112  Una historia del Tango - Stage Show, Australia

Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 14:35:06 +1000
From: John Lowry <john@LOWRYHART.COM.AU>
Subject: Una historia del Tango - Stage Show, Australia

The following extracts are from Canberra Times critic Helena Muser after
attending "Una Historia del Tango" in Canberra, Australia:

"The line between social dancing and stage is always fine, but nowhere more
so than with Tango"........."Director of the Perth-based group behind this
touring production, Gaston Valdez, plainly has not time for the stagey
travesties recognisable by eye-to-eye contact and extravagant female
back-bends. His gentle historical account rather traced the Tango from the
dance of the dispossessed to a democratic world-wide passion. The narrative
structure introduced us to the immigrants packing into the La Boca sector of
Buenos Aires last century and the black period when it was banned in its
home country. Legs flickered in and out and eyes were correctly downcast,
showing that the self absorbed quality of Tango was there from the outset.
At the heart of this presentation was the superb dancing line of Valdez
himself, who scarcely cracked a smile, and the tempestuous live musicians,
violinist Jessica Ipkendanz and guitarist Hugo Alvarez.".........."Portenos,
we discovered, scoff at such dramatics, yet the low-key approach was warmly
applauded b the full house, many of whom were from Canberra's Argentine
community". When you consider that 'Una Historia del Tango' featured only
one or two real Argentines and that <locally recruited cast members> were
incorporated after a brief rehearsal period, this production must be
considered an exceptional phenomenon of multicultural Australia."