Besides teaching classical ballet, there was a time when Gustavo taught contemporary ballet. He has danced with Maya Plisetskaya when the well-known ballet dancer had visited Argentina.
-“The Dying Swan” and Moris Bezhar’s “Bolero” were unforgettable. Being a ballet dancer myself, I would also participate in the staging. But when I saw her dancing, I would just stand still and forget that I was a dancer,” says Gustavo.
Gustavo’s life turned around after he joined famous tango and ballet dancer Julio Boca’s group.
Tango is something saint and a sort of lifestyle in Argentina. Even when people are on breaks from work, they go to some club just to dance tango. They don’t care where and who they dance with. Tango is a dialogue between two bodies, a dance. Nobody knows what the next step is going to be and doesn’t even want to know. The man and woman dance together and the important thing is the touch because tango translates to touch. The tango is the lightning that strikes as a result of the touch. That lightning strike can either signify something or signify nothing at all. Tango is the world’s most self-contained dance, but it has rules and customs. Dancers try to harmonize in just a matter of minutes. As soon as the music ends, the tango dancers will go their separate ways because, in some sense, we are all alone in this life. Tango is about solitary life and only pairs can express that feeling through dance. Tango is about pain, sufferings. It is at the edge of reality and fantasies. You realize that love, as well as dance, will end soon. But as long as you are still dancing, your partner is with you.
The three minute dance arouses feelings of love between the two dancers, but erotica doesn’t cross the borders. Tango is not an erotic dance, but rather a dance of feeling or a science of passion, if you will. Argentineans have been learning that science for a long time. When you try not to mess up, you’re not dancing tango. This is Gustavo Daniel’s opinion, who doesn’t picture his life without tango.
– What made you come to Armenia and stop dancing tango?
– Tango changed my whole life. There are more movements in tango than in any other type of dance. You’re more free to dance anyway you like. I have traveled the world with Julio Boca’s dance group. We were using different techniques during all our performances. We danced “Carmen”, then tango and then contemporary dance. It was a very good experience, but like all things, it had to end sooner or later. I left the dance group in 1995 because I was too old for it already. I started teaching tango, then went on to host a television program. But deep down inside I knew that I wasn’t as young as I used to be and I had to start doing something more serious. I came to Armenia with the invitation of Eduardo Ernekyan and currently I am working as a manager at the “Zvartnots” airport. I feel kind of strange because I stopped dancing and suddenly became a businessman. Perhaps that’s normal, but I feel like something’s missing and that something is tango.
– It seems as though whenever we say tango, we associate it with Argentina.
– Yes, but only Buenos-Aires. The roots of tango go back to Buenos-Aires and we consider that the dance of the city. Back in the 19th century, there was a wave of emigrants and suddenly many ethnic groups settled in Buenos-Aires. They started to help the city flourish and dance the tango. There were other types of music in Argentina, but tango was characteristic to the capital city. The magic of tango is based on creation. Of course, you have to learn the movements, but that is not the important thing. The important thing is to improvise every second. You must know what role you are playing and just be creative.
– Will you stay longer in Armenia and open a tango school here?
– I really want to, but I haven’t broken the language barrier yet. I can’t even talk English that well and unfortunately, you don’t know Spanish. To tell you the truth, I don’t like English. Although I do understand that it is an international language and all businessmen need to know how to speak it. You can’t teach tango just by movements. You must understand the philosophy behind that. I don’t know any tango dancers in Armenia, but I do know that other countries mix tango with other Latin American dances. When you watch them dance, you can’t understand whether they are dancing tango, or the cha-cha, or something else. Sometimes I see them associate the tango with the waltz. One thing is for sure: you can’t dance tango by yourself. The tango is a dialogue between two dancers and a way of expressing your feelings.
– What is that dialogue about?
– In the beginning, only men used to dance tango. Women were forbidden to dance it. It was sort of a challenge for men to dance tango. One male dancer invited the other to dance, did some movements with his feet and waited for his partner to do something. When tango just started out in Buenos-Aires, there were more men than women and tango became a unique way for men to express themselves. A man could lose the battle and his reputation could go down. This would mean that his lady would lose interest in him. Very often, after the dance men would take out their pocket knives and actually battle. Besides that, tango was very erotic. Men would touch each other’s feet, body and express their feelings by touching. That was body language and the main topic was love.
