March 10, 2006
By Lucille Davie
A RAGING fire almost broke out on Wednesday night at the Civic Theatre when the 10 fiery dancers of Tango Fire took to the stage.
The cause of the fire would have been an overflow of passionate, sensual dancing, and those red hot seats in the auditorium would have been burning brightly.
But there was no fire . . . just plenty of sparks from the stage as five leggy women and five suave men elegantly tangoed their way back and forth across the stage.
The dancing has been described by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov as "almost indescribable beauty, the grace of ballet and the fire of flamenco"; this show takes you on a red-hot ride.
The tango is Argentina's gift to the world, emerging in Buenos Aires at the turn of the 20th century, born in the brothels and taverns of the city. It was the dance of the fugitive, the pimp and the immigrant. It was banned by the cardinals of Rome but that made no difference to its popularity; eventually it was even given a Hollywood make-over in the 1992 movie Scent of a Woman, starring Al Pacino.
The dancers performing at the Civic belong to dance company Estampas Porteņas, formed in 1996. It was the creation of Carolina Soler, who started dancing at the age of six in Lima, Peru. Soler began her career as a classical ballerina, and has danced Swan Lake, Aurora's Wedding, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Serenade and Emilia.
She has taken her company on tour to Taiwan, China, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
It is a show of almost two hours, at times repetitive but always engaging, to the smooth sounds of Quatrotango, a talented quartet consisting of pianist, double bassist, violinist and accordionist. Quatrotango could easily have presented a show on its own - the combination of instruments produce a captivating and at times haunting sound.
The five couples have been dancing together as couples for several years but still exude a freshness and fluidity as they glide across the stage in perfect precision and dazzling costumes.
Guest singer Diego Famá's elegant presence on stage blended perfectly with the ambience. His experience includes singing at tango houses back home, and he has toured to Japan, Spain, Italy and Chile and makes TV appearances in Argentina.
"It has been one of my dreams to bring a genuine Argentinean tango show to the Civic Theatre's audiences," says Bernard Jay, the theatre's chief executive. "Such shows have been a staple of annual Broadway and West End product since my youth. Tango Fire beautifully complements our policy of presenting the finest in world-class entertainment."
The show is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in the Civic Theatre until 19 March. Performances are on Tuesdays to Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 6pm and 9pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are available at Computicket.
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