“Fire and Passion of Tango,” staged by a quarter century-old Argentinean company, Tango Buenos Aires, landed for a night at Cal Performances’ Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley last Friday.The title of the performance might seem redundant as show-don’t-tell fiery passion is the very essence of tango of all dance forms known to man. However, to paraphrase an old French film character, when speaking of love the tritest words sound the truest.
Fire and passion of timeless La Cumparsita opens the show and leads the dancers into a tangle of love, domination, submission, jealousy, fight, revenge – all brought together with perfect precision in sliding, swirling and kicking motion, complete with stare, embrace, push, pull – all the elements of real-life relationship distilled to an art form.
General director Rosario Bauza and choreographer Susana Rojo lead five couples of tangueros into a succession of stunningly complex numbers, done with mind-boggling ease. A traditional band of piano, guitar, violin, bass, and bandoneon (music director Emilio Kauderer) delivers equally fascinating performance complementing the exquisite dancing.
Since its inception in 1986 by composer and tango director Osvaldo Requena, and its first appearance at Cal Performances in 2003, the group became well-known, well-loved, and sought after throughout South America, the United States, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and China.
It currently travels North America on a ten-week tour. More information at: www.calperformances.org. Image: courtesy Cal Performances.
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