– Modern day tango is much like a battle too. It expresses the harmony between the man and a woman. It seems as though there is an answer to every question.
– Both the man and the woman play different roles. The man is the leader, the one that makes the decisions, while the woman simply obeys and goes along with any decision. The woman must always be ready to respond to any movement that the man makes. If the man does something different, then the woman must do the same. That’s the secret to dancing tango. You must feel it, guess the movements and react. The man puts his hand on the woman’s shoulder, reminding her about the moves. It’s not hard to learn the steps for tango. Someone can dance the same way I dance, but it might turn into a totally different dance because the woman with whom he will dance will not know how to respond. That’s why tango dancers keep changing partners so that they can feel different emotions. It’s boring to dance with the same person. Age, body figure and weight don’t matter. You have to dedicate yourself to tango. All tango dancers must listen to their hearts and never look in the eyes of their partners. That’s just the way it is. The woman mustn’t look into the eyes of her partner because she has to communicate with the man through body language. Neither one can talk when inviting the other to dance. The invitation has to be silent. Anyone dancing tango must forget everything at that moment and just dance.
– Have you ever met any Armenian dancers and thought about bringing the flavor of tango to Armenia?
– I did meet with Vilen Galstyan in Buenos-Aires, but we didn’t discuss that. If I get an invitation, I will stay in Armenia with pleasure. I think that Armenians will dance tango very well. Of course, everyone can dance the tango despite nationality, but let’s not forget that it originates from South America.
– Isn’t it interesting that the symbol of dance in Argentina is the most sensual dance, while Armenia’s symbol is the kochari, a dance showing strength and no passion?
– The Kochari is about the strength and balance of a man, while the tango is a struggle where there is only one winner. In the kochari, everyone struggles as one, but in tango you go against your partner. That’s the difference.
– Do you feel comfortable living in Armenia, what with the social/economic status?
– People here are polite, restricted and always try to keep a distance. Armenians and Argentineans have different mentalities and cultural backgrounds. Armenians are more conservative, especially women. I don’t think that Armenian women feel free in their country. Argentinean women are more liberal, emotional and loyal. But, in reality, we are very much alike. It’s just that Armenia doesn’t have a large middle-class. There are some rich families, but the majority is in poverty. I get the impression that Armenians don’t feel socially secure, especially the elderly. But that’s just my opinion. Unfortunately, Argentina’s middle-class can’t really be considered middle; many people are in poverty. If we compare Argentina with America, Argentina is also a third-world country. But I think that you will agree with me when I say that America is poorer than both of our countries put together, even though it is that rich. What surprises me the most is that almost all Armenians are bilingual. Before, the second language was Russian and now it is English. Argentineans say that knowing Spanish is enough for them. Armenians are very constructive and I think that the country is ready for development.
– Many citizens don’t like the changes going on in the city of Yerevan, including the deforestations and the construction boom.
– I am amazed to hear you say that because everyone I know here says that everything is fine. Either I still haven’t established many intimate ties, or you feel restricted when talking to foreigners.
– Have you had any contact with Armenians living in Argentina?
– Yes. The Armenian Diaspora is not very large but has great power. Argentinean-Armenians make a lot of money and they are connected to one another. They try to help each other out no matter what. All children attend Armenian school, they know about their history and how to speak Armenian. I’m kind of jealous of them. I would like to see that kind of unity among Argentineans.
– In your opinion, can art change a person?
– Art expresses what’s going on around you. It can express fear, enthusiasm. For example, when you watch the “Dying Swan” dance, you start to wonder what this dumb princess wants, but you can also see some tragedy enfold too. Art always uses symbols and it is up to the person to understand what’s behind all that. When you watch “Carmen”, you see freedom and realize that it is impossible to get that freedom. Art has a way of sending a very deep and serious message to everyone. You feel the magic when you understand the message. Tango is a great proof of that.