearsof intenseresearchconductedin Buenos Aires and around the wor l d .Personal interviews wereconductedwitheachof thesurvivingmembersof the cast of the show,and countless documents, programs, newspaper andmagazine archives,films, videos, audio records, and photographs were consulted. Thisaccumulatedmaterialconstitutesthebulkof thesourcematerialfor thisbook.Thisbookreflectshowtheeventsoccurredtothebestofmyknowledge,and no personal opinions onmy partwere included. It is a non-biasedstudyof theexistingfacts regarding theshow.Thisbook is intended toshowgreat respect toeachandeverymember of the cast, both onstageandoff.AntonGazenbeek

ForewordThetangoalwaysgivesussurprises.ThatayoungDutchboycouldbesoattractedtothemusicanddanceof theRiode laPlata,ashashappenedwithhim,seemedstrangetomeandalmostasifitwasafable,untilonedayImethimpersonallyandconvincinglydiscovered that tohavebeenborninHolland,withallrespect,wasamistake,asthetangoispresentinhis entire body and mind and that through study, sacrifice and adedicationwhichdeservesfull respect and admiration as “work”whichhehasdonefromtheheart, I hope the diffusion of this bookwill be asuccessandhopeitwillbeacceptedandunderstoodinitstruedimension.AsI, JuanCarlosCopes do, Iwish him the best of triumphs in all thefacets of his tanguero career. Strength, a hug and that his “message”continuesconqueringlandandadmirersallovertheworld.Allthebest,JuanCarlosCopesBuenosAiresOctober2008El Tango siempre nos depara una sorpresa.Que un joven holandés, sesienta atraído por la música y danza, del Rió de la Plata, como hasucedidoconél,mesonabaextrañoyhastacasiunafábula,hastaque loconocípersonalmenteycomprobarfehacientemente,quehabernacidoenholanda,con todorespeto, fuéunaccidente,yaqueen todosucuerpoymente, el tango esta presente, a base de estudio, sacrificio y unadedicacióndigna de todo respeto y admiración como “trabajo”, estahecho con el corazón,espero que su difusión y éxito sea entendido ycomprendido, en s uverdadera dimensión; como hago yo, Juan CarlosCopes, que le desea el mayor de los triunfos, en todos sus ciclostangueros. Fuerza, un abrazo y que su “mensaje”, siga conquistandoplazasyadmiradoresentodoelmundo.LoMejor.JuanCarlosCopesBuenosAiresOctubre2008

IntroductionThirty-threepopularArgentineartists reunite inParis to play, sing, anddancetango.Anorchestraoftwelvemusicians.Fivesingers.Sixdancingcouples.Anactor.The danc efloor:Bordello, European Cabare t ,Buenos Aires Cabaret,DanceSalon,NeighborhoodClub.Ablackbackground.TheskyofBuenosAires.Aselectionoftangosthatrecountsthetruehistoryoftango.Eachartisthastheirownrole.EachartistisanauthenticPorteño.ThiswasTangoArgentino.WhatwasTangoArgentino?Whywas it so important ?Whocreated it?Whostarredinit?Whydidithavesuchworldwidesuccess?Whydid itstop?Inthepagesofthisbookyouwillfindtheanswerstoall thesequestionsandmore.InsideTangoArgentinoisanacademic,almostscientificstudyoftheworld’s firstandmost important international tangoshow,TangoArgentino.TangoArgentinowas thecreationof twovery talented theater directorsand designers, Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli. It was the mostmagnificentshow theworld had ever seen in its time, and it spent tenyears touring theworld. It appeared in France, Italy, theUnited States,Canada,Broadway,Japan,Austria,Switzerland,Germany,over52NorthAmerican cities, Venezuela, Holland, Englandand in itshomelandArgentina.It had such unprecedented success everywhere that it appeared that awhole“tangomanía”ortangocrazewassetoff.Peoplebegan togo into

thestreetsandtothetheaterdressedinclothesthatmimickedthedancersin theshow.Menbegan toslick their hair backwith shiny gel to stylethemselves after the men in the show. Women began to wear long,elegant, black dresses with high slits, modeling themselves after thewomen in the show. Fashion designers began to pick up on this anddesigned“tango-inspired”clothinglines.Voguemagazinephotographedthe cast of the show onmore than three occasions. Famous celebritiesfromallfieldsbecamewhatonecouldcall“groupies”of theshow.LizaMinellisawitonnumerousoccasions,RobertDuvall (who later, thankstothisshow,becameatangofanatic,andcontinuestodancetothisday),AnthonyQuinn,AndyWarhol,PrincessDiana,andotherswerejustsomeofthosewhofellundertheshow’sspell.Apartfromthefashionandhairstyles,themostimportantpartofall thiscraze was that Tango Argentino started a boom of interest in tangodancing. Thousands of people clamored at the stage door after everyperformance, begging the dancers to give them classes in authenticArgentineTango.Afterholdingbackandresistingforquitea long time,thedancersfinallyagreedandawhole tangodancecraze tookoff fromBroadwaytoParis toTokyo,andback toBuenosAireswhere thedancehad originated but been forgotten and suffered many years of neglect.Tango classes started up everywhere in dance studios and dance halls.Tangoprofessorscameoutofthewoodworkclaiming to teachauthentictango.Milongas(social tangodances)startedup inmanycitiesallovertheworld,andcontinuetothisday.As a result of all this interest in tango, a tremendous tango tourismbusinessstarted inBuenosAires. In theyear1986 there had been threeAmericans who went toArgentina specifically to study tango: RobertDuvall was t hefirst, and next was a couple named Al and BarbaraGarvey,who laterwenton to become important tango teachers and thefounders of the San Francisco tango community. After 1986 a steadyincreaseintangotourismstartedthatburgeonedintothethousandswithintwo years. It seemed that every citywhere Tango Argentino went wasinspiredbywhatitsawintheshowandhadanappetitetolearnmore.

AndTangoArgentino,ormoreimportantlyitsstory,isinspiring.Itisthestoryofthefightoftwomen.Thefighttokeepadyingartformaliveandpresentittotheworld.ThisisthestoryofTangoArgentino.

1-THECREATORS:CLAUDIOSEGOVIAANDHECTOR

OREZZOLIThestoryofTangoArgentinoreallystartswith thestoryof its creatorsClaudioSegoviaandHéctorOrezzoli.Bothwereporteños,ornativesofBuenos Aires, Argentina, and both grew up with close contact to thetango.Segoviacamefromahighlyartisticfamilyandsincehischildhoodhadagreatinterestinthetheater,music,dance,songandallformsofart.HegrewupnextdoortoanAndalusianflamencopeña.Manyyears laterthisinspiredhimtocreatetogetherwithHéctorOrezzolithespectacularshowFlamencoPurowhich,likeTangoArgentino,hadgreatinternationalsuccessandtriumphedallovertheworld.At theageof20,ClaudioSegoviagraduatedfromtheEscuelaNacionalde Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires,where he studied theater design, setdesign, costume design and other arts. He also graduated from theEscuelaSuperiordeBellasArtes.In1965hestartedhisworkasatheaterdesigner, and already showing extraordinary talent for hiscraft, hedesignedthesetsandcostumesforworksbyShakespeare,VictorHugo,andIbsen,amongothers.HoweverSegoviaalwayshadastrong interest in popular artforms andthis led him to create in 1966 the spectacular show Baguala withMercedes Sosa,withwhom he traveled throughout Europe, the UnitedStatesandthethenSovietUnion.Segoviaquicklyconvertedhimselfintooneofthegreatestmusic-halldirectorsinArgentinaat the timeandhadtheopportunitytoworkwithsomeofthegreatestArgentineartistsofhistime, such asAstor Piazzolla, Ernesto Sabato,AntonioGasalla, NélidaLobatoandEduardoFalu.

