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Never again will there be
2
00:02:15,045 --> 00:02:18,924
a tango couple like us.
3
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I think we were
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the couple of the 20th century
and of the 21st as well.
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If I die and were to be reborn,
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I'd do everything the same again.
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Be a tango dancer above all else.
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I'd do it all, except for...
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being with Juan.
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Everything.
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OUR LAST TANGO
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Subrip: Pix
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In life, there's only one time
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when you fall in love
15
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and are blinded by that person.
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Just one time.
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It's your first love.
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In my day, there were milongas
in every neighborhood
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and lots of dances
and people went to them.
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I remember coming here, to the
"Estrella de Maldonado" club only once.
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I came with my sister and her friends.
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That's the only thing
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that I remember about it.
Because I didn't dance at that time.
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I was very young.
My sister wouldn't let me dance,
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because then they would all have
danced with me, and not with her.
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It's been years...
27
00:08:03,293 --> 00:08:05,588
How old were you
when you met Juan?
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-13 or 14.
-13 or 14? - So young?
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He's three years older.
I'm turning 80, and he's 83.
30
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-Did he dance well?
-No, in the beginning he was a cart,
31
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as we used to say,
when people couldn't...
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That's what people said in the
milongas. The word "cart" meant
33
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someone who couldn't dance.
34
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Because I was young
35
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and supposedly good-looking,
girls danced with me.
36
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As there was no way to learn
other than treading on people,
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I kept treading on girls.
38
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I liked the way he looked.
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He made an impact on me,
I felt something.
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Butterflies in my stomach. At night
I couldn't get him out of my head.
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00:09:02,899 --> 00:09:08,113
I hugged the pillow,
or I closed my eyes and...
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How silly we women are.
How silly.
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Then he disappeared.
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He returned the next year when we
were already at the "Atlanta" club,
45
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and by then he danced
with great elegance. Only simple steps.
46
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In the time you didn't see him
did you wonder where he was?
47
00:09:31,389 --> 00:09:35,977
-No, because I had only seen him once in a club.
-But you'd noticed him?
48
00:09:36,269 --> 00:09:38,856
I noticed him, but...
49
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I didn't miss a trick.
50
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Yes, I noticed him.
51
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I can hardly believe
that this is the "Atlanta".
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I came here from '48 to '50.
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The dancefloor was enormous.
54
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It's strange seeing it with this roof.
It was open air.
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You danced tango and saw the moon.
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You saw the stars.
It was romantic.
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Hundreds of young women and men
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with a tremendous love of tango.
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All this brings back
beautiful memories.
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It makes me a bit sad, too.
Because I see it has aged,
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just like I've aged.
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But this is where
Maria Nieves came from.
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Fine. That's enough. Just a bit,
so Maria can get the idea.
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It's lovely, what they're doing.
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Beautiful.
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-But, I danced closer.
-Closer?
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And with fewer steps.
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Especially the first time.
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And with more eye contact.
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She looked at you,
you didn't look at her.
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-I didn't look at her?
-No. It's like this.
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You understand?
Later, as professionals,
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we parted slightly
to do the gancho steps.
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But we danced more like this.
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Understand? Together.
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She was a beautiful girl.
She was 16, 17 years old.
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And I realized she was
what I was looking for,
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for my height
and the way I moved.
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At that moment I knew
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I'd found my Stradivarius.
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As I danced with Maria Nieves,
I asked her, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
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She stayed silent and didn't reply.
83
00:14:07,434 --> 00:14:10,146
"I have to ask my sister."
84
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And we chatted too.
85
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"How are you? How was your week?"
86
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Ear to ear. - Did Juan ask you anything
the first time you danced? - No.
87
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That's it! Good!
88
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Let her go!
89
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It's very complicated.
90
00:15:20,888 --> 00:15:22,390
Look at each other.
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00:15:22,765 --> 00:15:24,976
Look up. That's it.
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Gently! Onto his back.
93
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That's it!
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I'd fallen in love with him.
That's all. Dancing was an excuse.
95
00:15:44,622 --> 00:15:46,249
You understand what I'm saying?
96
00:15:47,125 --> 00:15:51,255
I went dancing because
that was the joy of the poor.
97
00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:53,839
To go dancing
on Saturdays and Sundays.
98
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But I wasn't interested
in the dance as much
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as in the person.
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We had a very bad childhood.
101
00:16:25,999 --> 00:16:31,004
Always there was the pain
of not having anything.
102
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I saw my mother
going through the trash.
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To make a stew,
if she found a bone she'd take it,
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wash it, boil it,
and give it to us.
105
00:17:14,884 --> 00:17:17,679
I never had a doll.
106
00:17:18,056 --> 00:17:22,101
The glass soda siphon we had,
that was my doll.
107
00:17:22,476 --> 00:17:25,313
I put a cloth on the bottleneck.
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This brings back...
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memories.
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I didn't know how to dance tango,
or that it takes two to tango.
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So I took the broom as if I was
sweeping and rode it like a horse.
112
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That's what tango did to me
when I heard it on the radio.
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How did you do your hair
to go to the milonga?
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The way it was at home all day.
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-And your clothes?
-The same clothes I'd worn all week to work.
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I washed and ironed them.
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-And took them with you?
-I went wearing them.
