FLAMES OF DESIRE
Following sell-out seasons in New York, Barcelona, Hamburg, Cape Town and London in 2011, Argentina’s hottest dance company, Tango Fire, has returned to the UK with its show, Flames Of Desire.
For just over two hours, during which time the audience spontaneously burst into standing applause, Flames Of Desire took us on a journey through the history of tango. Tracing its roots in the dance halls of Buenos Aires, before moving through the decades to showcase tango’s growing popularity as a contemporary dance form, the show’s 10 sensational dancers left the audience reeling.
Helpfully, each female dancer can be identifi ed by her hair colour – jet black, blonde, red, brunette and light brown – but technically there was nothing to distinguish any of these superb dancers, male and female, as they fizzed their way through a dazzling array of steps.
With choreography by the show’s lead dancer, German Cornejo, accompanied by the company’s quartet of musicians, Quarteto Fuego, some of the speediest footwork and devilishly complicated steps were on show. Although there’s no specifi c narrative – just a series of dances for couples, solos and ensembles – the theme focuses on the highs and lows of love and loss, enacted in the intimate setting of a bar.
The dances were deftly interspersed with the plaintive, haunting voice of one of Argentina’s finest young singers, Jesus Hidalgo, his singing expressing a mellowness and maturity that belied his youth.
The Tango Fire company has cemented a reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting practitioners of contemporary tango in the world and watching them, it was easy to see why. At the back of the stage, Quarteto Fuego provided live music on the traditional instruments of tango – double bass, piano, violin and accordion. During the second half, they gave a performance of La Muerte del Angel, so we could appreciate their skill undistracted by the dancers.
The costumes were colourful, figure-hugging and seductive, and the lighting brought about swift changes in mood, from sultry nightclubs to exuberant group numbers.
Tango needs to be executed with restrained discipline if it’s not to become a cliché of itself, and this evening of authentic Argentinian dance leaves Strictly in the shade.
Tango Fire: Flames Of Desire is at the Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, London WC2, until 24 February; 0844-871 0090, www.sadlerswells.com
For just over two hours, during which time the audience spontaneously burst into standing applause, Flames Of Desire took us on a journey through the history of tango. Tracing its roots in the dance halls of Buenos Aires, before moving through the decades to showcase tango’s growing popularity as a contemporary dance form, the show’s 10 sensational dancers left the audience reeling.
Helpfully, each female dancer can be identifi ed by her hair colour – jet black, blonde, red, brunette and light brown – but technically there was nothing to distinguish any of these superb dancers, male and female, as they fizzed their way through a dazzling array of steps.
With choreography by the show’s lead dancer, German Cornejo, accompanied by the company’s quartet of musicians, Quarteto Fuego, some of the speediest footwork and devilishly complicated steps were on show. Although there’s no specifi c narrative – just a series of dances for couples, solos and ensembles – the theme focuses on the highs and lows of love and loss, enacted in the intimate setting of a bar.
The dances were deftly interspersed with the plaintive, haunting voice of one of Argentina’s finest young singers, Jesus Hidalgo, his singing expressing a mellowness and maturity that belied his youth.
The Tango Fire company has cemented a reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting practitioners of contemporary tango in the world and watching them, it was easy to see why. At the back of the stage, Quarteto Fuego provided live music on the traditional instruments of tango – double bass, piano, violin and accordion. During the second half, they gave a performance of La Muerte del Angel, so we could appreciate their skill undistracted by the dancers.
The costumes were colourful, figure-hugging and seductive, and the lighting brought about swift changes in mood, from sultry nightclubs to exuberant group numbers.
Tango needs to be executed with restrained discipline if it’s not to become a cliché of itself, and this evening of authentic Argentinian dance leaves Strictly in the shade.
Tango Fire: Flames Of Desire is at the Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, London WC2, until 24 February; 0844-871 0090, www.sadlerswells.com