The long and winding road
Alison Gallagher-Hughes reviews Tiempo de Tango’s Romance D’Carnaval
How far the journey to the heart of tango? Three hundred and eighty-two miles to be precise. Destination: Tunbridge Wells. It’s not Buenos Aires I grant you, but for one night, the fire and passion of the Argentine art form burned bright in the Kentish spa town hosting Tiempo de Tango’s Romance D’Carnaval. The intimate venue of the Trinity Theatre, a converted church, provided a Gothic backdrop to the performance.
The show depicts the story of tango through family history. A young British woman visits the homeland from which her Argentine mother fled during the dictatorships of the 1970s. She pieces together the tragedy, passion and the secret to her own identity from her grandfather’s papers – a letter written to her on the day of her birth, and a photo album. Her voyage of discovery allows her to reclaim her heritage and embrace the passion of tango.
All this is conveyed through multi-media devices and minimalist stage sets. Movable screens are used for projection and silhouette and taped narration metres the unfolding events. This ideally suited the small theatre, although on the other hand the company’s ten dancers also had to manoeuvre their way around the equally small stage.
Although the pre-interval action succeeded in setting the scene, for a show of 90 minutes an interval after just 30 minutes was too early. With very little partner dancing for the first 25 minutes, we were just getting into the action when off went the dancers and up went the lights. The audience sat still. The narration tape prematurely started and stopped. We stayed fast in our seats, and a good two minutes of silence rolled by. Only the appearance of the ice cream seller provided the necessary signal for the audience to take its leave.
In contrast, the second half felt like the performance proper. The plot’s protagonist, El Nino Bien, dances his way through joy, jealousy and demise which culminates in his imprisonment for the murder of a rival for the affections of his fiancée, Malena. It is here that we see the best of Myrian Ojeda-Patino’s choreography. Fast and furious footwork, a lacework of interlocking legs, hooks and mordidas, the dancers maintaining the perfect axis of symmetry and balance throughout. I loved the opening to the second half – Juan Manuel Acosta’s barman injects gentle humour as, cleaning up after a milonga, he enjoys a tango with his broom.
All the dancers were superb and seemed to impress a little of their own personalities on the choreography. Marie Soler as the fiancée and Valeria Sol Alvarez as the young Malena fearlessly performed lifts that added a real wow factor and a sensational finale.
Tango Siempre presented a score of tango and jazz fusion which provided an added layer of authenticity to the presentation of 1930s Buenos Aires, as well as a contemporary approach to the modern-day scenes.
Was my journey to the heart of tango worthwhile? You bet it was. However, next time I’d rather it was shorter… some Midlands dates would be nice.
Tiempo de Tango’s December performances can be found on www.tiempodetango.co.uk
Photographs by Hiba Faisa