With the collaboration of his long-time associate a n dfriend JorgeLavelli,SegoviaworkedformanyyearsonimportantoperaproductionintheatersacrossBrazil,ArgentinaandFrance.Inspiteofallhi swork in thefinerarts, Segovia neverforgot that littleflamenco peña near his childhood home. In the year 1980 after manyyearsofhardworkandinvestigation,Segovia,togetherwithhislongtimepartnerandcollaboratorHéctorOrezzoli, presented the show FlamencoPuro in Seville, Spain. Flamenco Puro brought together the mostauthenticgypsyflamencoartists inSpainandpresented themusic,songand dance on stage in its most authent i cform. The finest clothes,costumes and makeup were used, all without losing the authentic,“earthy” roots of the genre. This was the basis of all the work that

SegoviaandOrezzolidid together:Bringapopular,dying, forgottenartformto thestagewith itsmost authentic and true singers, dancers andmusicians, present a high quality show with unparalleled costumes,exquisitelightingdesignandspectacularhairandmakeup,andshare theheartandsouloftheartformandtheartistswiththeworld.Segoviadidthisonmorethanoneoccasion.AfterFlamencoPurodebutedinSeville,itlatercontinuedontotheFestivalD’AutomneinParis,atourofEurope,andover50NorthAmericancities,includingBroadway.SegoviacontinuedtheideaofshowslikeFlamencoPuroandwenton todesign, direct and produce four other great mega-shows: TangoArgentino,BlackandBlue,NocheTropical,andBrasilBrasileiro.Allofthese shows always conserved Segovia’s strivingand determination topresentauthenticityinallhiswork.In today’sworld,whereauthenticityisscarceandalmostimpossibletofind,thatisaveryadmirabletrait.HéctorOrezzoliWemustnotforgetthatTangoArgentinowasnotthecreationofClaudioSegovia alone. It was also the creation of Segovia’s longtime partner,HéctorOrezzoli.OrezzoliwasbornandraisedinBuenosAires.Orezzoliwas quite a different child from Segovia and had a different way ofviewingtheworld.Althoughextremelyartistic,hehadamorebusiness-likewayofseeingthings.Hewas,inshort,whateverygreatartist lacksandneeds:thebusinesssideoftheart,theorganizationalside,thebrains.Orezzoli studied literature, psychology and theater at theUniversity ofBuenosAires,wherehegraduatedintheearly1970s.Orezzolialwaysworked in the theater. In1974hecreated the costumesandsets for theshow“Honeymoon” of SoniaDelaunay. Hewent on todesignotherprominentandimportantshowsaswell.

In the early 1970s as if by destiny, the paths of Claudio Segovia andHéctorOrezzolicrossed.Itwasthemeetingof twogreatmen, twogreatartistsandtwogreatlovers,whotogetherwouldchangetheworld’sviewof theater .Together Segovia and Orezzoli worked on many theaterproductionsandwonmanyprestigiousawardsfor thei rwork.Theywonthegrandprizeat theBiennaledeSaoPaulo, the PrixMoliere, and thepremier prize from the Fond National des Arts. In 1974 Orezzoli andSegoviapresented theshowCarnavaldeVeniseat theFestivalAix-en-Provence,with scene and costume design by the two, and direction byJorgeLavelli.In1975theytouredEuropeandLatinAmericawithsomeofthegreatshowstheycreated.In1980camethedebutofFlamencoPuroaftermanyyearsofhardworkanddeepinvestigationintotherootsoftheflamencoartform.Around 1976 Segovia began toyingwith the idea of putting together a

large scale tango show that placed all the best dancers, singers andmusiciansonthesamestageatthesametime.Thishadneverbeendonebefore,andhethoughtitaninterestingidea.Hetalkedwithafewpeopleintheshowbusiness industryandwasmetwithoneunanimousanswer:impossible.Theyallthoughitwouldbeimpossibletoconvincesomanyartists,allofwhomhadan ego the size of theMoon, to appear on thesamestageatthesametime.Segovia,however,beingaspersistentasheis,didnotgiveup.AtthetimethegreatJuanCarlosCopesandhispartnerMariaNievesandtheir tango ballet were performing in t h enightclub Sans Souci onCorrientes and 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires. Segovia approached Copesaftertheshow,explainedhis idea tohim, the twomenexchangedcardsandparted.CopessaidtoMaria,“Whatastupididea.Thismaniscrazy.Hewillneverdoit.”But no amount of discouragement was enough to kill the idea inSegovia’shead.Hecontinued todevelop it inhis imagination, tweak it,perfect it.Hecontinuedwithotherprojects in themeantime,but it wasalwaysinthebackofhismind.WemustnotforgetthatTangoArgentino(andthereforeothershowslikeFlamencoPuro andBlack andBlue) did not only have these two greatcreators.Therewerewholeteamsofextremelytalentedartists,eachoneamasterinhisorher field,whocontributed to themagic, theexcellence,thesuccessofTangoArgentino.HildaCurlettoHilda Curletto was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sheshowedsignsofextreme talent froma veryyoung age.Hilda is a veryspecial ,very gener o u swoman. Very quiet, observant, extremelyintelligentandwildlycreative.Sheisawomanwhoknowshowtotakeanideaandmakeitreality.Shelistens,andthenshecreates.Hildawas thecostumemakerandrestorer for TangoArgentino, aswell as Black andBlue,Noche Tropical andBrasil Brasileira. She is best known for herextraordinaryworkinthefieldofvintagecostumerestoration,repairand

re-creation.Shehas theability to takea200yearoldpieceofclothingandrestoreitintoitsoriginalformuntil it looksasspectacularas itdidthefirstdayitwasworn.ThiswashertalentinTangoArgentino.ShealsoaidedSegoviainthedesignofmanyofthecostumesandaddedherexpertisehelpingClaudioselecttherightfabrics,colorsand texturesforwhatwasneeded.Jean-LucDonVitoJean-Luc Don Vito was a talented young, French makeup artist andhairdresserwhoalreadyhadgreatexperienceasoneofthetopstylistsforthephotoshootsof themajor French and European fashionmagazines.Hewasingreatdemandtomakeuptheimportantmodelsofthetimeandseldom found himself without work. Through a relationship with theArgentinetheaterdirectorAlfredoArias,whoformanyyears resided inParis,Jean-Lucfoundhisway toTangoArgentino.Arias,aclosefriendofSegovia,recommendedhimasagoodchoice tobe themakeupartistandhairdresser for theshow.Segoviasawhiswork, liked it verymuchand plans were under way to discuss the look Segovia and Orezzoliwantedfortheirshow.

