alermo was born at the Boca, in the same neighborhood where Benito Quinquela Martín and Don Juan de Dios Filiberto found their inspiration, but his childhood and youth were spent in Palermo, "neighborhood of tango and milonga".

With Carmen Calderón (1942)

Since early age he evidenced, his inclination for dancing. His father "El Lecherito", a dancer of tango milonga (together with the "Tarila" were the best dancers in Villa Crespo) discovered the early vocation of his son, understanding that he was born for dancing. He spent his childhood days listening on the radio to all the orchestras which he recognized as his teachers.

His days as child and teenager were devoted passionately to dancing, and so, with the passing of the years he is gaining facility, dexterity and experience, playing the different styles and rhythms of the orchestras in their varied ways, shaping himself his character as interpreter.

At the Academia Nelson that he frequented, he drew Profesor Orlando´s attention when he discovered Palermo´s ability, he expressed: «If this kid finds a partner, I´ll bet on him against everybody». It was a time when El Tarila, El Méndez and El Cachafaz danced.

Palermo began to be aware of his own value when he appeared in several of the principal dancing rooms in the neighborhood of Palermo. There he won the nicknames of: "Tango Argentino" and "El Dividido". This nickname calls for an explanation: waist upwards means nowadays, waist downwards, the "900".

On several occasions the public, touched, stopped dancing to watch Palermo´s dance, because he had already achieved shine and fame as tough, daring and witty, a fact that the owners of an important ballroom realized and soon hired him. So in 1942, Palermo made his debut at the "Palermo Palace" salon with the Ángel D'Agostino orchestra and with Carmen Calderón as dancing partner. His success was so amazing that, to attract people´s interest, many times his appearance was announced even though he was not playing.

With his first partner (1943)

At a party organized to be held in the courtyard of his house on Billinghurst and Melo streets, an old styled quartet played. It was lined up by Robertino Acosta on bandoneon; Magrini on violin; El tano (the Italian) Vicente on flauta; El gallego (the Spaniard) Fernández on guitar (the same one that had played with Eduardo Arolas) and "El tano Roque" from Avellaneda as dancer, who made a show.

Palermo, a fan of the old stream, did not dare to dance out of respect for the old folks, but everybody insisted on his dancing until his father told him: «Come on». That evening he was praised even by the musicians. Robertino Acosta said astonished: «This dancers has to be for Lopecito», alluding the commentator of picturesque traditions of Buenos Aires, Juan F. López. El Tano Roque agreed.

Although Lopecito could not believe that a little kid was able to be an interpreter of the "guardia vieja" (old stream), he is invited for a rendezvous at the cabaret "Singapur" on Montevideo Street, where the Manuel Pizarro orchestra was rehearsing to appear with "La Cabalgata del tango", at the Paramount cinema theater on Lavalle Street. He rehearsed with them, and was accepted. Then, Palermo danced with the Pizarro orchestra and El Tano Roque with the Cuarteto de la guardia. On their opening show they were a boom, to such an extent that, El Tano Roque, touched, told Lopecito: «Now I can die in peace. With this kid there is guardia for 60 years». Since then, Palermo went on dancing with the quartet of the old stream, as featured dancer, occupying the place that left for him the old dancer.

After splitting with Carmen Calderón, he appeared with this company in almost all the cinema theaters of Buenos Aires with the enthusiastic acclaim of the audiences before the novelty of this dancer "that knew all kinds of tricks". In fact, people saw him dancing: old stream style, canyengue, tango influenced milonga, tango-milonga; when he was requested "encores", tango with half corte (like his father used to dance) and, to end, tango for salon or slow tango: La cumparsita. So he achieved another deserved nickname: the "King of Tango".

They made their debut at the teatro Podestá of La Plata, following with the kermesses in Berisso, La Plata and nearby areas. Later at the teatro Bristol of Mar del Plata, following with a two-month tour throughout the south and west of Buenos Aires, and later throughout the provinces. That was in the forties.

After several years of uninterrupted success, he split with Lopecito and went back to play independently, appearing at several ballrooms backed by the orchestra led by Vicente Sassano, known as "La orquesta de los milongueros" (The orchestra for dancers). On various opportunities, he danced again with Carmen Calderón and went on with his career in variety shows, accompanied, according to the venue, by Tano Genaro, Osvaldo Pugliese and Miguel Caló, among others.

On one occasion, he was congratulated by the writer Alberto Vacarezza, who when saw him dance exclaimed: «Palermo, for the whole world!».

In the 50s, with Carmen Calderón, he appeared at cabarets in the city of Buenos Aires and in other cities such as: Bahía Blanca, Salta, Tucumán, Rosario, San Juan and Mendoza.

He can be seen in the films: "Del couplé al tango", with Gloria Ugarte as dancing partner, Virginia Luque and Tito Lusiardo; "Un guapo del 900", with Alfredo Alcón; "Cita en San Telmo", accompanied by Norma.

With Norma, his current partner and wife

He also performed to great advantage in theater plays like: "Juancito de la Ribera", "Yo soy el tango", both with Jorge Vidal; "Se viene la nueva ola" (musical revue) with Alberto Anchart and Olinda Bozan; "Caramelos surtidos", with Aníbal Troilo; "Tu cuna fue un conventillo", with Luis Arata; "El conventillo de la paloma" with Azucena Maizani.

At the Teatro "Luz y Fuerza" he appeared with Osvaldo Pugliese and at the "Avenida" with Ángel Pericet and the vedettes Noemí Lasserre and Lilian del Río. At the "Coliseo" he played at the Twist, Tango, Folk music and Classical dance Festival. Once more, Palermo, accompanied this time by Norma, again drew the attention of the public since they were the only dancers requested to encore.

He was seen as well on television during his long career on the stages with his definitive partner, Norma, in programs like "Evocación del Ayer" with Los Muchachos de Antes and Héctor Artola and also with Pedro Maffia; "Nostalgias del Tiempo Lindo"; "Monumento al Tango" with Edmundo Rivero, Juan D'Arienzo and Susy Leiva, "Show de María Antinea" and the "Show de Mariano Mores".

In 1975 he was invited to join the dancing group "Tango Argentino" and to travel to Europe, but family obligations he was bound to prevented him from agreeing to the proposal.

Since then he withdrew from sceneries but he did not forsake tango that is a part of his soul, he kept on studying and dancing sticking to the tango tradition of the old Buenos Aires that Palermo interprets and feels with the same spirit of his forerunners.

However, his artistic life does not stop, Palermo and Norma's quality was not missed by two oustanding dancers of this generation, whom Palermo regards as the best ones: Miguel Ángel Zotto and Milena Plebs. The latter invited the former to join the company they lead so successfully.

Palermo deserves not only the honors for having remained loyal to tradition but also because he remained loyal to himself and to his father who inspired him to walk the road of art.

Excerpted from the magazine "Tango XXI", no. 14, March 1999.