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My shoes were worn out,
everything was worn out.
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Everything was old.
But I didn't give a damn.
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I wanted to dance tango.
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The style was born in the "Atlanta"
with elements from both of us.
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She was quick, I was slow.
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We united both elements
and discovered something new
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that later became a popular style,
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the Copes style.
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There was no one else for me.
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While she was with me,
she was the only one.
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She was the greatest.
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Together for 50 years.
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-Can you imagine?
-No.
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They must have danced
all their feelings.
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-Yes, most certainly.
-50 years!
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Maria says she never imagined
that it would come to an end.
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I hold Juan in very high regard.
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I'd like to be his friend.
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But that cannot be.
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Only I know what I went through.
Because it was a partnership
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and you can't break up a partnership
without looking each other in the eye.
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00:22:44,738 --> 00:22:49,202
We went to the movies, they were
showing "Singin' in the Rain".
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And we went at least five times.
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We dreamed.
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I think we came out of there
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and thought we were
Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.
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Don't I look like Gene Kelly?
Really, I look like him.
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That's a memory that
I'll take to the next world.
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Maybe I'll meet him there.
I am someone who believes
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that there is life after death.
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So don't be surprised
if I meet Gene Kelly.
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When they threw us out of the "Atlanta",
one of the directors said to me,
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"Get out of here, you and your gang.
We don't want any more tango."
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00:25:20,990 --> 00:25:24,744
The same thing was happening all over.
Tango clubs were being closed,
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because new music was coming.
Cumbia came, Rock came.
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But I said, "I can't give up.
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I'm going to invent something, but
I'm going to do something with tango."
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He was a creator.
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He always said that tango
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had to be about more
than just going to a milonga.
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That it could be
something worldwide,
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just like Jazz was from the USA.
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He was obsessed with that,
and he succeeded.
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And I accompanied him.
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I'm a good companion.
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Did you believe in Juan's conviction,
that he'd achieve his goal?
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I knew he was tenacious and very intelligent
and that he truly loved tango.
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So yes, I knew he would achieve
what he'd set out to do.
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When we started to rehearse
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he brought in couples
from the milongas.
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And he told everyone about his dream?
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Sure. Yes. And everyone accepted it.
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But then no one stuck to it.
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You can't imagine
the number of good
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00:27:35,509 --> 00:27:41,431
male and female tango dancers
there were in our time.
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But they stopped.
They got married. They had kids.
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Or they didn't have the spark
that Juan had.
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The period I play, when she was young,
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is when Maria decided to follow him in
his ideas, which were strange at the time,
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and the dream that
all his projects were feasible.
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The dream and the admiration
she had for Juan.
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Absolute admiration that she still has.
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When she talks about Juan,
she says it was he
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who invented it all.
He had the vision.
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Yes, the tenacity and dedication.
He was obsessed with dance.
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When I saw I had
a group of friends with me, I said,
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00:28:43,247 --> 00:28:47,126
"If tango has so many doors to open
185
00:28:47,501 --> 00:28:50,840
why not try to open one more?"
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00:28:51,215 --> 00:28:54,927
And that was when
I put it on stage for the first time.
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To think that it was in this theater
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that I made my debut
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in 1955!
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00:29:54,992 --> 00:29:57,577
It brings back very
beautiful memories.
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00:29:57,952 --> 00:30:03,293
And some ugly ones too,
because I opened my eyes here.
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00:30:18,183 --> 00:30:22,228
I was dazzled
seeing so many semi-naked women.
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00:30:22,603 --> 00:30:26,192
It was a revolution in my head.
You didn't get that in Villa Pueyrredón,
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00:30:26,567 --> 00:30:28,945
or in Mataderos or anywhere.
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00:30:33,990 --> 00:30:36,243
I didn't like it.
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00:30:37,995 --> 00:30:41,123
Women giving themselves like that.
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00:30:41,874 --> 00:30:44,126
That hurt me.
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00:30:44,502 --> 00:30:48,216
And there were lots of chorus girls.
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00:30:49,507 --> 00:30:54,763
20 chorus girls.
The diva, the star, the starlet...
200
00:30:56,808 --> 00:30:58,852
It embarrassed me.
201
00:30:59,311 --> 00:31:03,232
I just wanted to get out of there.
202
00:31:10,197 --> 00:31:13,326
She thought I belonged to her.
203
00:31:13,701 --> 00:31:17,205
But, I didn't belong to her.
On the contrary, she belonged to me.
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00:31:22,085 --> 00:31:25,005
As a human being I always
respected her,
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00:31:25,380 --> 00:31:26,465
totally.
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00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:31,845
The fact that I had weaknesses,
on the other hand,
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I think that's natural.
208
00:31:34,430 --> 00:31:37,058
Otherwise I wouldn't be a man.
209
00:31:38,019 --> 00:31:40,186
I wasn't jealous.
210
00:31:41,022 --> 00:31:43,150
No, not at all.
211
00:31:45,860 --> 00:31:49,072
And if I was jealous,
I swallowed it all.
212
00:32:12,139 --> 00:32:16,268
You can't keep swapping.
Pedro with Juana, then
213
00:32:16,643 --> 00:32:21,273
Pedro with Maria,
Juana with Roberto, no, no, no.