2-ThePreparationClaudio Segovia spent years scouring Argentina lookin gfor the bestdancers,singersandmusicianstobepartofhisshow.Hewentnightafternighttoallthetouristshowhouses,suchasCasaBlanca,Michelangelo,ElViejoAlmacénandRugantino, lookingfor thebestdancers he couldfind.Withhisstricteyefortalentandhisknowledgeofwhathewantedforhisshow,afteryearsofcarefulscoutingSegoviafoundwhatandwhohewanted.ThefirstdancerswithwhomSegoviaspokeintheearlypartof1983wereJuan Carlos Copes and María Nieves. Copes and Nieves, who werealreadywell known and respected dancers, choreographers and artists,wereatthetimeworkinginSansSouci,apopulartangoshowhouseinBuenosAires.In1976Segoviawenttoseetheshowandafterwardswentbackstage to the dressing room to speak with them. Copes listened towhatSegoviahadtosay,said,“We'llkeepin touch,”andsaid toNieveswhenSegovialeft,“Thisguyiscrazy.Hisideaisstupidandhewillnevereverbeabletodoaprojectlikethat.Itwillneverhappen.”Well, 7 years later Segoviawent back to see Copes, told him that hisprojectwasarealityandthatitwasgoingtohappen,and thathewantedJuanCarlosandMaría tobeamaincouple in the show.He also calleduponJuantobechoreographerofthegroupnumbersoftheshow,aswellasthefinaleandanumberof thesolopieces.Juanagreedandbegan toworksidebysidewithamanwhojustafewyearsbeforehehadthoughtwascrazy.Copesquicklyrealized that thismanwasnotcrazy, but rather a geniusandavisionarywithamagnificentideaandconcepts thatwereaheadoftheir time.Forexample, for the scene of LaCumparsita,whichwas toshowtangoasitwouldhavebeendancedinParisin1913,as therewerenodocumentsorfilmsofthewaytangowasdancedatthattime,Segoviashowed Copes many old vintage French postcards of tango couplesposing.Copes laid them out on the floorwith Segovia, arranged them,rearranged themina different order, and from thos eposes,with a few

linkingsteps,thechoreographytoLaCumparsitawasborn.CopesandNieveswerefine,butSegovianeededfiveother couples.HerecruitedNélidaandNelson,whoat the timewereartisticdirectorsandchoreographersatMichelángelo.TheywerealreadyawellknowncoupleinArgentinaandabroad,astheyhadbeenworkingsince1971 in the tango show business. They had appeared o nstage, ontelevisionandinthetheaterwiththebestorchestrasandsingers,andtheyhad their own ballet in large and important cabarets such as King andRugantino.Theywerewellknownfor their high speed dancing and their acrobaticsteps, which were unusual for that time, but all this would soon bechangedbySegovia,ashewas lookingforadifferentkindofdanceforhisshow–amoreelegant,dignified,respectfuldanceonthefloor.CarlosandMaríaRivarolawerethenaddedtothecast,eventhoughtheywereconsiderablyyoungerthan therestof those in thecast.Carloswasconsidered (and is still considered to this day) to be a very physicallyattractive and beautiful man. He was tall and elegant, with extremelystrongfacialfeaturesanddark,slanted,almostAsian- looking eyes.Hewasquitestriking inhisappearance,andhiswifeMaríawasevenmoreso.Withher long legs,shapelydancer’sbodyandpiercingblueeyes, itwasawellknownfact thatMaríaused tocause trafficaccidentson thestreetsofBuenosAires,astheeyesofallmale(andsomefemale)driverswereonherandnotonthetrafficwhenshecrossedthestreet!Carloswas todanceoneof themainroles in the show, LaCumparsita,witha then-famedvedetteshowgirlnamedCeciliaNarova.Segovia hadworkedwithNarova invariousrevistasporteñas thathehaddirected inthe TeatroMaipowithAntonioGasalla,Nélida Lobato and other greatartists. In late 1982 when Lobato, the top showgirl at the time inArgentina,becameillanddiedunexpectedly,Cecilia,whowasadancerinthechorus,wascalledintoreplaceher.ThiswasaveryimportantstepforCecilia,andone thatcouldhaveshot

hertohighfame.Butshortlyafterherpromotion,Segoviacalledher forhisnewproject.Shewasexactlywhathehad imaginedfor tworoles inhisshow:theelegant,highclass,ParisiansalondancerinLaCumparsita,andthedark,morocha,girlofthebarrioturnedprostituteforMilonguíta.NarovawastodanceLaCumparsitawithCarlosRivarolaandMilonguítawithMaríaNievesandall themaledancers in theshow.Narovafit herrole to a “T”, and it became one of the most recognized rolesof hercareer.ThenextcoupleaddedtothecastwasMayoralandElsaMaría.Bothwerealready very well known dancers inArgentina and abroad, but not somuchinthetouristshowmarket asweretheotherdancers.Mayoralhadhis ownballet formanyyears, theInstrumentalBallet, inwhich all themembersdanced,sangandplayedamusical instrument. The ballet hadgreatsuccessinthe1970sandtraveledalloverSouthandLatinAmerica.Itwonmany importantprizesandawardsandappearedatall themajorfestivals.MayoralandElsaMaría also hadfilmedaseriesof televisionprogramsthattaughtsimplesalóntango.TheseprogramswerebroadcastalloverSouthAmericaandnotonlyhelpedtospreadtangodance to thegeneralpublic,butalsohelpedMayoralandhiswife togainrecognitiononagranderscale.The style of Mayoraland Elsa Maríawas tha tof tango salón, a verysimple yet highly dignified dance full of small, playfulmovements byMayoral.Mayoralhada tremendoussenseof humor and playfulness inhis dance, and this was a delight to see. Instead of the typical stiff,straight-forwardtangothatwaspopularatthetime,hiswasadancefullofcharacterandpersonality.GloriaandEduardohad originally been called by Segovia, but becauseGloriawasabouttogivebirthtotheirfirstchild,travelingonalargetourwasnotanoption.Their timewouldcomeonlyashortyear laterwhentheywouldjointheshowforasecondtour.GloriaandRodolfoDinzelalsowerecalledbySegoviatotakepartinthefirstshow.HewenttoseethemperformatElViejoAlmacén,likedtheir

