<h3>
<a href="http://tigerstango.blogspot.com/2007/04/ghost-of-gavito_23.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Ghost of Gavito</a>
</h3>
Milongas come and go but there's an exhilarating feeling when a good
one comes back to life with full force. I have been meaning to write
about this for a few weeks and I can no longer put it off because I was
so moved by this milonga and it was even more amazing on my second and
third visits. Over eight years ago, Maestro Carlos Gavito started El
Recodo milonga at DanceSport. I remember it well and it was the most
exciting milonga in NYC with a crisp Porteño air that sent shivers of
excitement through your soul. In those days, I was rather intimidated
by Gavito but over the years we became friends. He was one of the few
who approved of my leading (although in general, he disapproved of
women leading.) I suppose the great price I paid for this approval was
that he never invited me to dance. He did however, send his girlfriends
to dance with me and this was especially helpful to me in Roma as I
knew no one there and that first dance showed me off so well that I had
female partners for the rest of my stay. Gavito was a godsend. I have
many stories about him and some will remain private memories but here
is another one that I'd like to share...<br><br>The night before Gavito
died (of lung cancer), he came to me in a dream. I was sitting in a
milonga and smoking a cigarette. He came over to my table and said to
me: "I am going but I want you to stay." He reached over and took the
cigarette from my hand. He smothered it out in the ashtray, gave me a
wink, and then disappeared. I quit smoking shortly after this dream and
now it has been almost two years since I quit smoking. It has also been
almost two years since I saw Gavito. For those of you who know me, it
is not surprising to hear that I see and speak with spirits. It is an
integral part of my life and work. Two weeks ago, as Paul Pellicoro
welcomed us into the new DanceSport and spoke about the history of El
Recodo milonga, I saw Gavito in the room. I saw him again last night
and the Holy Ghost of Tango moved through the dancers touching their
forms. (yes that means the level of dancing was quite high!) His
milonga lives! Gavito's spirit is still among us and blesses the space.<br><br>The
new studio, by the way, is lovely. The ballroom is light and airy with
lots of windows, French doors, plants and a cafe off to the side. I was
totally impressed with the cappuccino machines and Danesi espresso.
Leave it to Paul Pellicoro to give us a bigger better and classier
DanceSport! After Gavito, Carlos Quiroga, the editor of Reportango
magazine, carried on El Recodo milonga. At present it is being lovingly
rejuvenated through the efforts of Ko Tanaka - dj extraordinaire! and
hosts Ronen Khayat, Jennifer Wesnousky, and Santiago Steele.<br>Tiger's milonga rating: ✭✭✭✭✭✭✭<br><br><br>El Recodo Milonga<br>Every Sunday night<br>9pm-12:30am, $12 ($5 Dancesport Students)<br><a href="http://www.dancesport.com/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
DanceSport</a> Intl Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio<br>22 W 34th St, 4th floor - next to the Empire State Building, Tel: 212-307-1111<br><br>Special two for the price of one for the month of April<br><br>for more milonga reviews visit:
<br><a href="http://tigerstango.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://tigerstango.blogspot.com</a><br>