I received the touching letter below from Gayatri Martin, who was close to Gavito and who feels great pain of loss today, as do many. I feel I want to share this with the Tango list as she is not a subscriber for some technical reason.
Gayatri's words of tribute: There are very few people who attain the title Living Legend¹ and Carlos Gavito was one of them. Today, July 1st, 2005, Carlos Gavito became another Tango Legend¹. I personally had the good fortune of knowing Carlos Gavito when I first started to dance tango 8 years ago and would attend his Milonga on Sundays at DanceSport. He always both entertained and educated us when he demonstrated a beautiful combination¹ and then challenged attendees to replicate it. My luck extended through organizing his New York City workshops in 2003 up until April this year when I had the honor of studying with him in a small 6 day seminar in Buenos Aires. It was during this Seminar that Carlos showed me the power of tango. He had been un-well for an extended period of time but he burned with a desire to transmit to us his life-time of experience, passion and knowledge of tango. He gave his entire being in the classes and we in turn gave our entire attention and dedication to absorb every detail. This was an irreplaceable experience that will forever be a part of me as I continue on my tango journey. The name Carlos Gavito, for me, will always be synonymous not only with tango, but tango danced with elegance, sensuality and depth. Gracias por todo Carlos Always... ¡Celebrating Tango! Gayatri, NYC