lookonstageandarrangedameetingwiththem.Afterlongnegotiations,theDinzelsdecidednot todo the tour.Segoviadidnotwant togive themasolonumbertodance.Theywe r eto be likeall the other dancers and dance as part of anensemble. The only soloswere given to Copes andNieves,Nélida andNelson,andMayoralandElsaMaría.TheDinzels,especiallyGloria,didnotlikethisonebit,andbothturneddownSegovia’soffer.Theytoo,likeGloriaandEduardo,wouldhaveasecondchanceayear later to jointheshow.A young couple was needed, so Segovia called on Mónica Canda andLuciano Frías. Mónica and Luciano, although both only in their mid-twenties,hadalreadybuiltanimpressivecareer.TheybothhaddancedintheballetofCopes,performedonimportanttelevisionprogramssuchasGrandesValores del Tango, touredColombia, Brazil, Chile, performedwithorchestrasliketheSextetoMayorandSextetoTango,andstarredintheshowsoftheveryimportantArgentineactorHugodelCarril.MónicaandLucianowerewell known on the scene for two things: hisextreme physical beauty, and her strong appearance on stage. Lucianowasfamousforhisslickedbackblackhair,whichwhenwelldonegavetheimpressionofanextremelyreflectivemirror. Itwasquiteasight tosee,andnoothermaletangodancerafterhimhasbeenable to replicatethelook.Mónica,ontheotherhand,wasanunusualbeauty.Althoughshedidnotpossess the typical“dancer’sbody”,shehada pair of eyes thatcould light up the lighthouse ofAlexandria!With her long, curly hair,amplebosomandshapely legs, shewas justwhat Segoviawas lookingfor.Sotheywerein.Onemorecouplewasmissing.Segoviahadseeneverymajorandminortango couple in Buenos Aires but had no tfound that last couple heneeded. One day, speakingwithNelson,Nélida said to him, “And thatlargeman that isyourfriend.What is hisname? The onewhowe sawdance on the street for pennies? Where is he?” That “largeman” ofcoursewasVirulazo.Nelsonlikedtheideaverymuchandsetoutwitha

friendtosearchforVirulazoandhiswife,Elvira.Thatwouldprovetobenoeasytask.Virulazohadgivenupontangoandwastiredofdancingforsuchlittlemoney.Hehadafamilytosupportandwasnolongerinterestedinthehardlifestylehehadsufferedduetotango.Ashewasquitebohemian,heandhisfamilymovedoften,soitwasquitedifficult to track them down. Nelson and his frie n dwalked aroundVirulazo’s old neighborhood knocking on doors, askingfor thewhereaboutsof thedancer.Nooneknewanything until in San Justo (aneighborhoodontheoutskirtsofBuenosAires)onemansaid,“Oh,yes!ElGordo(thefatman)!Heworksinthebutchershoponthecorner.”Sotothecorner theywentandfoundVirucovered inblood,workingathisnewjob.TheyexplainedtohimwhatwashappeningwithSegoviaandhisnewproject.Virulazowantednothing todowith it;hedidn’tcare iftheydiditinBuenosAires,orParisoronthemoonitself.Hesaidhenolongerdanced,didn’twant todanceandwas not going to dance.Whentheymentionedtheideaofanaudition,henearlyhittheroof.Hesaid,“IamVirulazoandIdo not have to audition for anybody! Especially notsomefrou-froutheaterdesigners!”Finally Nelson convinced Virulazo to do it. So one day,while therehearsals for theshowwerewellunderway,Nelson tookVirulazo andElviratoElViejoCaféNacionalwheretherewasasmallstagewheretheaudition was to be held. José Libertella was there with some of hismusicians,andSegoviawas introduced toVirulazo andElvira.Hewasextremely skeptical at first. Virulazo and Elvi r awe r eno tthe typicalimageofatangodancer.Theywerenotthetypicalimageofanykindofdancer!Virulazowaswellover s i xfeet tall, towered over most averaged sized people and wasoverweight by about 120 pounds. He, like many Argentines of hisgeneration,livedonadietofasado(barbecuedbeef),beerandcigarettes.Elvira,ontheotherhand,wasoversix feet tallaswell, slender,sinewyandmuscularwithlong,thinlegs,longarmsandasomewhat“handsome”face.Withhershort,boyish,blackhair,“feminine”wasnotaword that

describedherwell.Segoviawasextremelyhesitantandhadhisdoubts,butheagreed to letthemdance.HeaskedthemwhatsongtheywouldlikeandVirulazosaid,“Tanguera”.TheorchestraplayedTanguera,theydidtheirbest,butitwasnot the best audition of all time .It simply wa sno tthe right musicalchoicefor their personality. So Segovia asked them to do another one,andthistimeVirulazochoseOrgulloCriollo.Themusicstarted,VirulazoandElviradanced,andeveryone in thecaféfroze, stopped what they were doing, approached the stage, and stoodtheremesmerized as towhat they were seeing. The music ended, andSegovia, in shock, stood up, applauded wildly, and hired them on thespot.“ElGordo”fromSanJustowasabouttodebutinParis.There are, of course many dance couples who were bending overbackwards to get into the showat that time. It is known that a youngbricklayernamedMiguelÁngelZottoattemptedtojointhecastin1983,butwas turned down, aswere other prominent couples such as Los deCobre,LosdelPlata,Marinelandothers.With the dancing couples already chosen, an orchestra and a musicaldirector needed to be found. Segovia hadoriginally spoken with thelegendarybandoneónistAníbalTroilo“Pichuco”tobemusicaldirectoroftheshow,butshortlyafteronthe18thofMay1975,Pichucopassedawayleavingbehindhimanunforgettablemusicallegacy.NextSegoviaspokewithAstorPiazzolla.However,Astorstartedputtingconditions:Hewouldonlyplayintheshowifallthemusicalpieceswerehisown.This,ofcourse,wasimpossible,as the ideaof theshowwas totake the audience on a journey through the history of tango and theevolution of the genre. Piazzolla also was overly anxious t ofinalizeeverythingandsignacontract,another impossiblecondition,asSegoviahadnotcompletedthedesignofhisshow,letalonethecastingofartists.Hehadnotevenwrittenhisowncontract.Segoviadecidedagainstit,andAstorwentonhisway.

The SextetoMayor orchestra debuted at the Casa de Carlos Gardel inBuenosAiresonthe29thofApril1973andplayedeverynight toa fullhouse.Theorchestra immediatelybecameasuccesswith thepublicandthepress. International tours toallofLatin,SouthandCentralAmericafollowed,asdidtourstoJapan,Asia,andEurope.Around1981/1982 theorchestrawasenjoyinggreatsuccessat theTrottoirsdeBuenosAires inParis. The Trottoirswas a legendary old tango café opened by SusanaRinaldi, AntonioCantón and TomásBarna, andwaswhere all the besttangomusiciansandsingers in theworldperformedwhen in Paris. TheSextetoMayorplayedatthegrandopeningoftheTrottoirsonthe19thofNovember1981.AtthistimeClaudioSegovia,whohadbeenlivingandworking inParis formany years, gotword of this new orchestra andwent to hearthem.SegoviaspokewithJoséLibertella,who togetherwithLuísStazowasthedirectoroftheorchestra.TheSextetohadagreat repertoireandcouldgiveSegoviawhatheneeded,so itwasagreed to include theminthecastoftheshow.DiscussionsgotunderwayandSegoviaexplainedtoLibertellahis idea topresentall themusical styles and time periods oftang ofrom the earliestMilongas to the most modern compositions ofAstorPiazzollaandHoracioFerrer.Fromtheverybeginningmostofthemusicalarrangementswereadaptedby José Libertella. Libertella,who was born in Italy, but moved toArgentinawhenhewasonlyafewmonthsold,.Hewasverywellknownforhistalentasamusicalarranger.Segoviahadalreadybeentoseehimin1976whenheoriginallywanted to debut his show. Initially SegoviawantedthegreatAníbalTroilotobemusicaldirectoroftheshowand tohavehisorchestraonstage.However due to Troilo’s death in 1974, this was not a possibility. Aninterestingnoteis thateachperformanceofTangoArgentinobeganandendedwithQuejas deBandoneón as a homage to the great “Pichuco”.Mostof themusical arrangements in the show are those of Troilo thatLibertella“adapted”,butbasicallytheyarethearrangementsofTroilo.