214
00:32:21,816 --> 00:32:23,401
You must have patience
215
00:32:23,776 --> 00:32:27,655
and keep moving forward.
Even if it's a married couple
216
00:32:27,988 --> 00:32:29,699
and they're arguing,
217
00:32:30,075 --> 00:32:32,492
not to lose the
artistic aspect, because
218
00:32:32,868 --> 00:32:35,370
-that's the end.
-It can be hard to separate.
219
00:32:36,246 --> 00:32:41,044
No, but you must separate the two.
You suffer, but...
220
00:32:41,420 --> 00:32:45,424
it helps you to grow as an artist.
221
00:33:12,245 --> 00:33:16,833
I like solitude, but when I was able
to resolve my past
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00:33:17,208 --> 00:33:20,003
I said, "Now I'm going
to do what I like. I'm alone.
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00:33:20,962 --> 00:33:25,300
I'm financially independent,
I don't want for anything", but...
224
00:33:25,885 --> 00:33:27,887
I forgot something.
225
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The years pass.
226
00:33:32,224 --> 00:33:36,687
And being alone is bad for you at 80.
227
00:34:05,677 --> 00:34:08,430
Good. Same again,
so she's falling off the table.
228
00:34:08,806 --> 00:34:09,890
That's it.
229
00:34:11,349 --> 00:34:14,478
How come you went to the United States?
230
00:34:15,145 --> 00:34:20,442
Because when we started
working here, Juan said,
231
00:34:20,985 --> 00:34:23,029
"I won't stop till Corrientes Ave,"
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00:34:23,404 --> 00:34:27,241
which was the top for a tango dancer.
And we made it.
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00:34:27,617 --> 00:34:31,037
When he got to Corrientes Avenue
he was already thinking,
234
00:34:31,413 --> 00:34:36,043
"I won't stop till New York."
He wanted to work on Broadway.
235
00:34:36,418 --> 00:34:39,171
So we set off, as he said,
236
00:34:39,547 --> 00:34:42,800
with a suitcase full of dreams.
237
00:34:50,308 --> 00:34:53,895
Do you know how hungry we were?
How difficult it was?
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00:35:04,615 --> 00:35:07,368
I thought about it,
but didn't say anything.
239
00:35:07,744 --> 00:35:10,455
Didn't even tell Nieves
we would dance on the table.
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00:35:12,999 --> 00:35:14,292
I took some chalk
241
00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:17,587
and outlined 1.5 by 1.5 meters.
242
00:35:17,963 --> 00:35:20,507
"Let's try and do
the double gancho step in here."
243
00:35:25,012 --> 00:35:27,848
I never told her
we were going to do it in a show.
244
00:35:28,224 --> 00:35:32,645
The higher the table became,
245
00:35:33,021 --> 00:35:34,773
the happier I felt.
246
00:36:10,186 --> 00:36:14,899
I was terrified of that table.
247
00:36:15,274 --> 00:36:16,984
She didn't want
to get on it for anything.
248
00:36:17,276 --> 00:36:23,283
And every single night we did it,
she was afraid of falling off.
249
00:36:23,783 --> 00:36:29,247
But I did it for years,
and I always felt panic.
250
00:36:52,481 --> 00:36:54,066
He liked it? He wasn't scared?
251
00:36:54,649 --> 00:36:58,153
No, I don't think so.
Men are braver than women.
252
00:36:58,528 --> 00:37:00,615
-And you followed him?
-Yes, of course.
253
00:37:00,906 --> 00:37:04,369
-Why? To that extent?
-What was I going to do?
254
00:37:05,328 --> 00:37:07,497
It was the only thing I could do.
255
00:37:07,872 --> 00:37:09,457
Dance tango.
256
00:37:09,833 --> 00:37:14,087
-Always with Juan? - Always with Juan.
-You never thought of changing? - No.
257
00:37:14,420 --> 00:37:17,758
I didn't even
remotely think of that.
258
00:37:18,133 --> 00:37:21,470
Not even for a moment,
when things weren't working?
259
00:37:22,679 --> 00:37:26,100
-Not even then.
-Not even then. - No.
260
00:38:06,435 --> 00:38:11,106
My dream was to get married
and have a family and children.
261
00:38:11,482 --> 00:38:15,945
Of course.
My dream wasn't to be an artist.
262
00:38:16,321 --> 00:38:19,532
It never even entered my head.
263
00:38:21,034 --> 00:38:23,704
It was to have a
home with children.
264
00:38:31,295 --> 00:38:34,590
But it all turned out differently.
265
00:38:37,635 --> 00:38:39,095
Completely different.
266
00:38:47,312 --> 00:38:49,147
When I got married
267
00:38:49,773 --> 00:38:51,316
I was happy.
268
00:38:52,985 --> 00:38:56,530
Like at any wedding.
But I had no white dress.
269
00:38:56,905 --> 00:38:59,658
A long dress wouldn't
have been fitting.
270
00:39:02,161 --> 00:39:03,454
For what?
271
00:39:05,081 --> 00:39:09,127
I was very pretty,
and I was very emotional.
272
00:39:09,503 --> 00:39:13,340
When we got back here
it all started to fall apart.
273
00:39:35,989 --> 00:39:38,909
A marriage in Las Vegas
is invalid in all other countries.
