SOCIAL TANGO Vancouver Premiere Coming to Vancouver Playhouse

DanceHouse will present the Vancouver premiere of Agustina Videla’s intoxicating Social Tango, on stage October 24-26, 2024 at 8:00 PM at the Vancouver Playhouse. An exploration of tango and its role as an essential life force in Argentine culture, Social Tango seamlessly integrates passionate dance with a soulful soundtrack, performed live, paired with multimedia film projections, featuring documentary footage by Argentine filmmaker Nora Lezano.

“We are thrilled to bring Agustin Videl’s striking work, Social Tango, to Vancouver audiences. Its mission is to share the social value of dance and celebrate the vitality of tango as an art form worldwide,” says Jim Smith, Artistic and Executive Director of DanceHouse. “Born in the brothels of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, tango has survived generations of cultural oppression to evolve into a dance form of passion and pleasure. And in true tango spirit, audiences of all ages and abilities will be invited to join in post-performance tango dance parties, called milongas, to experience the fiery moves seen on stage.”

Set against an evocative videography of everyday scenes from the bustling city of Buenos Aires, Social Tango begins with a businesswoman whose curiosity is piqued when a lively couple whizzes past on their way to a tango club. Intrigued, she follows them and almost joins in before embarrassment sets in. She later joins a tango class, at which point the company’s 10 professional dancers are briefly joined on stage by four local tango enthusiasts from Vancouver, underscoring the inclusive atmosphere of tango.

As Social Tango’s central figure grows in confidence and skill, so does the choreography, with “intricate, fast footwork, tilts and turns, and incredible lower-leg movement that is unique and endemic to tango” (Times Union), accompanied by a quartet of musicians and a vocalist who performs a live percussion soundtrack on stage.

Based in Buenos Aires, Agustina Videla aims to inspire people from all walks of life to experience tango in new ways. The ballroom tango has been performed around the world, most recently debuting at New York’s renowned Jacob’s Pillow Festival in July 2024.

Social Tango’s Vancouver premiere will kick off the band’s fall Canadian tour.

The DanceHouse season premiere will also feature a pre-show conversation at 7:15pm each night, featuring Agustina Videla, in conversation with Lili Vieira de Carvalho, Executive Director of the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre. There will also be a post-show reception following the performance on Friday, October 25, and free post-show milongas following the performances on Thursday, October 24 and Saturday, October 26, hosted by StevenJoanna Tango.

Comments

To post a comment, you must: register AND login.