Hernán Obispo was only 34 years old when he died. He died accompanied by his new young wife, Emilie, a Frenchwoman, who was 29, as they were returning from a wedding celebration in the countryside, late at night. No one knows for sure the circumstances of the accident but from reports coming from there, it is believed that Hernán was killed instantly.
I first met Hernán in the fall of 1999. I had just started helping to organize Argentine tango classes in the Bay area. I did not know Hernán personally but had read so many good things about him that I felt attracted without even knowing him. He did not know me but he had a strong desire to come and teach here. So perhaps it was predestination that a teacher that I had scheduled to come here could not come. I had already reserved studio spaces, organized an outdoors milonga and started publicity when I was notified that the other teacher could not come. I immediately contacted Hernán to see if he would be interested. He was. Hernán came with a week’s notice all the way from Europe, bringing his current partner Mariana Fresno with him. I was amazed that he would travel so far, so quickly, and be prepared with all his heart and courage to encounter whatever would happen in this new place. Ordinary people would never have behaved in that way. They would have counted the cost, the time, the possibilities of failure, and all the little inconveniences that stood in the way.
But it was quickly apparent that he was no ordinary person. He was young but he had the wisdom and ability to see far beyond himself. Sometimes you felt that he could actually see almost to the horizon. In his teaching he was disciplined and strict. He drilled incessantly and constantly on technique. Because without technique you could not let your passion shine. And he definitely had passion, unlimited quantities of it. His specialty was the use of contrabody technique, and I remember the students emerging from their private lessons, sweating, but happy, realizing they had learned something solid that they would have to practice for the rest of their lives. With me, he was constantly saying "no en bloque, con la cadera." And he would point out to me in the milongas, who had good hip action and who did not. He was always enchanted when he found a woman who was "liviana" and who could dance with "cintura." Then he would say "Que mujer!"
Hernán had lots of women surrounding him. He loved women and flirted incessantly. To him, all women were a charm and a delight. He was always sweet to ladies who wanted to dance with him. Even when he was tired or aware that they might not be up to his level, he would obligingly dance with them. And his lead was so light and tender, it was a wonder, like floating or flying.
The next year when he was supposed to come in October, 2000, after the Portland tango festival, his mother became critically ill, and he was unable to make it. I went to Buenos Aires and met him just before her death from cancer. He was hoping that her suffering would not last too long. Like the dutiful son he was, he was with her every day for the months before she passed away. He suffered with her and tried every way he could to ameliorate her suffering.
Later that year, in May, 2001, he came with Mariana Dragone, his new partner, and stayed for nearly a month. He was teaching with more energy and passion than ever. His sorrows seemed to have melted away. He was living every moment with ardor. He was already in love with Emilie who was calling him frequently from France. He had to reassure her that I was no threat, that I was simply a woman who helped to organize his classes and loved to dance tango. He had tremendous success with several large private group classes organized especially for him and hordes of private students coming until midnight for lessons. But despite all the teaching, he always wanted to go to the milongas, and then to a café afterwards to joke and laugh with all his friends and students. He teased every one and his joke for me was the way I always said "Siiiiiii" drawing out the "i" at the end. He teased Mariana all the time too. Especially when she came out of bed in the morning with no make-up and her hair all tousled. He would say "Aca, la verdadera Dragone." Of course, she looked beautiful at any time of day and he knew that.
We talked more and more together. He taught me lunfardo phrases like "Che voludo" and others I shouldn’t repeat. He told me about his days as a racecar driver (especially when he was criticizing my driving). He decided while he was here that he was going to throw himself off a plane and go parachuting. I told him about my friend who broke her foot in several places when she did it, and how she had to be in the hospital for several months. I thought for a dancer, any accident, however small, could be a disaster. But he just laughed it off. He did jump off the plane and he had a wonderful time. He loved it. Now, I am so glad that he had that experience. Because he wanted to do it and he was able to do it before he left us.
A friend of his from Sacramento, Michelle, related to me the dream she had of him this week. She was in the car with him, seemingly on that night. She said to him at one point "Be careful." He just laughed and took his hands off the steering wheel and leaned back. She was scared and couldn’t understand what he was doing. But he was totally relaxed. He met his fate with open arms. Just as he had met his whole life, he went willingly, openly, this last embrace, this last tango with love, life and death.
- Stella, from San Francisco, July 14, 2002.
Hernán began studying tango in 1989 with Rodolfo Dinzel and has continued his association with the Dinzels to the present. He has studied different styles and techniques and, in addition to his work with the Dinzels, has worked extensively with Estela Arcos, Marcelo González, Mingo Pugliese and Gustavo Naveira.
In 1994 he became part of the corps de ballet of the Dinzels. He has always combined a love of dancing for itself and joy in performing with a profound pleasure in teaching. As a performer he has danced in Japan, Korea, Brazil, France, Denmark, Italy and Canada, as well as in many theatres and clubs in Buenos Aires. Perhaps even more importantly, Hernán has given very well-received exhibitions at important milongas in Buenos Aires, such as La GalerÌa del Tango, El Pial, Torcuato Tasso, Glorias Agentinas and Club Sin Rumbo.
Equally important is Hernán's work as a teacher. He successfully completed the Course in Teaching According to the Dinzel System, giving him a fluency not only in the teaching of the concepts and techniques of Rodolpho Dinzel but also in the teaching of other techniques and styles. He has taught in Buenos Aires at Torcuato Tasso, Club Almagro, Lo del Ángel, La Kolumna, Club Sarmiento, ReFaSi - and also gave the annual Course in Tango at the University of Buenos Aires for three years running, from 1996 through 1998. He has given workshops across Europe, in Limoges, Toulouse, Paris, Naples, Rome and in Aalbor, Arus and Odense in Denmark.
It is a mark of Hernán's ability, both as a dancer and teacher, that Suzuki Avellaneda chose him to work as her dance partner and teaching partner in 1997 after the death of her husband, the famous Pepito Avellaneda. Maria Nieves did the same after her break-up with Juan Carlos Copes. When Hernán went to Montréal in 1997, his classes were so successful that he stayed and continued teaching there for two and a half months.
I have recommended Hernán to other communities, and here is an example of the reaction to him from San Fransisco:
"I noticed many dramatic changes in the dancing of the students who had
contact with Mariana and Hernan. It was as Keith Elshaw from Montreal
commented on some time back, that both of them give so much personal
attention during even a group class, that each student is able to feel that
they have made solid progress, rather than being frustrated over a diffcult
concept.
Every one of the workshops was grounded in technique. Much of
their technique is based on the ability to dissociate hip movement from
torso movement and it is difficult to progress in their classes without
having this basic concept down. Once you have mastered the ability to do
contrabody movement they then show you how to utilize it in giros, boleos,
ochos, leading and following. The contrabody movement is the basis for
being able to dance very close without losing your axis and thus being able
to play with the legs and feet.
The other thing that is so special about
their teaching is the emphasis on "sensation" that is feeling whether a
movement is right, rather than memorizing a figure or pattern. Their
emphasis on "sensation" particularly with regard to connection between the
couple dancing, brings back the joy of tango that many of us have lost in
our search for all the technical factors, change of direction, execution of
figures, etc. One of their most interesting classes was about "Energy"
which taught how women could use their inner energy to control the pace of
the dance, sometimes even creating dramatic pauses, and creating a time
space within which to dance. I personally found it a joy to work with them
and I believe that as in Montreal, they are much loved here."
Stella Ling
Hernán Obispo y Mariana Dragone
