Tango por Dos - La Historia

Arts Info (31May06): Argentina’s top tango company, directed by Miguel Angel Zotto, is back with a new show straight from Buenos Aires. La Historia is a tribute to Zotto’s teachers, and the development of the dance form. Tango, the dance that more than any other is the vertical expression of horizontal desire is full of passion, glamour and excitement. Close partnering with smooth sliding steps, shark kicks, intricate neat footwork, lifts, all performed by top tango dancers makes for a good evenings viewing. Tracing the history of the company the show celebrates the choreographic masters of tango. With sixteen dancers you can’t take your eyes off and a company of six musicians and two singers it is excellent entertainment. The dancers had immaculately executed footwork with some very speedy and complex steps which takes years of dedicated training to achieve. There was also a homage to tango composers including Astor Piazzolla and some new sequences of vibrant modern tango. The use of the bandoneón, with a more melancholic sound than the accordion, by Pocho Palmer was masterful. This is the key instrument of the tango just as the beauty and harmony of the woman is the focus of the dance. On an atmospheric set there was stunning dancing by the men and women in superbly sleek costumes with dresses enhancing their long legs. The programme is a mix of slow sophisticated eroticism with moments of significant stillness between a couple and also elements of a more Vegas style ensemble show. Gavin Roebuck published in The Stage