Next Segovia called Horácio Salgán, a magnificent tango pianist andcomposerwhoplayedinasuccessfulduowithUbáldodeLío.SalgánanddeLíohadplayed together in theTrottoirsdeBuenosAires in Paris in1982andcausedsuchasensationthataliverecordingoftheconcertwasmade.TherearestillParisianswho to this dayvividly rememberthoseconcerts.Salgánwasandforeverwillbea legend inArgentinemusicalhistory,writingsuchsongsasAFuegoLento,ADonAugustínBardi,andOratorioCarlosGardel.Salgánhadanextremelymodernstylefor the timeandhadbeenpartofmany important orchestras, such as those of Roberto Firpo, EdmundoRiveroandothers. In1960hehadcreated theQuintetoReal,whichhadtremendous success all over the world. He later created the NuevoQuintetoReal,whichhadevengreatersuccess than thefirst.Ubáldo deLío had alwaysplayed in duo with Salgán in all their concerts andrecitals.TheybothhadrecordedmanyLongPlayrecordsand cassettes,andtheirmusicwasknowntheworldover,especiallyinJapanwheretheyhadalargenumberoffollowers.Bothwereaddedtothecast.Withthecastcompleteandtheorganizationoftheshowwellunderway,rehearsalspacewasanother issue that thecompanyhad todealwith. Inan interviewwithGloria andRodolfoDinzel by Luís Tarantino in themagazineTangoXXI,thecouplesaid,“ManypeopledeniedSegovia theuseofrehearsalhallsforthefirstTangoArgentino.Werehearsed in theoldCano14.Evenwiththetriumphandwiththesuccessitwasthatway.InrealitythefirstonetogiveusanyattentionwhenwecamebackfromParis was Alejandro Romay in Canal 9. He gave us a plaque. I thinknobody realizedwhat had happened;we hadn't gone to Broadwa yyet.Romayrealizedsomethingwasabouttohappen.”

3-TheDream:Paris1983Ashasbeenmentionedbefore,Segoviafoundnosupportwhatsoever inhishomeland.Afterspendingyearspitchingtheideaforhisprojecttoallthemajorandminortheaterdirectorsin thecountry,hewasalwaysmetwith a unanimous “No!” Not discouraged, he began to search outsideArgentina,althoughhisdreamreallywastopresenttheshowforthefirsttimeinthebirthplaceoftango.Thiswasnottobe,anditwasthankstohislongtimefriendandsupporterJorgeLavellithathewasabletoprocureaspotattheFestivald'AutomneinParis.The Festival d'Automne was a long running, highly prestigious artsfestivalknownforpresentingavantgardeworks,manyofwhichwentontobecomeiconic in thei rfield.The slotwasforsixdaysonly, but at amost unusual theater: the legendary Théâtre Châtelet. It is jokedmanyyears later thatmostmembersof that first cast immediately said “yes”simply upon hearing thewordChâtelet!Noon ewanted to pass up theopportunitytoperformonthesamestageonwhich theBalletsRussedeMonteCarlohaddebuted.Noonewanted topass up the opportunity toperformonthesamestageonwhichVaslavNijinskyhadonce leaptandpirouetted.Greasewasnottheword,butChâteletwas!SegoviaandOrezzoliwerefamiliarwiththeFestivald’Automneas theyhad presented their highly successful show Flamenco Puro there a fewyearsearlierandmetwithgreatsuccess.Theirworkhad the integrity tobepartofafestivallikethis,andTangoArgentinowasnoexception.The company did one dress rehearsal in the TeatroAlveár in BuenosAiresbefore theydepartedforParis.Asmallgroupof familymembersand friends was invited to see the incomplete show. Many of thecostumeswerenot evenboughtyet, themakeup had not been designedand theorderof theshowwasratherdisorganized.Thefewpeoplewhowereprivileged tobe thereallhadnegativefeedbackforSegovia.TheythoughtitapitythatpeoplewithsuchtalentweregoingtogotoParisandshowsomethingaslowclassastango,especiallywithdancerswhowere

middle-agedandoverweight.As Segoviafound little to no support for his show in Argentina orelsewhere,hehadtobendtherulestoconvinceafriendofhiswithtiesintheArgentineAirForce toprocure thecompanymemberspassage on amilitarycargoplanethatwasenroutetoParis.Thestorygoesasfollows:TheFalklandIslandsWarhadjustendedafewmonthspriorandtherewasaFrenchExocetmisslethatwasfired,butdidnotexplodeontheislands.AsitwasofficiallyFrenchproperty,itneededtobereturnedtoitsmothercountry.Segovia’sfriendgotwindofthisandenabled thecast to travelalongwith themissile in the small passengerareainthecargoplane.On thedayofdeparture the30membersof theshow,uneasybutat thesametimeexcited,ascendedthestepsintoastrangeplanewithastrangeroutetoaveryuncertainfuture.Onlytimewouldtellhowthisexperiencewouldturnoutforthemall.As therewasnoon-boardserviceon themilitary plane ,food had to beboughtforthepassengers,soNelson,NelidaandElviraweresentout tobuya fewsandwichesandothersmall items to tide thepassengersoveruntiltheplanereacheditsdestination.Itdidnot,however,reachPariswithoutmakingnumerousstopsalongtheway.Theplanerefueled in theCanaryIslands,and the passengerswereanxioustoexittheplane,entertheterminalandrefreshthemselves.Theydiscovereduponopening theplane’sdoorandbeing literally “hit”with110degreeheat, that theywouldnotbeallowed to leave thevicinityoftheplane,as theyhad landedatamilitarybaseandwere traveling in amilitary jet. So there they were, the haggard members of TangoArgentino,allowedtowalkinthe110degreeheatof theCanaryIslandsonly around the steps of the plane, whichwere surrounded by armedSpanishsoldiers.Itwasasightthathadtobeseentobebelieved!After numerous other stops, the plane finally landed i nParis and thecompanysaidgoodbyetotheirmilitarytransport,neveragaintotravelin

