Buenos Aires comes to life in Costa Mesa
Direct from Argentina, Tango Buenos Aires Performs Song of Eva Perón at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Article by Alejandra Enciso Guzmán
What is the etymology of the word ‘tango’? Where was it born? How did it come about? Which influences did it receive?
Many believe that the word “tango” derives from mispronunciations of the word “tambor,” meaning drum.
The Argentine tango has a mixture of African and Spanish antecedents, and also a strong influence from the Argentine ‘milonga’ which is sung by Gauchos, the Argentine “cowboys.”
In its beginnings, the tango was an ill-famed dance, being very fashionable in dance halls and cabarets, and also because the choreography called for the couple to hold each other very close. Tango choreography allows for a lot of creativity, requiring breaks in the rhythm and perfect coordination between the dancers.
Tango Buenos Aires, the internationally acclaimed and most uncompromisingly authentic Tango company in the world, will make its third appearance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts dancing four performances of Song of Eva Perón January 17 & 18, in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The show takes you on a journey through the sensational life of Argentina’s formidable First Lady with powerful and seductive music and dance. From Eva Duarte de Perón’s humble beginnings through her meteoric rise to power and fame in the 1930s to her untimely death in 1952.
“…repeatedly crafted swirling, fast-paced tapestries of movement, laced with proud postures and sensual couplings.” Stated The Washington Post.
The tango’s constant companion is the piano, although it has been accompanied by the violin, guitar and flute. Nowadays, the most typical instrument is the bandoneón, which is an accordion similar to the concertina. The tango represented many almost infinite feelings and an expanded mental and moral evolution of itself and of the city that is depicted in it. It deserved and suffered many rejections despite the fact that it knew how to rise to the occasion to become the very symbol of the city of Buenos Aires. The tango has grown with that city and its literature.
Tango Buenos Aires has become one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East. Created for the “Jazmines” festival at the famous Buenos Aires cabaret “Michelangelo” by renowned composer and tango director Osvaldo Requena. The company met with tremendous success and was immediately added to the season of the General San Martin Municipal Theatre.
Preview plus Q&A!
Free preview Tango dance demonstrations will be held one hour prior to each performance for ticket holders, followed by a Q&A.
Tickets for Tango Buenos Aires start at $39 and are available at http://www.scfta.org, by calling (714) 556-2787 and at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.