274
00:39:39,743 --> 00:39:43,080
So we were both still single.
And I told her,
275
00:39:43,455 --> 00:39:47,043
"I'm going to rehearse with five women,
because I'm going on tour again."
276
00:39:47,418 --> 00:39:53,383
-She didn't believe me.
-I don't think he did it with bad intentions.
277
00:39:54,217 --> 00:39:59,807
He'll have said,
"I'll do a little tour with my group.
278
00:40:00,182 --> 00:40:04,853
We'll have some space from each other."
I think that's good.
279
00:40:05,228 --> 00:40:08,066
Because I couldn't stand her anymore.
280
00:40:08,691 --> 00:40:10,526
Being on stage is one thing.
281
00:40:10,902 --> 00:40:14,698
It's another being off stage,
before and afterwards.
282
00:40:16,199 --> 00:40:16,991
Terrible!
283
00:40:17,366 --> 00:40:22,081
That's when I realized what I
could and couldn't stand anymore.
284
00:41:52,052 --> 00:41:53,804
He was handsome.
285
00:41:54,888 --> 00:41:56,848
Very passionate.
286
00:41:58,058 --> 00:41:59,685
He was very gentle.
287
00:42:00,061 --> 00:42:03,189
-He loved me very much.
-It's beautiful
288
00:42:03,564 --> 00:42:05,692
-to feel so loved.
-Yes!
289
00:42:06,859 --> 00:42:10,447
It was the first time
that I felt so loved,
290
00:42:10,822 --> 00:42:13,032
that someone showed me their love.
291
00:42:15,743 --> 00:42:20,749
I enjoyed it a lot, yes.
I really enjoyed it.
292
00:42:21,124 --> 00:42:26,255
At first I felt guilty,
but later I said, "Guilty? For what?"
293
00:42:27,215 --> 00:42:30,093
You left me on my own, so fuck you!
294
00:42:32,678 --> 00:42:34,848
It's the truth.
295
00:42:35,223 --> 00:42:38,893
You take it and take it
till you can't take any more.
296
00:42:40,854 --> 00:42:43,148
Look, they're waving to me.
297
00:42:44,859 --> 00:42:48,570
I danced with five girls,
but not like with the one.
298
00:42:49,446 --> 00:42:52,533
I needed my partner again,
299
00:42:52,908 --> 00:42:55,995
to have the woman who danced with me.
300
00:43:11,303 --> 00:43:14,891
When I came back after two years
of touring, I shaped her anew,
301
00:43:15,266 --> 00:43:18,352
I made her study and dance,
and she changed her look.
302
00:43:18,728 --> 00:43:23,107
She was never as beautiful
as in the second part of her life.
303
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:40,543
I missed him.
304
00:43:41,377 --> 00:43:44,255
But, you see, it doesn't matter.
305
00:43:44,589 --> 00:43:46,382
Whichever way...
306
00:43:47,426 --> 00:43:50,136
I thought I would forget him.
307
00:43:50,512 --> 00:43:53,140
I was very sad.
308
00:43:54,141 --> 00:43:57,644
But I had to choose and I chose...
309
00:43:58,228 --> 00:43:59,564
tango.
310
00:44:57,917 --> 00:45:01,130
Love doesn't exist.
For me it's all a lie.
311
00:45:01,505 --> 00:45:04,716
-Don't say that.
-It is, darling.
312
00:45:05,968 --> 00:45:08,971
And I reached a conclusion.
313
00:45:10,389 --> 00:45:12,057
You have to use men
314
00:45:12,642 --> 00:45:14,477
and throw them away.
315
00:45:14,810 --> 00:45:20,691
No tear shed by a woman
for a man is worth it.
316
00:45:35,374 --> 00:45:38,670
A year later she joined us again,
did the table dance and everything.
317
00:45:39,045 --> 00:45:41,423
And "Caño 14" opened.
318
00:45:41,881 --> 00:45:45,677
It was in Caño 14
in Buenos Aires,
319
00:45:46,053 --> 00:45:51,183
something that was imitated a lot
where I established the Copes Tango Show.
320
00:45:54,186 --> 00:45:56,980
There, you see? Caño 14 was there.
321
00:45:57,356 --> 00:46:01,485
-That place there?
-Yes, I can hardly believe it.
322
00:46:01,861 --> 00:46:06,991
-How long were you here?
-About four years.
323
00:46:08,034 --> 00:46:11,246
-It was like being at home.
-What a lovely feeling.
324
00:46:11,621 --> 00:46:14,291
And the lovely thing was
325
00:46:14,666 --> 00:46:18,963
how the people enjoyed the tango.
326
00:46:40,486 --> 00:46:45,950
At the weekends
men came with their wives.
327
00:46:46,325 --> 00:46:51,248
The same guys came back alone later,
droves of men came.
328
00:46:51,623 --> 00:46:54,876
In truth it was great
for picking up men.
329
00:47:44,805 --> 00:47:46,973
It was a time of freedom.
330
00:47:47,015 --> 00:47:50,644
And of lots of work.
I earned lots of money.
331
00:47:51,020 --> 00:47:54,106
So I could afford the luxury,
after finishing work,
332
00:47:54,481 --> 00:47:59,320
of meeting friends, who worked nights,
in the fancy places.