similarstyle.ItwasnotuntilthecastgottoParisthatJean-Lucmetthepeoplehewastomakeupforwhatwouldbethenext10years,sohehadtostudy theirindividual features, thei rfaces, their angles. He began to apply theirmakeup and hair and, following Segovia’s strict guidelines and vision,adapt it to the individualityofeachartist.Timewasof theessenc eandefficiencywascrucial.Costumingwasanissue,andotherpiecesofclothingwerepurchased tosupplement thewardrobe of the show.Assistants scoured flea marketsandantiqueshopsinParis,lookingforparticularvintageerapieces thatSegoviafelt he needed to give the show the necessary authenticity.Althoughtheywereonaverylimitedbudget,noexpensewasspared.ThecompanyarrivedtoParisafteraverylong,tiringtriponthemilitaryplane and immediately began to rehearse in the theater. The ThéâtreChâteletwasanenormous space, andmany of the dancers in the showwerenotaccustomedtoperforming inspaces that large.Thatwasaboutto change. They had to make their movements larger, stretch out thespacemore.However,when thestagefilledat theendforDanzarínandQuejasdeBandoneón,theyhadtorespecteachothers'space.Oneday in1984 inVenice,JorgeReeves,dancingwithCeciliaNarovaat the time,crossed intoVirulazo and Elvira’s space.Virulazowas so angered thatbackstageaftertheshowhepulledoutaknifethathehadinhisbeltandthreatenedReeves.Thistypeofbehaviorwascommoninthedaysof thecompadritos t owhichVirulazowas accustomed, but not on a stage inVenice. Virulazo was reprimanded by Segovia, and the ac twa sneverrepeatedagain.Although the company arrived without fanfare andwithout hype, thenews did get to the press, and a small article appeared in the LaLiberationnewspaper onThursday, the10thofNovember1983, thedaybeforethedebut.Thearticlesaid,“Withcostumesandbandoneóns, theyarrived t oParis in amilitary plane lent to them by the government ofBuenos Aires. Final destination: the Châtelet. Thirty-three argentine

porteñosaccompaniedbytwodirectors,willfromthe11thtothe17thofNovemberpresent the show <<TangoArgent in>>. It has not been seenyet.TheFestivald'Automnethrewanideainto theair: tomountashowonauthentic tango inParis.Dance,song,andmusic.Twoargentines, inEurope formany years after leavingArgentina, took up the challenge:Claudio Segovia, creator of musical shows that went on tour withMercedes Sosa, who in collabora t i onwith Jorge Lavelli created<<Flamenco Puro>> in 1980 in Seville, andHéctorOrezzoli, costumerand decorator, co-creator with Segovia of many successful music-hallshows.BuenosAires,thesmallworldof tango, ischaotic,unacceptable,impossible.TheprojectwiththeparticipationofAstorPiazzollaechoue.The idea to incorporate the Orchestra of Osvaldo Pugliese, one of thegreatsoftango,wasalsoabandoned.Thedancers,justliketheactorJorgeLuz, is confident in his intuition, free of choreographic indications…Someof theartistshavealready touredEurope,Japan, theMiddleEast,LatinAmerica.ButmostofthemarediscoveringPariswithamazement,trustinginthereceptionwhichwillbegiventothembyFrance.Alltheirdreams are allowed. One dance couple sees it as a springboard tostardom.Anotherenvisionssettlingdownsometime‘ifwewantto.’Onemusiciancitestheneedtobreathcreatively.Othersdonothavefaithyet.Buttomorrow,‘IfGodwantsit,’theresponseisintheChâtelet.”Thisarticlegaveageneralimpressionofthefeelingamongst thecastastheyhadjustarrivedtoParis.Itwasafeelingofgreatuncertainty,butatthesametimeofgreathope,dreamsandfaith.Manyof themembers inthe cast had very different agendas. Cecilia Narova, for example, hadalwaysdreamedofbeingashowgirl in the Lido or Folies Bergere, andherdreamwastobe“discovered”bysomeonefromthereandbecomethestarofa Parisian cabaret show. JovitaLunawanted to relive her glorydaysofwhenshehadbeenastarinthetheatersandcabaretsof thecity.CarlosandMaríaRivarolajustwantedtoseeParis.The article also gives an uncanny premonition of wha twas about tocome,andas thesuspensegreweveryoneknewthemomentfor the testwouldbeintheChâtelet.

When the cast arrived in Paris the director of the FestivalD'Automne,MichelGuy,askedSegoviatogiveaspecialdressrehearsalforthepress.Segovia said i twas impossible, asmany of the costumeswere not yetready,thelightingwasnotset,and theequipmentand technology in thetheaterwasnotadequatelysetupfortheshow.Guyopenedthecurtainofthestage,andSegoviasawa theater full of press, reporters, journalistsandphotographerswaitingfortheperformance.Inshock,hedecidedtohaveJovitaLunasingBaládaParaMiMuerteandto show the last scene in the show, that of Danzarín and Quejas deBandoneón. Jovita sang, and when she finished, the photographers'flasheswent off like wildfire. The dancers entered, danced, and whentheyfinished,theentiretheaterjumpedtoitsfeetscreaming,andflasheswentoffallaroundthetheater.Noonecouldbelievewhat theyhad justseen.Historywasabouttobemade.And so it was.After 10 years of struggling, fighting and never losingfaith inhisdream,ClaudioSegovia'sdreamcame true. TangoArgentindebuted at the Théâtre Musicalde Paris Châtelet on the 11th ofNovember1983toafullhouseof2,500spectators.Itwasasmashhit fromthemoment thecurtainwasraised.Aftereverynumber,whether itwassong,music or dance,a tremendous thunder ofapplauseandstampingwasheardallthewaytothedressingroomsofthetheater .WhenCarlos Rivarola andCeciliaNarova entered the stage todance La Cumparsita, the most well-known tango in the world, theaudience burst into applause at the sight and sound of something verybeautifulandfamiliar:Parisian tango.Rivarolacame out in his elegantblack tailcoat,whitebowtie,slickedbackhair in thestyle of RudolphValentino,andNarovamorebeautiful thanever inhergoldfloor-lengthdress,blackbejeweledlaceoverdress,andherspectacularpearlheaddresswithawhiteegretfeatherthatseemedtoreachtheheavens.On thefinalposeofthedance,thefamoussoupleé,thetheaterwentwild.WhenNélida andNelson finished performing their solo of Celos, theywent to theedge of the stage, embraced andwept at the responsewith

whichtheywerereceived.Theyexitedthestagecrying.Evenafterhavingbeenprofessionaldancersforover20yearsbeforeTangoArgentino,theyhad never been received with such warmth and such passion by anaudience. Copes, who had been watching in thewings, told them,“Chicos,takethischoreography,put it inaboxwitha little ribbon,anddisplayitonyourmantle,becauseitisabeauty.Thisisthechoreographythattheworldwillrememberyoufor.”Andsoitwas.

