[Tango-L] Tango Pedantics

[Joe Grohens]

Vince said:
> So Petroleo improved tango and thus it evolved. About when did this  
> all happen?

That's what some people say, and apparently what Petroleo himself  
thought. I take it with a grain of salt, but Petroleo is definitely  
someone worth researching.

See:

- http://www.todotango.com/english/creadores/petroleo.asp

- http://www.planet-tango.com/elfiru/petroleo.htm

He danced from 1928-1988.

I always imagined that this innovation period of Petroleo was in the  
1940s, but I don't know really know the dates.

I remember an interview with Carlos Copello (which I can't find at the  
moment) where talks about his early days dancing before he became a  
performer (so I guess, early 1980s). Copello says he worked in a  
produce warehouse during the day. At night he would be at a practica,  
where Petroleo was inventing all kinds of crazy things. He would come  
from there to work. (If anyone recognizes this interview and can send  
me the link I will be grateful.)

Anyway... so perhaps Petroleo was innovating into the 1980s. I don't  
know.

In one of the Trenner tour tapes (1992?) he interviewed Lampazo, who  
said that (paraphrasing) "everything we dance today was started by  
Petroleo." The interview was at Cochabamba 444, so perhaps it is a  
regional tango they are talking about.