Festival will smoulder with Tango Fire
Date Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008Author: Christen Pears
Tango Fire
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Tango – the very word is seductive. It conjures up images of dimly-lit dance halls, couples entwined as they move across the floor to the throbbing rhythms of a bandoneon.
“It is intense. There is so much emotion and you are so close to the other person. There is no other dance like it,” explains choreographer Carolina Soler.
Carolina began her career in dance at the age of six when she enrolled in the Lima Municipal Ballet in Peru. Best known as a classical ballerina, she turned to tango later in her career and in 1996 founded the company Estampas Portenas. Their latest show, Tango Fire, explores the history and development of the tango through a dazzling combination of music and dance.
The tango originated in Argentina in the late 19th century. Beginning in the bars and brothels of Buenos Aires it was the dance of pimps, immigrants and gauchos. It slowly worked its way up through society, gradually becoming more respectable but never losing its sexy, risqué edge. By the early 20th century, the tango had spread to Europe, sweeping through the ballrooms of London and Paris. Almost a century later, fuelled by the popularity of films like Shall We Dance and the hit TV series Dancing With the Stars, tango is once again in the limelight.
Tango Fire has been hailed as Argentina’s hottest dance show. It features 10 dancers performing everything from slow burning duets to dazzling dance pyrotechnics with a bit of flirting and fighting thrown in for good measure. Speed and precision create an exuberant, breathtaking performance while dozens of costume changes add to the visual spectacle.
“The first half is more traditional and is set in a milonga – the place where you go to tango. There are table and chairs like it would have been 50 or 60 years ago,” says Carolina.
“The second half is more modern. It’s a tango revolution and is more spectacular.”
Music is integral to the show and the dancers are accompanied by Quatrotango, a four-piece band consisting of a piano, violin, double bass and bandoneon. According to Carolina, this accordion-like instrument gives the tango its unique, plaintive quality.
“The live music is very important to us. It’s part of the show just like the dancing. It creates the atmosphere.”
The music of legendary composer Astor Piazzolla features heavily in the second act. Piazzolla is credited with revolutionising the traditional tango by introducing elements of jazz and classical music to create tango Nuevo.
“He introduced a new generation of dancers to tango. The dancers in the company are all very young,” says Caroline.
“Today the young people are coming to tango more than 10 or 15 years ago. It is popular because in tango you can find things that you can’t find in other dance. You are completely touching the other person. You are dancing so close you feel his or her heart. The music is very rich. It’s sensual and people young and old like that.”
The Bermuda Festival runs until February 23. For more information visit www.bermudafestival.org