AninterestinganecdoteisthatwhenVirulazoandElvirafinisheddancingtheirsolo,Virulazoreturnedtothemen'sdressingroomandsaid,“Guys,didyouhearall thatnoise?”andCarlosRivarola replied, “What noise?Youmeanyoufelldownagainanddentedthestage?”Virulazospentthenext fewminutes chasing him around the dressing room, bot hof themlaughinghysterically.Howeverwhen the lightsslowlycameuponJorgeLuzfor his scene ofAmorpho-tango,noone in the audiencequiteknewwhat to think.Herewas a 60-year-old man dressed in a black satin dress, one shoulderexposed,completelywhitefacewithblackeyes,redcheeksandlips,andwig.TocompletetheensembleJorgeworethemostcuriousoffootwear:blackballetpointshoes.Asthescenecontinued,thisamazinglytalentedactorimpersonatedeverymajor tangosinger fromLibertadLamarque toTitaMerello to RobertoGoyenéche,copyingtheiraccents,movementsandmannerismsperfectly.Hethenenteredintoadementedargumentwithafarol(lamppost),whichheinsulted,punched,kicked,andendedup“killing” incompadritostylewithastrongstabofaknife.Jorgethendancedafourminuteimproviseddanceonpoint to Piazzolla's LoQueVendrá,which for aman ofwellover 60 yearswith no ballet training is no easy task. He ended in thefamousposeof theDying Swan from Swan Lake: the ballerina on onekneeon thefloor,other legextended infront of her, her hands crossedtowardsher toes and head bowed in a position of submission to death.Theaudience,aftera fewmomentsofstunnedshock forwhat they hadjust seen, burst into spontaneous and wild applause showing theirappreciationforatrulytalentedactor(anddancer).

Butnothingcouldhavepreparedtheaudienceforwhattheywereabouttoseenext.Thestagewasblack,alightbluealmostmoonlight-typelightlitupthebackdrop,andtheorchestrastartedtoplaythefirstfewphrasesofDanzarín. One by one the couples entered the stage. The men in theirelegantblackdouble-breastedpinstripedsuits.Thewomen in themost elegant and fine black satin dresses sinceRitaHayworthandthemovieGilda.Asthestagefilledwiththesemysterious,black-cladcouples,dancingso solemnly, so serious, so dignified, Pariswasabouttofindanewobsession.Anewexoticdesire.Anewfashion.Andthatfashionwouldstayforever.During the bows on the first night of the debut of the show, ClaudioSegoviacameout onto the stage to take a bow.He even danced a fewstepswithMaríaNieves in one of the bis or encores, La Cumparsita.Threeencoresweredancedthatnightandallsubsequentnightsthereafterastheaudiencedemandedmoreandmore.Thefollowing is the program for the debut of TangoArgentinwhen itappearedattheThéâtreChâteletaspartoftheFestivalD’Automne1983:

Overture:QuejasdeBandoneónbytheSextetoMayorElApacheArgentinoballetbythemaledancersEl Esquinazo ballet by the couples with the entrance of thefemaledancersLa Puñalada orchestral piec eby Horacio Salgan, Ubáldo deLíoandorchestraElPorteñitosongbyJovitaLunaElTortazosongbyElbaBerónLaMorochadancebyMónicaandMaríadelCarmenMiNocheTristesongbyRaúlLaviéLaCumparsitadancebyCeciliaNarovaandCarlosRivarolaElChoclosongbyElbaBerónElAmanecerorchestralpiec ebyHorácio Salgán andUbáldodeLíoDeMiBarriosongbyJovitaLuna

OrgulloCriollodancebyVirulazoandElviraEl Marne and Taconeándo bandoneón solos by Libertella,Stazo,Pareta,andRicciardiMilonguítaballetbyalldancersandCeciliaNarovaAmorpho-tangocomicalactbyJorgeLuzNostalgiasorchestralpiecebytheSextetoMayorCuestaAbajosongbyRaúlLaviéCanciónDesesperadasongbyMariaGranaLaYumbaandLaGranMuñecadancesbyHéctorMayoralandElsaMaríaCaseróndeTejassongbyMaríaGranaCanaroenParisorchestralpiecebyHorácioSalgánandUbáldodeLíoLosMareados song byMariaGranawith accompaniment byHorácioSalgánandUbáldodeLíoSinPalabrassongbyMaríaGranaNuncaTuvoNoviosongbyRaúlLaviéLluviadeEstrellasorchestralpiecebytheSextetoMayorCelosdancebyNélidaandNelsonYAmiQueandDesencuentrosongsbyElbaBerónA Fuego Lento song byHorácio Salgán, Ubáldo de Lío andorchestraBaladaParaMiMuertesongbyJovitaLunaVeranoPorteñodancebyJuanCarlosCopesandMaríaNievesLosPájarosPerdidossongbyRaúlLaviéwithaccompanimentbytheorchestraAdiósNoninoorchestralpiecebytheSextetoMayorMalena,ElMotivo,LaUltimaCurda,GarúasongsbyRobertoGoyenéche“HommageaAníbalTroilo”-DanzarínandQuejasdeBandoneónballetbyallthedancers

Theshowplayedfromthe11thofNovemberuntilthe17thofNovember1983toasoldouthouseeverynight.Suchwasthecrazeovertheshowin

Paris that long lines of people formed around the block of the theater,waiting in the cold snowfor the chance to get tickets. People waitedoutsidethestagedoorwithsignsthatsaidtothecast,“Don'tleave.Pleasestayforever.”ThecityofPariswasunderatruespell.

Thenewspaperandpress reviews of the show praised the show for theexoticnessitshowedandforthequalityoftheproduction.Onthe13thofNovember 1983 Le Mondnewspaper's headline read “Le triomphe dutangoaParis”(ThetriumphoftangoinParis).Thearticlecontinued,“OnFriday, the 2,500 spectators gave a standing ovation in the Theatremusical de Paris to the premiere of the show <<Tango Argentin>>,directedbyClaudioSegovia…Theplaceforthetruetango.Betweenmenandwomenwith thesoundofmonotonouschantschargedofsensuality.The scenario is always the same: approach, seduction, hesitation,conquest,heat,rebellionandfinallydeathlikewhenachildisseducedbya slick hooligan, perishing under his dagger. Brutal. On stage, anorchestra of 12 musicians - the <<Sexteto Mayor>>,five singers, sixcouples of dancers. Themen have the look ofmacho seducers and thegirlshavetheincandescentglancewhichgivesshiverseverywhere.”TheLiberationnewspaperonthe14thofNovember1983hadaheadlinethat said, “The bandoneón keels over, the bodies seduce, the voicescharm:<<tangoargentin>>, thirty threePorteñosforamagicevoked inblackandwhite.”The article continued, “The tango had never really disappeared fromParis… and it lived sparsely, without history, in the dance halls…Imaginea ‘digest’of theOldandNewTestament.ClaudioSegoviaandHéctor Orezzoli, in charge of 31 participants… and with all therepertoire,allsounds,allstepsandespeciallyallambiguitieswhichmakethe tango.Theentranceof thedancers isalready in itselfashortcut ofthe philo-tangosophie: the three coupleswhich penetrate the stage aremaleandawkward, thuswith themanliness learnedbetween them, theyseducethesenoras…theyhavealreadymadethebedofthetango…Itistrue that thefirst evening, thechoreographies appeared in precariousequilibriumin the premiere, but by the second evening everythingwasforgotten with the embroideries of Horácio Salgán, the voices goingbetweencaressanddangerof the threefemalesingers,and the perilousscissor-likelegsofJuanCarlosCopesandMaríaNieves.”Thearticlegaveparticularpraise toJorgeLuz andRobertoGoyenéche,

