Tango y Cultura Popular ® English Edition TyCP Special | Page 46

Graciela González
She had the chance to deliver some Tango lessons in St.
Petersburg, Russia, where she had a very interesting chat
with the attendants, and answered their questions. I briefly
expose her replies here.
-My generation is the link between the 30s and 40s’
milongueros and you. I feel it is a moral obligation for me to
transmit my knowledge among the different generations.
-All teachers teach steps they’ve learned from others. We
all do. Besides, it has almost all been created already. It
is just that teachers do the same thing in a different way.
There are some who do not acknowledge they have learned
these steps from others, though. I feel it is really important,
to constantly go back to our own bases, that is, to whom
we all have learned. Luckily enough some of them are still
alive — Nito and Elba, the Rivarola, they come round here
from time to time, and you have the chance to learn with
them. Unfortunately, there are many who have passed
away. Tomorrow I will deliver a lesson showing these old
teachers’ steps – it is a lesson I’ve been delivering for over
twenty-five years now. My generation is the connection
between them and you. I feel it is my obligation to provide
my knowledge to this generation. It is my moral duty
-Besides these old milonguero’s steps have become very
fashionable.
-After all these years I’ve learned that each student has
their own history and body, and that is beyond me. What
I’ve evolved out of is the way I look at the student. My
methods stayed the same. My target has always been that
each and everyone can be themselves when dancing.
-All teachers search the most efficient methods to deliver
the information to their students: in a certain way to some,
and in a different one – to some others. But the concepts
are the same.
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