er name was Adela Ángela Aletti and, although she was Argentine with an Italian family name, everybody knew her as La Gallega or La Gallega Adela.

At age fifteen, after her father’s death, her mother sent her off to a boarding school. Then she used to sneak away from the institution to frequently go to the milonga, precisely the Club Atlanta, where she forged her unbowed character and learnt to dance guided by renowned milongueros.

Throughout her career she had several dancing partners. She made appearances at the La Botica del Ángel and at the TV program Grandes valores del tango. She also appeared in the movie Tango. Bayle nuestro (Dir. Jorge Zanada, 1988).



On December 5, 1982 at the Salón Canning she organized the A puro tango dancehall which, after her death in 1987, her husband Darío Rodríguez —El Gallego— and her daughter Patricia have run until now.

Adela admired the dancers with personality. She used to say that «Tango dancing is according to the one that dances it» and everybody who has known her says she kept it in her feet and in her heart.

The author is instructor, dancer and researcher of tango dance. He is author of the Nuevo glosario de tango danza, La pista del abrazo and Tango FAQs. www.tangosalon.com.ar / info@tangosalon.com.ar