I didn’t know about dancer Augie Rodriguez until I read the article about his death this week in the New York Times. It seems I missed an interesting chapter in New York’s history of Latin music.
The Dominican-Spaniard-American dancer was a dancing sensation during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s with his partner-wife Margo, a Puerto Rican-Corsican herself. The couple formed the Augie and Margo dancing duo and were fixtures in the Palladium Ballroom in Manhattan.
The New York Times article mentions how famous they were and I realize how little I know about this piece of Latin music history. The couple was featured on mainstream TV and was famous for their creativity in the way they danced.
I won’t spill all the beans here, as I won’t do as good a job as the New York Times did in their article about Augie Rodriguez. I do suggest you take a couple of minutes to read a bit about this couple who made a mark in Latin music with their passion and creativity.
Thanks to Bobby Sanabria and Bart Goft (who lived in the same apartment building as the couple when they resided in Queens, NY) for sharing this article. I’m sharing it here.
Here’s a link to the article:
I knew Augie and Margo very briefly. They lived in my village in Deerfield Beach and Augie trained at my gym. Such down-earth-and immensely talented people. They represent an era that, unfortunately, will never come back.
Thx Roy! So true, that’s an era that we won’t see again. I would’ve loved to interview one of them.