14/06/2026
The motto for the day ❤️
I learned by watching the dancers there and practicing with them. They were demanding. If you danced bent over, they corrected you. They wanted you to stand upright and dance properly. They took tango seriously.
To this day, I honestly don't know whether I dance well or badly. I know some people like the way I dance, but I never thought of myself as anyone important in tango.
The dancers I admired were the great milongueros of the past. They were extraordinary. I don't want to take their place. I was fortunate enough to see them and learn from them.
I still enjoy going to milongas, even if I don't dance. I like being there. I like watching. Young dancers often ask for my opinion, and sometimes all I tell them is: stand a little straighter.
Return to the roots. Learn where tango comes from. Respect it. Tango is like the national anthem — you can interpret it, but you should not lose its essence.
Tango is danced with feeling. It is a piece of life that you dance for a few minutes. When you dance tango, you dance with your heart.
I don't want admiration. I simply feel affection for the younger generations. I want to leave them something that helps keep tango alive.
A dancer should listen to the music. You should know what the singer is saying, what the orchestra is expressing. The milonguero does not simply move — he translates the music through his body. A true milonguero can dance to any orchestra because he understands the music. In a way, he becomes one more member of the orchestra.
If I had to define tango in a single word, I would say: family. Tango reminds me of my mother, my father, and the life I lived. Tango is family. - Extract from an interview with Ricardo Ponce ('El Chino Perico')
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an3EvckueOY
Interview by Monica Paz
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Dancers: & Ricardo Ponce
