Tla*T+[,y+ Tango t+nrrnal S+laIssn *, Novtrnbtr,Zee6 Our fust threeissues featuted interviews with CatlosRivatola (Issue 1), Eduardo Arquimbau & Loredana de Brasil (Issue2), Jorge Torres (Issue3) Did you missthese issues? If so, visit: /wwurmonglan.com/tokyo-tango-joutnal.htm ln +lalslsslrtc lnf*rvi*rvs wifla]tran Gtriela(E**o H+rr] Htrg+Par*t (P*r+ Ta*g+) Plai++graplasE Drawiigs by M+ng-Lan W*6si+t: rpyr,y.rnnnglan.elrrn/+cf,yo_+angojnurnal"latrn Two Interviews by Mong-Lan This issueofthe TbkyoTango Journal focuseson those Argentines who have moved to Tokyo and who through their love oftango, their talent as dancers, and their acumenas organizershave established successfulmilongas in Tokyo. Thus, Juan Guida of Zero Hour and Hugo Paez ofPuro Tango are interviewed and featured. My initial plan had been to interview and feature as well Jose & Laura of Luna de Tango,but becauseofa combinationof a bit oftardiness on both our parts, as well as the needto Drawings by Mong-Lan go to presswith this fourth issueof the TolqtoTango Journal, my intewiew with Jose & Laura will Sansotta.They were beginning insteadappear in the next issue. to teach classesand I went to their practicasand their classes.I saw them Interview with Juan Guida dancing on the streetspromoting their classesand that was it. It was for me. In this way, I began. Earlier the organizerof the first regular Argentinemilonga in Tokyo at Arts City, and now ML: Before coming to Japan, what had been your the impresarioand senior dancer/teacher ofthe well- experiences with tango? In Argentina, did you teach? you knownZero Hour just downthe road from Were in shows? Or, did you simply dance for the RoppongiCrossing, Juan Guida hasdevoted love oftango? himself professionallyand personally-to the developmentofthe Argentinetango in Japan.Ably JG: I dancedin La Viruta; I beganto give classesin assistedin all waysby his wife, Kayoko,herselfalso La Mruta and taught there for two years. Shows, a talentedtango dancer,Juan has greatly helped very little, almost none. I did maybe a few popularizethe Argentinetango in Tokyo and Japan. demonstrationsin a few milongas. I did some shows WhenZero Hour wasin the midstof a as an actor. Yes, I was an actor as well, and acted in month-longcelebration of its third anniversary,I theaters. interviewedJuan Guida in Spanishin earlyOctober. ML: How long were you acting? ML: First,congratulations on your 3rd anniversary JG: About 6 years. Iwas 18 years oldwhenl began ofZero Hour! So,how wereyou introducedto the acting, studying, practicing, and acting in the Argentinetango and how old were you at the time? theaters.After this, I beganto dance. JG: I began ML: How were you able to come to Japan? Were to dance at you sponsored? the ageof23. (Right now, JG: I cameto teach for Kobayashi for one year in I'm33-34.) I i998. I taught in his studio. I came with Ezequiel saw a couple Farfal-we cametogether. After this, in 1999I dancing decidedto open the first milonga in Japan.Before, tango on the there were no milongas in Japan. I openedthe first streets. It milonga in 2000. There were no milongas before was Melinda lhis. Bruffman and Daniel Viejo Correo, BsAs. 2004. Mong-Lan ML: There were no milongas before 2000? TlatTctg+TangoJcurnal 2 Wrbsi+rewww,raongtah.e+r:!*+tgq-+ahg$j+urhal,l,r+tn one year. And, always Sundays. Now, there are milongas everyday. This is abig change. And here in the studio, in the milonga, there are perhaps120 people. I think this is a big difference. ML: Has there been a changein the generallevel of tango dancing in Tokyo? JG: Yes, there has been a great changein the ages ofthe dancers. Before there were more older people; now there are younger people,much younger. Before there were no tangosfor young people. Before the young people dancedwith Kazumi and Tango Love. Really, [other than this] there were no tangosfor young people. Now, there are many more young peopledancing tango. ML: And the level of tango dancing? YiejoCofteo, BuenosAires, 2004. Mong-Lan JG: Right noq it is much better. There is no JG: Before, there werefiestas (parties). Once a comparisonto before. Many dancershere in Tokyo week, or teacherswere having parties in different now go to BuenosAires, and take classesfiom the places. Usually on Sundays. On Saturdaysthere maestrosin Argentina. was nothing, never tango. ML: And what do you think about the generallevel ML: What is the differencebetween a tango party of dancinghere in Tokyo right now? and a milonga? JG: I think it is good. I'm not talking about myself. JG: Well, now, there is a big difference. A milonga I'm talking from the point ofview ofArgentines, like is there, always-a regular evenl/happening. For