We witnessed some great music and dancing last night at a performance of Forever Tango. The music was handled by an 11 piece orchestra featuring 4 bandoneons (accordions), 2 violins, 1 cello, 1 viola, 1 bass, 1 piano, and keys. Many great songs were performed including several compositions by Astor Piazzolla. There was only one song which did not come off well. The song featured the four bandoneons backed by the bass. The bandoneons were doing some improv soloing and were trading licks. The musicians were playing for themselves and completely lost the audience for awhile. But besides this one moment, the music was completely enjoyable. The long sorrowful tones of the bandoneons are lovely and the bowed bass is quite propulsive.
Fourteen dancers showed their stuff in a program which gives a brief history of the tango from its beginnings in brothels with links to organized crime, to its acceptance in Paris salons and by the Argentinian middle class, further on to its union with classical European music forms and ballet. The dancers aged in range from twenty-somethings to senior citizens with body types spanning tight and athletic to full-bodied and curvy. This variety was nice to see and emphasized the accessibility of tango. There were two comedy routines which the audience loved. A man reluctantly dances with his female companion. He tries to get off stage while she tries to keep him onstage and dancing. The routine worked very well and featured some wonderful and original dance moves. Other routines were straight forward, high energy tango that made everyone in the audience boggle at how the couples could move so quickly while not tripping on one another’s entwined limbs. Several throws and lifts were executed with amazing strength, speed, and grace.
The highlight of the evening was a dance which mixed tango and ballet. Tango when punctuated with movements exhibiting the strength, control, and precision of ballet is a beautiful and inspired creation. The performance was wowing. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
What more to say? The ladies’ gowns were lovely and colorful. The dancing displayed machismo and tenderness, submission and defiance, lust and loving. It was a good time.
