In Argentina, Oscar Brusco and Nina Chudoba are considered as one the best Tango Dancers in Buenos Aires, which is amazing considering that they are 82 and 90 years old respectively. The pair says that their version of the classic dance is called floor tango, and does not involve the “twirling of legs” that we usually see from modern Tango dancers.
Despite being advanced in age, the pair still knows how to cut a rug to the rhythm of the tango. They dance it so well that at last week’s Tango World Championship, all the competitors admitted that the couple danced the most authentic tango dance in the entire vent. Oscar and Nina learned the dance in the 1940’s, during the golden age of dancing in Argentina. They are among the longest-surviving proponents of the Tango dance.
“We are the essence of tango,” says Brusco, “Our tango is something different: walking and crossing, floor tango. None of this twirling of the legs.” Brusco’s partner, Nina Chudoba, also says that she is glad to see the youth still dancing the tango. She recalls a time when everyone used to dance the tango almost every night, each with their own style. Chudoba returned to dancing in her 50’s when her husband passed away. That’s also when she met Brusco, who was a widower. The pair goes out dancing four times a week, to tango dance parties called “milongas”.
The couple did not win the tango dance championship in Buenos Aires, but they received a standing ovation as they entered the dance floor. At the backstage, one of the finalists Juan Manuel Rosales and his wife Liza greeted the couple out of respect. They said it is was an honor to dance with a couple who have been dancing tango for so long.