Germán Cornejo: Tango Fire, London, January 2017

[zxDaveM]

Its Tango Time!
Foteini Christofilopoulou was at the dress rehearsal for Germán Cornejo’s Tango Fire at the Peacock Theatre (end of January into February)
 Here are some photos:

 

Sebastian Alvarez, Victoria Saudelli, Marcos Esteban Roberts, Louise Junqueira Malucelli, Ezequiel Lopez, Camila Alegre, Germán Cornejo, Gisela Galeassi
© Foteini Christofilopoulou.
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr


Ezequiel Lopez, Camila Alegre
© Foteini Christofilopoulou.
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

See more...
Set from DanceTabs: Germán Cornejo’s Tango Fire
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

[johnross]

I was also at the Peacock Theatre to absorb some Argentinian music and the Tango. Here are a couple more pictures from the photocall.

 

 

Florencia Roldan and Mariano Balois in Pata Ancha

 

 

Victoria Saudelli and Sebastian Alvarez in Libertango

 

More pictures on www.johnrossballetgallery.co.uk

[Geoff]

Anyone expert / obsessed enough to give a judgement on how this tango show compares against all the others? I used to go to each one decades ago, when such shows were rare, but now hardly a season goes by without another chance to see tango on stage so I feel confused.

 

I would love to go at least once a year - or more often if there is something special going on - but am lost for choice. By something special, let me remind those with long memories of one company which had a truly remarkable couple in the group, he clearly some kind of elder statesman of tango (imagine a retired Argentine ambassador) whereas she was barely out of her teens. One of the greatest dance pairings I have ever seen.

[Bruce Wall]

Just a knod to say I went to see Tango Fire this evening - no expectations - on a free ticket - and was completely blown away.

 

Every single member of the company - be it the ten dancers, the four wonderful musicians and the one singer were ripe in personality and each was clearly identified through such to their adoring audience.  It as if these were characters in the most expansive tapestry of a rich drama - akin to the best of its breed.  They had no need to be dressed in elaborate costumes or subsidised scenery; nor did they hang on to celebrated coat tails.  They didn't need to.  Their pulse was Strictly humanity's ... and as such it rushed forth in the tumble of its own 'humaness'.  The audience just wouldn't stop applauding the mirror the artists had held up to their nature at the end.  Indeed they appeared to be surprised at their own reflections whilst walking out on air.  Still their zeal - at least as far as I was concerned - was as well deserved as is it was blatantly genuine. 

 

Never have I thought of an accordion as being so complete and rich a musical instrument as it is here so diversely employed.  The on-stage piano, base and violin playing were also all equally distinguished.  The choreography - through the prism of the tango of course - had a wonderful versatility and the partnering - my word, WHAT PARTNERING:  To wit: There was one EXTRAORDINARY PDD in the second act by German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi which easily made the last act PDD in MacMillan's Manon - as rendered, say, replete with all those zealous air throws by Cope and Guillem - no more than an ardent stroll through a Louisianna swamp.  Cornejo lifted our world in his arms and the wave of response from Galeassi - as well as her audience -was almost overwhelming.  

 

Tango Fire gives new meaning to the expression to 'smolder' ... and in the phenomena that is German Cornejo's 'shoulder'.  

 

I'm only sorry that my work/travel schedule probably precludes my seeing them - in this showing at any rate - again.

 

Do go if you can, Geoff ... I really don't think you will be disappointed.   

Edited February 2, 2017 by Bruce Wall

[Geoff]

On 1 February 2017 at 10:48, Geoff said:

let me remind those with long memories of one company which had a truly remarkable couple in the group, he clearly some kind of elder statesman of tango (imagine a retired Argentine ambassador) whereas she was barely out of her teens. One of the greatest dance pairings I have ever seen.

 

Thank you Bruce - as above - for sending me off to a great evening in the theatre last year. Having just seen the latest London show by Germán Cornejo (Tango After Dark) might I elaborate on my earlier memory?

 

When I started going to tango shows in London, some 30 (?) years ago, what grabbed me most was the feeling of authenticity. The wonderful dancers were all ages, sizes and shapes, but universally sexy, skilled and seemingly deeply into what they were doing, quietly (or not so quietly) focussed on dancing with each other with a level of intimacy I had never previously seen in the West End. These shows, with changing but always variagated casts, played successfully for several years - but over time, the law of dismissing returns seemed to kick in, and more and more "ideas", "stories", "concepts" (none particularly successful or interesting imho) got added, presumably to try and provide variety for those audiences who by now had seen formless tango shows maybe rather too often. 

 

So I stopped going for a while. Bruce got me back last year, and I was glad I went, for the reasons he described so well (although he politely avoided drawing attention to some poor violin playing). So I had hopes of a similar experience with the latest show this year.

 

Tango After Dark certainly wowed the crowd, this (last) night. And the dancing was nothing if not spectacular (and there was a new violinist). But I was dissatisfied. Just as Cirque Du Soleil has taken ancient circus arts - all about danger, sex, fear, excitement - and wrapped them in a prophylactic which is seemingly more commercial but  removes most of what makes circus what it is (so circus without circus, as it were), so this style of tango show seems to want to offer tango without the tang of tango. 

 

The aestethic is ballroom dancing tango, or iceskating tango, not, as the music insists, the authentic tango experience. Bolshoi lifts, really? Cartwheels? It's a powerful show in many ways but the evening is one of relentless "choreography" (rather than - seemingly - improvised dancing) often with the five fairly similar couples doing simultaneous steps and performing out at the audience, rather than all kinds of folk dancing with and to each other.

 

I am going to stop now to try and find some examples on YouTube of what I saw with such amazement all those years ago. After all, memory is fallible and unreliable.