Guillermo De Fazio – the milonga comedian!

Guillermo is probably the funniest tango teacher I’ve ever met. My brother told me Guillermo and his brother Enrique used to get kicked out of tango class everyday because they kept cracking jokes during class. It was amazing to see him in action. He is definitely the funniest milonguero/tango-personality I have ever met. And a DAMN GOOD milonguero.

Things I saw in milonga class

He’s a great milonga dancer and milonga teacher. He has a variety of simple preset combinations that look complex if you put them all together with the music. He dances with every part of his body. Not just the hands and feet but also with the head and facial expressions; like I said, he dances with his whole body.

He led a complete new beginner into 2 barridas followed by a sacada, then follower’s sacada…all while yelling and screaming and jumping around without a care in the world.

Out in the parking lot, he got to talking about my brother. “How is he? I’m so proud of him. Come next week, I will show you something so you can challenge your brother! Brothers are the best energy in tango. But you must challenge your brother! ” He started showing me some cool combinations. Spinning 2-3 times on rough asphalt. When I did the same, he cursed  “Motherfucker, you copy me so fast!”

The last thing I remember him saying to me, “Don’t worry. If you want to be good, you will be good!”

Milonga tips I learned from the Macana brother:

• lift the girl – if you carry her, she has no choice but to go with you. (of course, don’t take this to the extreme…but see how far you can get)
• GROUNDED! – get low to the ground. Good idea for beginners to learn how to walk with bent knees to practice being grounded
• direct your body in the direction you want to go. send all your energy in one direction so that there is no confusion for her. (you’re either going around her or into her, or vice versa)
• carry the girl higher to take small steps, or let her sink lower to take long steps
• bend the knees a lot to get more power and control and quick change of direction

My favorite video of him and his brother (Enrique) – Los Hermanos Macana (“The Macana brothers”). Guillermo is the taller one.

Random things he would say during class:

• C’mon, everybody collect! Feet together, knees together, nose together!
• Men, spread out [on the dance floor] like we are the pirates of the milonga! Look around the room like we’re going to kill everybody!
• While choreographing a lift for a woman: pretend you are a monkey and I am a tree.  A very ‘theeeen tree…but a tree!

More videos of the Macana brothers!