333
00:47:59,696 --> 00:48:02,615
Obviously we didn't
go there to eat.
334
00:48:03,074 --> 00:48:04,701
We drank and drank.
335
00:48:05,077 --> 00:48:09,539
Because everyone who sat at the table
had to buy a round.
336
00:48:12,668 --> 00:48:14,753
I don't remember.
337
00:48:15,629 --> 00:48:18,549
Because, I wasn't
doing well either.
338
00:48:19,217 --> 00:48:22,011
But, I never once thought
339
00:48:22,386 --> 00:48:24,347
what he was thinking about.
340
00:48:24,723 --> 00:48:27,517
Besides, it seems stupid
341
00:48:28,226 --> 00:48:30,729
that he sought death,
342
00:48:31,396 --> 00:48:34,024
when it's so simple,
343
00:48:34,399 --> 00:48:38,738
face to face, looking each other
in the eye, to say, "This can't go on."
344
00:48:41,532 --> 00:48:44,410
Suicide?
No, it wasn't about suicide.
345
00:48:45,745 --> 00:48:47,413
I wanted to live.
346
00:48:47,914 --> 00:48:50,375
But, I had such a huge rage
347
00:48:50,751 --> 00:48:53,294
and I wasn't going to hit anyone.
348
00:48:53,670 --> 00:48:57,508
So I hit myself.
It was like I stuck a dagger in myself!
349
00:48:59,593 --> 00:49:02,554
Myriam saved my life.
350
00:50:34,778 --> 00:50:37,823
They say there's no such thing
as love at first sight.
351
00:50:38,199 --> 00:50:42,036
That's not true. It exists.
I saw him and fell for him.
352
00:50:42,411 --> 00:50:44,497
And when he kissed me,
what I felt for him
353
00:50:44,873 --> 00:50:47,083
I'd never felt before for any man.
354
00:50:50,044 --> 00:50:55,509
I've been with Myriam for 42 years.
She's given me two daughters.
355
00:50:55,885 --> 00:51:00,222
That didn't happen with Maria.
Maria and I always argued.
356
00:51:01,557 --> 00:51:03,851
But, I could have had kids.
357
00:51:04,227 --> 00:51:10,358
Maybe people ask,
"Why didn't she have any children?
358
00:51:10,734 --> 00:51:13,737
She must be..."
What's it called?
359
00:51:14,112 --> 00:51:16,448
Infertile. No.
360
00:51:20,369 --> 00:51:25,667
If I was 15 or 16 now
and wanted a child,
361
00:51:26,042 --> 00:51:29,336
I'd have one. At home I'd be
welcomed with open arms,
362
00:51:29,712 --> 00:51:33,133
and I wouldn't be
looked down on in the neighborhood.
363
00:51:36,178 --> 00:51:39,890
But, in my day that was taboo.
364
00:51:42,851 --> 00:51:44,061
But yes,
365
00:51:44,562 --> 00:51:46,689
I could have had children.
366
00:51:54,363 --> 00:51:57,659
That's all.
I can't tell you anything else.
367
00:52:14,134 --> 00:52:18,514
I have no reason to talk about it.
I told you the other day
368
00:52:18,890 --> 00:52:22,268
I don't want to talk anymore.
369
00:52:34,741 --> 00:52:37,744
Let's talk about dancing.
370
00:52:38,369 --> 00:52:42,832
About what time I go
to the bathroom, anything.
371
00:52:56,054 --> 00:52:58,724
You can make things up, if you want.
372
00:53:04,272 --> 00:53:07,859
You won't get any further,
because I'm going to stay...
373
00:53:09,027 --> 00:53:09,986
like that.
374
00:53:10,362 --> 00:53:13,198
Silent. I won't say anything else.
375
00:53:14,616 --> 00:53:16,702
I won't say anything.
376
00:53:17,244 --> 00:53:22,583
You made me talk about Copes, Copes...
You're getting on my nerves with Copes.
377
00:53:24,001 --> 00:53:26,546
Who the fuck is Copes?
378
00:54:06,922 --> 00:54:12,011
It was an actress and singer
who said to me, "Maria,
379
00:54:12,386 --> 00:54:18,101
did you know that Juan
has a child with another woman?"
380
00:54:18,477 --> 00:54:21,062
That killed me, as you can imagine.
381
00:54:21,438 --> 00:54:23,315
A child with another woman.
382
00:54:23,690 --> 00:54:28,654
I had a thousand thoughts in my head.
383
00:54:29,279 --> 00:54:32,492
People would think
that I didn't give him a child,
384
00:54:32,867 --> 00:54:35,745
so he had a child with another woman.
385
00:54:37,038 --> 00:54:41,877
It made me very angry,
and I wanted to run out screaming,
386
00:54:42,168 --> 00:54:45,714
because my pride was wounded.
387
00:54:55,599 --> 00:54:57,434
I don't know.
388
00:54:59,396 --> 00:55:02,565
It's difficult to judge this.
Very difficult.
389
00:55:03,525 --> 00:55:06,528
It's difficult
to judge another person's life.
390
00:55:08,155 --> 00:55:10,240
They seemed like a couple...
391
00:55:11,199 --> 00:55:12,785
without equal.