Mario, who come here and seethe dancing here and "How instance,every Saturday,there is a milonga. With say, well the people in Tokyo dance! I can't regardto a tango parry,people would call eachother believe they can dancelike this. How easy it is to up, would passout flyers, or there would be no party. dancewith the Japanesewomen." So, this is the There were no milongas in Japan[before 2000]. For referencethat I have. IfI talk from the referenceof this reason,I neededto start a milonga in Japan. teachers,it could be different. But, I am talking ML: Can you comparethe tango scenein Tokyo to BuenosAires? JG: No you can't comparethe two. ML: Why not? Why can't you comparethe two? JG: Well, first of all, the space. The dancehalls in BuenosAires are larger. In Tokyo, every4hingis smaller. And, well, really one can't compare. ML: In the years that you have been in Japan,how has the tango scenehere changed? JG: Well, as I told you, when I first came,there During the time I was with were no milongas. La Confiteria ldeal, Buenos Aires, 2005, Mong-Lan. Kobayashi,there were only 6 parties. 6 parties in Tlar T+[y+ Tang+ t]ntrrnaf 3 W*6sl+r: ryryr,y,tngnglan.eom./+atyo_+ang+jrtrrnal.la+rn from the point ofview ofpeople who come here. now say, ah, I took classeswith thi s maestro and that maestro,bttback then, we were all beginning. ML: With regardto the tango studio, how did you begin? For example,with Arts City, for an ML: This was 1996. Argentine, it was difficult to begin and do business in Tokyo? JG: Yes, 1996. At that time, there were no maestros [as I use the term now]. JG: Yes, it was very difFrcult. I didn't think that . well, I first thought that it was impossible. I didn't ML: You've beendancing ten years. Today,who think it was possible. Well, many people helped me . are your influences? . , my students,my wife. They liked the tango, they wanted to help me. Yes, it was difficult, especially JG: I have my own style. I don't have influences for a foreigner who didn't speakJapanese. today. When I beganto dance,Pablo & Dana didn't dance,we were friends, we went to the milongas ML: Can you pleasedescribe to the readersof The together. And also,Ezequiel Far{al, we went to the Tolgto Tango Journal your tango style? milongastogether. We had a group of fliends who went out together and never thought that we would JG: The idea is to conservetraditional tango be tango teachers.We influenced eachother. through the new techniques,the new fom of dance, Someonewould seeme doing somethingand would ftango nuevol to facilitate the dance, make it easier. try to copy; I would seesomething someone else is I hy to dance traditional tango in a way that is easy. doing and would copy, so we would be influencing To teach how to dancetango easily,to do what is eachother. We would be leaming things from each possible. .Ithink that tango nuevo just other. Now there is an image of tango with names. facilitates the way ofdancing tango, to make dancing All thesenames were my friends. You can say,you easier. could say that I was influencedby Chicho, but I was I tell peopletake your time, you can work with this, influencedby othersas well, and you can also say you're learning tango nuevo,b]u,t.. you can adapt that they were influenced by me. We grew up choreographicallythis stepto traditional tango as together. well. ML: Somesay that the Japanesedance well ML: Then, one could saythat your style of tango is technically the stepsof the tango, but they don't mixtnre of tango nuevo and also traditional tango. havethe feeling of the tango. Wlat do you think? JG: Yes, definitely. There are momentswhen I JGz No one has the feeling oftango. [shakeshead] developmore one thing and other times when I am No one. Nothing at all. The feeling oftango is in working with somethingelse. I am always varying; I the daily life. Everybody feels it in a different way. don'tjust stay with one thing. I think the Japanesehave their own feeling oftango ML: With whom did you study? Who were your teachers? Who are your influencestoday? JG: I first begantango with Melina Bruffrnan and Daniel Sansotta,then after a while, I taught at La Viruta and I took classesthere as well. I took classes from Luis Solanas,Moracio Godoy. Later with Mauricio Castrowho was teachinglango nuevo. Then, SergioNatario, Alejandra Arue. At this time Chicho didn't dance,they were all beginning. I took a few classeswith Gustavo Naveira when he wasn't the [big name]Gustavo Naveira oftoday. It was a different time. People Street Dqncer, Buenos Aires, 2005, Mong-Lan Tlat Toty+ Tangn J+urreaf frr Wtbs!+t g www.rnongfah.e$rn*s[go-+ahgoj$trrhaf .l,r+m that is unique to Japan,that is part ofthe culture.