Tango Fire company
the Arts Centre, Melbourne
July 29, 2010
By Rain Francis.
Buenos Aires’ Tango Fire company has been playing to packed houses around the world and it is easy to see why. Showcasing some of the world’s top dancers and musicians, Tango Fire’s Tango Inferno – The Fire Within is everything you’d expect from the South American art form: romantic, sexy and dazzling.
Half an hour before the official curtain-up, a milonga takes place on stage. Here audience members (apparently mostly local tango practitioners) are invited up to dance, emulating the traditional Argentinian dance halls.
The live band, Quatrotango, placed on a low podium centre-stage, share the spotlight with the dancers. The show – and indeed the artform – is as much about the music as it is about the dance. Led by bandoneon player Hugo Satorre and pianist Gabriel Clenar, this is a world-class group of artists. The musical interludes are some of the most mesmerising parts of the show, so much so that I could have been content with a purely musical evening.
The dancers, though, live up to their reputation as champions of their art. Not surprisingly, lead dancer and Director of Choreography Yanina Fajar is particularly engaging and radiant. It is clear that most of the couples have been dancing together for many years. They are so in tune with each other that their performances are impossible to fault. Not to take anything away from the wonderful male dancers, but the women are so scorching that at times I barely noticed the men. That could, however, also be due to Walter Delgado’s beautiful gowns, which are at times scene-stealing.
A highlight of the performance is the ensemble number Oblivion, choreographed by Fajar and German Cornejo, portraying less raw sexuality and more tenderness and romance. Again Delgado’s stunning flowing, silver gowns really make the piece, and remind me of Roger Kirk’s beautiful ball gowns in Act 2 of Graeme Murphy’s The Silver Rose.
I was pleased and relieved at the absence of the hammed-up acting which often accompanies “ballroom” style dancing (though maybe it’s just that I’ve been exposed to too many reality TV dance shows of late). In place of the ham, and far more appropriately, a subtle, endearing narrative weaves through Tango Inferno. In the second Act, the complexity of the partnering and virtuosity of the lifts is amped up several notches. This perhaps compromises a little of the storyline but, judging by the audience’s reaction, gives them more of what they have come to see.
No doubt Tango Fire will be back to visit Australia before long, so if you’re a fan of the dance, the music, or both, make sure you get a ticket.
Article published by www.danceinforma.com
Photos by David Wyatt.
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