392
00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:16,205
They had the world at their feet.
They were the tango.
393
00:55:16,580 --> 00:55:19,875
For 30 years it was just them.
394
00:55:20,919 --> 00:55:23,755
In terms of dance,
what they had was so strong
395
00:55:24,130 --> 00:55:25,757
that it was untouchable.
396
00:55:26,633 --> 00:55:28,385
Maybe having a family
397
00:55:28,843 --> 00:55:31,930
was dangerous for them. Who knows?
398
00:55:41,941 --> 00:55:44,235
I don't regret anything.
399
00:55:46,737 --> 00:55:49,908
Life panned out as it did.
I accepted it.
400
00:55:50,283 --> 00:55:54,162
And I carried on living.
I can't regret everything.
401
00:55:58,083 --> 00:56:01,045
That's why I advise young women
402
00:56:01,420 --> 00:56:04,006
who marry and are tango dancers,
403
00:56:04,381 --> 00:56:07,301
not to delay having a child.
404
00:56:08,219 --> 00:56:12,014
Because tango can wait
for two, three or four years.
405
00:56:12,390 --> 00:56:14,559
Because they're young.
406
00:56:14,934 --> 00:56:19,648
Because once you realize, it's too late.
That's what happened to me.
407
00:56:55,728 --> 00:56:58,481
You know what my mother said to me?
408
00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:04,404
You can have another man,
409
00:57:04,780 --> 00:57:10,911
but for the rest of your life
your husband will be Juan.
410
00:58:01,924 --> 00:58:03,759
Dance freely now.
411
00:58:14,521 --> 00:58:19,193
When things were difficult,
did you ever think of quitting tango?
412
00:58:21,320 --> 00:58:22,529
No.
413
00:58:23,614 --> 00:58:27,451
If the thought arose,
then I rejected it at once,
414
00:58:27,827 --> 00:58:31,748
because all my life
I had fought for that.
415
00:58:32,123 --> 00:58:34,376
So I had to continue.
416
00:58:35,085 --> 00:58:36,920
So, no.
417
00:58:38,046 --> 00:58:40,465
-Never?
-Never.
418
00:59:10,205 --> 00:59:15,211
I was hurt. But that helped me
419
00:59:15,586 --> 00:59:17,297
to rise a bit higher,
420
00:59:17,672 --> 00:59:21,718
because I was always beneath him.
421
00:59:44,993 --> 00:59:47,579
I said to myself,
422
00:59:48,330 --> 00:59:51,917
"I'll show you.
I'll mop the floor with you on stage."
423
00:59:52,292 --> 00:59:54,295
Yes, I remember that.
424
00:59:56,380 --> 00:59:58,841
Not knock him down,
425
00:59:59,217 --> 01:00:02,136
but try to show him up.
426
01:00:02,511 --> 01:00:07,100
And I grew a lot during that time.
427
01:00:18,153 --> 01:00:22,157
For me as a dancer it was magnificent.
428
01:00:22,825 --> 01:00:25,911
I danced with hate on stage.
429
01:00:51,939 --> 01:00:55,277
What stands out to me
is a certain disconnectedness,
430
01:00:55,652 --> 01:00:59,072
-which is interesting. - In their look?
-In their look. - Disconnectedness?
431
01:00:59,447 --> 01:01:02,535
-Show me.
-Yes, look. Each one is looking away.
432
01:01:02,910 --> 01:01:05,329
-They're not looking at each other.
-Compared to the other photos...
433
01:01:05,704 --> 01:01:08,332
They used to be more connected.
434
01:01:08,707 --> 01:01:13,296
-Yes, there's no comparison.
-It's like they're absent.
435
01:01:13,672 --> 01:01:16,633
That must really have happened to them.
436
01:01:17,008 --> 01:01:18,635
I can't explain it.
437
01:01:19,928 --> 01:01:24,183
Because they say there was a time
when they danced, but didn't talk.
438
01:01:26,185 --> 01:01:28,813
That they only saw each other on stage.
439
01:01:29,188 --> 01:01:31,148
It's like dancing with a stranger.
440
01:01:31,524 --> 01:01:35,320
I think they're connected
in their disconnectedness.
441
01:01:49,210 --> 01:01:50,962
I think the difficult thing
442
01:01:51,337 --> 01:01:57,384
is how to sustain such a stormy
relationship for so many years.
443
01:02:02,640 --> 01:02:07,813
I don't know if I could have
sustained a relationship like that.
444
01:02:48,899 --> 01:02:55,697
I have the greatest possible gratitude
for the "Tango Argentino" show.
445
01:02:56,573 --> 01:02:59,576
On Broadway it was like a revolution.
446
01:03:00,119 --> 01:03:01,537
Tango-mania.
447
01:03:12,715 --> 01:03:17,262
In the New York Times
they said that the best dancers
448
01:03:17,637 --> 01:03:19,514
were Maria Nieves and I.
449
01:03:46,460 --> 01:03:50,214
We worked all the time,
we were very well paid,
450
01:03:50,590 --> 01:03:54,009
and I could do what I wanted to do.
451
01:03:54,927 --> 01:03:58,014
-Adagio.
-I could ensure I lacked nothing,
452
01:03:58,389 --> 01:04:01,852
that my siblings were alright,
that my mother lived like a queen...