“Thereremain twocharacterswhom one regrets not seeingmore of onstage:Jorge Luz, dazzling actorwho, dressed up in drag plays the onehundredyearoldheroofvicissitudes,doesaduetwitharubberlamppost,untilhemakeslovetoit.Itisalaughingevocationofamanwhoknowshow to be exempt from drama.And then Roberto Goyenéche, patheticsilhouetteandvoicewhocandryany throatonlybysinging thePorteñophonebook,petrifiedawholeroomwhilesingingLaÚltimaCurda.”Oneoftheheadlinesofanarticleontheshowintheearlydaysafter thedebutread,“OnestepofVirulazo isworthtenchoreographiesofBejart.”This is a reference to themodern dance choreographer Maurice Bejartand hismodern dance ballet. Onemust understand that at that time inEurope, Bejart was at the height of his success and to compare acompletelyunknownstreetdancerfromArgentina tohim,andclaimthatonly one single step of the latter was more valuable than entirechoreographicworksoftheother,reallyisquitehighpraise.Thewritingwasalreadyonthewallandnotonlywas thisshowgoing tochange thecourseofhistory,butthedanceformwasgoingtochangemanythingsaswell.Thesewereexcitingtimes.Onereviewer,Rene Sirvin,wrote in an article onMonday, the 14th ofNovember1983,“Thedancesareveryvaried.Dancesof salon, cabaret,tangoonpoint, a parody number, dance betweenmen, betweenwomenandbetweengirls,dancesofcompetition,ofseduction,dance-passionanddance of death. The tango is all that, the most drama t i cand mostexpressiveofallthedances.”Renefinishedthearticlewiththesewordstothepublic,"Thevoicessplitopen theair, theheelsstampthefloor, themusic stirs the blood.Don'tmissthisinvitationtodance.Itisunique."

Demandforticketsreachedahighasthedayswentbyandtimecamefortheshowtopackup.Ticketscalpersandresellerslinedthestreetstryingto sell tickets at exorbitant prices. People stood in the cold, snowy,winteryParis streetswithsigns thatsaid, “Please don’t go! Please stayforever!”Thelastnightitwasdecided toopen thedoors to the theaterand letallthosewhohadno ticketsenter tohave theopportunity tosee the show.Peoplewereseated in theaisles, on top of people, sharing seats. Therewereevenpeopleout in the avenue looking in through the open doors,downtheaisleontothestage.Itwasacrazinessonewouldexpectfromarockconcert,nota tango show.But itwasobvious thi swasnot ameretango show, but rathermuchmore than that ,and soon theworld wouldsee.Such was the popularity of the show and the artists in it that theprestigiousfashionmagazineVoguedidasixpagephotoshootwith thedancersfromtheshow.JuanCarlosCopes,MaríaNieves,Nelson,CeciliaNarova,ClaudioSegoviaandHéctorOrezzoliposedintangoposesinthe

latestfashionsbybignamedesignerssuchasLorísAzzaroandEmanuelUngaro.TherewereevenphotosofSegoviadoinga"boleo"withNieves.Afterthemiracle thathad justoccurred itwas time togobackhometoBuenosAires.Thistimenotonamilitarycargoplane,butonAirFrance.

ThisistheactualboardingpassusedbyJuanCarlosCopes toreturn toBuenos Aires (BUE) on the 18 th of November, the day after the showclosed.

When the plane landed at Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires, the castexpectedtoseejournalists,photographers, reporters.Therewasnothing,ther ewas no one. In typicalArgentine fashion, anything related to thesuccessoftangowassimplyandplainlyignored.Onephotoof theshowappeared in thenewspaper Semanario, but only because José Libertellahadgiven it toa friendofhis thatworked in theeditorialofficeof thatnewspaper. The small note dated the 23rd of November 1983 said thefollowing,“ThosewhohavebeenwanderingaroundChacarita these lastfew days say that Gardel, immortalized in the now classic statue, hasbeensmilingmorethanusual.ItisbecausethetangohasjustproducedaphenomenonintheFestivalD'Automne in theChâteletTheater inParis.Raúl Lavié, María Graña, the Sexteto Mayor, Juan Carlos Copes, el‘polaco’Goyenéche,Ubáldo de Lío, Elba Berón, Jovita Luna, HorácioSalgán,MayoralyElsaMaríaamongadelegationof35people,sanganddanced unforgettable tangos in front of 1,200 French fans of ‘the city

music of the Plata’ in the two hours daily that was reserved by thefestival between the 11th and 17th of November. For more than one‘criollo’thatisexiledinParisatearwassheduponhearingthesoundsoftango along the banks of the Seine and upon hearing such complaints[quejas]oftheBandoneón.”

Thisarticle,translatedabovefromArgentineSpanish,containedanamazingamountoftango-relatedslang,andthewayinwhichitwas

writteninvolvedthetitlesofmanytangosandthelyricsofmanytangosaswell.Itindirectlyincludedthetitlesofmanyofthesongsthatwereusedin

theshow,butinasarcasticway.

IndexInsideTangoArgentino1

Books,ebooks,DVDs,rareTangoCDs-mp3s:2

Acknowledgments3

Disclaimer4

Foreword5

Introduction6

1-THECREATORS:CLAUDIOSEGOVIAANDHECTOROREZZOLI8

2-ThePreparation13

3-TheDream:Paris198319

4-TheReturn:Italy/Paris198435

5-TheMiracle:Broadway198542

6-TheBoom:Japan198759

7-TheWorldwideTour:1988,1989,199162

8-TheBeginningoftheEnd:BuenosAires199273

9-TheShow78

10-InsidetheShow:104TheMusic104TheCostumes110TheHairandMakeup118SceneDesignandLighting122

11-TheArtists130JuanCarlosCopesandMaríaNievesRego131NélidaandNelson133CarlosandMaríaRivarola134GloriaBarrios135GloriaandRodolfoDinzel136MayoralandElsaMaría137CeciliaNarova139MónicaandLuciano141NaanimTimoyko143OmarMazzei144GiselleAnneZorzenondeNaveira145CarolinaIotti147NormaAcostaandLuísPereyra148

GloriaandEduardo150CristinaCinza152VirulazoandElvira153JorgeReeves154MiguelÁngelZottoandMilenaPlebs155CarlosandInesBorquez157HorácioSalgán161JoséLibertella163LuísStazo164OsvaldoBerlingieri166SextetoMayor168UbáldodeLío170OrlandoTrípodi171MarioAbromovich171LisandroAdrover171EnriqueDiaz172ElbaBerón175AlbaSolis177RaúlLavié181RobertoGoyenéche182MaríaGraña183

12-Epilogue185

Appendices189TangoArgentinoCasts189CitiesinwhichTangoArgentinotriumphed194Funfacts195

Index199