453
01:04:02,227 --> 01:04:05,981
I was always focused
on helping my family.
454
01:04:38,807 --> 01:04:43,647
We cursed each other when we danced,
but nobody noticed.
455
01:04:44,022 --> 01:04:47,108
"Have you been eating heavy rocks?",
he said to me.
456
01:04:48,943 --> 01:04:51,863
All through gritted
teeth, with a smile.
457
01:04:52,489 --> 01:04:56,576
Because if you argue, you lose
concentration with what you're doing.
458
01:04:56,952 --> 01:05:00,665
Seeing you dance,
I feel there was something in the dance
459
01:05:01,040 --> 01:05:03,584
that transcended the conflicts.
460
01:05:04,169 --> 01:05:07,630
Yes, I think it was the love of tango.
461
01:05:09,507 --> 01:05:12,510
That it was worth continuing,
462
01:05:13,261 --> 01:05:15,263
although we had separated.
463
01:05:15,639 --> 01:05:19,810
To continue with the tango,
something we'd devoted our lives to.
464
01:05:20,227 --> 01:05:22,063
Because there was nothing,
465
01:05:22,438 --> 01:05:26,025
we didn't even look
at each other. Nothing.
466
01:05:26,400 --> 01:05:29,779
-We came out, and danced...
-How is it working like that?
467
01:05:30,154 --> 01:05:31,614
As a professional,
468
01:05:32,073 --> 01:05:34,451
if your mother dies,
469
01:05:34,826 --> 01:05:36,744
you have to continue.
470
01:05:37,495 --> 01:05:41,291
So we continued dancing.
It doesn't matter
471
01:05:41,667 --> 01:05:45,045
what happened.
What matters is what you do.
472
01:05:59,478 --> 01:06:01,480
Many years passed.
473
01:06:01,855 --> 01:06:07,361
We got on extremely well
once we'd worked everything out.
474
01:06:07,737 --> 01:06:10,155
When he started a family
475
01:06:10,531 --> 01:06:13,117
and I forgot about things.
476
01:06:13,493 --> 01:06:17,247
Artistically it was wonderful.
477
01:06:17,747 --> 01:06:21,334
We danced for many more years.
478
01:06:29,801 --> 01:06:33,472
The artistic separation
came many years later.
479
01:06:33,848 --> 01:06:37,519
That hurt me the most,
more than anything.
480
01:06:44,609 --> 01:06:48,071
One year earlier
we signed a contract for Japan.
481
01:06:48,446 --> 01:06:51,867
And I told her,
"When we're back from Japan, it's over."
482
01:06:52,242 --> 01:06:55,288
And I did what I'd said.
483
01:07:32,703 --> 01:07:33,745
Great.
484
01:08:00,107 --> 01:08:02,192
I feel moved.
485
01:08:08,449 --> 01:08:12,370
Tango has something
very special about it,
486
01:08:12,746 --> 01:08:15,123
which is communication
487
01:08:15,499 --> 01:08:18,793
between partners.
So when we dance it
488
01:08:19,211 --> 01:08:23,005
we feel countless emotions,
489
01:08:23,423 --> 01:08:25,550
as it can be with love,
490
01:08:25,926 --> 01:08:27,469
but also with hate.
491
01:08:28,303 --> 01:08:30,513
I was born to dance tango
492
01:08:30,972 --> 01:08:33,641
and I will die for my tango.
493
01:08:34,016 --> 01:08:35,227
Many thanks.
494
01:08:37,770 --> 01:08:40,566
-Was that improvised, Maria?
-Yes.
495
01:08:40,942 --> 01:08:42,525
It was the first time I spoke.
496
01:08:42,901 --> 01:08:45,572
Afterwards I threw up in the restroom.
497
01:08:45,947 --> 01:08:47,656
From the nerves.
498
01:09:13,893 --> 01:09:16,061
I put up with it for
25 years of my life.
499
01:09:16,437 --> 01:09:19,315
There was a tour to Japan
and I said to Juan Carlos,
500
01:09:19,690 --> 01:09:22,987
"I think the chapter with Nieves
is finished. Think about it.
501
01:09:23,362 --> 01:09:28,117
If you come back home,
it's without Nieves as a dance partner.
502
01:09:28,493 --> 01:09:31,453
If you carry on dancing with Nieves,
don't come home."
503
01:09:31,828 --> 01:09:33,874
And he came home.
504
01:10:08,119 --> 01:10:09,496
Ugly.
505
01:10:09,871 --> 01:10:11,205
Horrible.
506
01:10:11,580 --> 01:10:13,290
Awful.
507
01:10:14,167 --> 01:10:16,003
Inhuman.
508
01:10:21,675 --> 01:10:25,053
I'd never have done that to him.
509
01:10:25,429 --> 01:10:27,556
Never ever.
510
01:10:29,642 --> 01:10:31,560
It hurt me a lot.
511
01:10:31,977 --> 01:10:33,103
I was...
512
01:10:33,897 --> 01:10:36,525
like a kitten in the shower
513
01:10:37,107 --> 01:10:39,193
being squirted with water.
514
01:10:40,529 --> 01:10:43,614
It was a dagger in the heart,
515
01:10:43,990 --> 01:10:46,325
that tore it apart.
516
01:11:26,995 --> 01:11:30,123
I thought it was over for me
517
01:11:30,498 --> 01:11:32,125
with tango.
518
01:12:07,788 --> 01:12:10,625
I need to dance every night.
519
01:12:12,168 --> 01:12:16,047
I need it in order to feel well.
520
01:12:18,425 --> 01:12:22,596
The body changes,
so does the way of dancing.
521
01:12:22,971 --> 01:12:25,932
The only thing I'm not losing
is the feeling.
522
01:12:50,293 --> 01:12:54,839
When they separated
and stopped dancing together in '97,
523
01:12:55,214 --> 01:12:57,634
after more than
40 years of dancing together,
524
01:12:58,008 --> 01:13:02,138
of course my father
missed dancing with Maria.
525
01:13:10,565 --> 01:13:16,612
Even though, when I started to dance,
I was practically a clone of Maria,
526
01:13:16,988 --> 01:13:21,451
I still didn't take Maria Nieves' place
when I started dancing with him.
527
01:13:23,745 --> 01:13:29,543
Maria is unique.
It's impossible to fill her shoes.
528
01:13:43,015 --> 01:13:45,560
This is what I do every night.
529
01:13:47,771 --> 01:13:49,481
At the age of 83.
530
01:13:49,857 --> 01:13:51,525
I don't feel it.
531
01:13:58,157 --> 01:13:59,742
At times I get thinking,
532
01:14:00,034 --> 01:14:04,205
and it makes me mad
to think that I'm 83.
533
01:14:30,858 --> 01:14:34,194
-People remember you together.
-I'm sure.
534
01:14:34,780 --> 01:14:36,573
Without a doubt.
535
01:14:37,199 --> 01:14:39,618
-And it was for many years.
-Yes.
536
01:14:40,661 --> 01:14:42,538
Do you know why it ended?
537
01:14:43,205 --> 01:14:45,583
In truth I haven't the faintest idea.
538
01:14:47,209 --> 01:14:53,133
But, things change.
Once time has passed you say, "Well."
539
01:14:53,507 --> 01:14:55,509
On the one hand I'm grateful.
540
01:14:55,885 --> 01:14:57,720
Because that same pain
541
01:14:58,555 --> 01:15:01,600
made me become a better person,
542
01:15:01,975 --> 01:15:03,394
a better artist,
543
01:15:03,768 --> 01:15:05,770
and a better tango dancer.
544
01:15:06,605 --> 01:15:10,693
So I have to be grateful
for that separation.
545
01:15:24,333 --> 01:15:25,876
I couldn't believe it.
546
01:15:26,961 --> 01:15:29,921
It gave me goose bumps.
547
01:15:30,296 --> 01:15:33,675
It can't be true!
Then at some point I thought
548
01:15:34,050 --> 01:15:37,097
they were applauding me out of pity.
549
01:15:37,472 --> 01:15:39,932
I swear by my mother.
550
01:15:40,307 --> 01:15:42,643
They see I'm old.
551
01:15:43,060 --> 01:15:46,982
And then I accepted it,
I said, "No, Maria,
552
01:15:47,358 --> 01:15:52,363
you are a veteran,
but on stage you're a lioness."
553
01:16:59,185 --> 01:17:04,606
Hearing that applause, getting
a standing ovation in Luna Park,
554
01:17:04,982 --> 01:17:07,485
that was the greatest thing for me.
555
01:17:07,776 --> 01:17:10,028
That's when I realized
556
01:17:10,363 --> 01:17:12,073
I was worth a lot.
557
01:17:12,449 --> 01:17:15,368
More than I believed.
558
01:17:53,825 --> 01:17:56,912
I think everything
has changed in my life.
559
01:18:00,457 --> 01:18:03,711
I rose again like a phoenix.
560
01:18:04,380 --> 01:18:07,924
With more vitality,
with more joy.
561
01:18:08,300 --> 01:18:09,635
And alone.
562
01:18:10,011 --> 01:18:11,845
Which was the
most important part.
563
01:18:12,138 --> 01:18:13,514
Alone.
564
01:18:47,257 --> 01:18:52,596
It makes me sad to know I'm not
going to be able to dance anymore,
565
01:18:52,973 --> 01:18:55,475
which is what I love most.
566
01:18:56,476 --> 01:19:00,272
In my dreams
I'd dance for ten more years.
567
01:19:43,986 --> 01:19:48,157
Retire? No.
I'm not even thinking of it.
568
01:19:48,532 --> 01:19:51,202
I was born with the tango,
I devoted myself to the tango,
569
01:19:51,576 --> 01:19:55,956
I transformed it,
and I want to die with the tango.
570
01:20:00,461 --> 01:20:05,299
Yes, I've suffered a lot,
but I think all women suffer.
571
01:20:05,760 --> 01:20:10,264
All men suffer,
sooner or later in life.
572
01:20:10,640 --> 01:20:12,599
I remember all the bad things,
573
01:20:12,974 --> 01:20:17,022
but I remember with happiness
and with forgiveness.
574
01:20:19,524 --> 01:20:22,152
Because now I am me.
575
01:20:23,904 --> 01:20:27,279
For good or for bad,
I am Maria Nieves.