PHILIPPINES: Buenos Aires dance group, Tango Fire, performs in one of Manila's largest hotels and impresses dance enthusiasts who have a strong following of the dance

Record ID: 446869

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Buenos Aires dance group, Tango Fire, performs in one of Manila's largest hotels and impresses dance enthusiasts who have a strong following of the dance
  • Date: 19th January 2012
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 18, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARGENTINE AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES JOAQUIN OTERO SAYING: "We feel the music and we feel what we say with that music."
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines, Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA12F4NPYB3WSARTXT7ZRC3GPOM
  • Story Text: A troupe of professional Argentine Tango dancers from Buenos Aires ignited Manila's passion for dancing on Tuesday (January 17, 2012) after performing near-acrobatic renditions of a once frowned upon dance in Argentina.
    Dancers from Tango Fire wore outfits from the 1930s, mimicking the atmosphere in the saloons where the dance originated, and danced with a series of footwork that incorporated a mix of Jazz, swings and acrobatic flips.
    A quartet of musicians playing authentic tango music accompanied the ten dancers as they twirled around the stage with each crescendo of the bandoneon instrument.
    Hundreds who watched the show were amazed by the performance and would like to try dancing the Argentine Tango at least once.
    Tango Fire dancer Gisela Galeassi said people around the world loved watching tango performances because it easily establishes a connection between the dancers and the audience.
    "I think tango is important in all the parts of the world because it is a dance where the couple is connected by passion. People are drawn to it and appreciate dancing," she said, "the secret is the intimacy produced by the language between the two bodies," commented her partner and lead choreographer, German Cornejo.
    Argentine Tango is different from the regular tango found in dance sport competitions as it requires a chest-to chest embrace rather than a push to the waist, followed by longer strides and a combination of footwork taken from other social dances.
    The dance had its roots in the 19th Century, along the ports of Buenos Aires when prostitutes danced in front of the sailors in the early morning hours after work.
    Argentine Ambassador to the Philippines, Joaquin Otero, said a large portion of the tango's popularity relied on the music revival of Astor Piazzolla, Argentina's best-known bandoneon player, who revolutionized the genre from the 1950s to the 1980s.
    "We feel the music, and we feel what we say with that music," he said.
    In Manila, Argentine Tango has gained a strong following, with many of the youth and dance aficionados getting engaged in the dance.
    "Argentine Tango is a dance of feel, of passion; it's sexy. It's a very macho dance," said Ballet Philippines President and local producer Margarita Floirendo, who invited Tango Fire in Manila for a charity concert.
    Dance enthusiasts attend the nightly Milonga clubs and hook up with amateur and professionals to learn more about Argentine Tango.
    Some even compete in regional Argentine Tango competitions and have subsequently garnered a few awards since 2004.
    Professional dance instructor Albert Dimarucut, who teaches Argentine Tango at the University of the Philippines, said there have been a surge in student enrollment of Argentine Tango classes due to its more expressive traits and the ability to dance with minimal choreography compared to other social dances.
    "I think this dance is really fun, and I think it's more exciting than the waltz because it's livelier, and you get to interact more with your partner because there's more body contact between the two," said Tango student Zachary See.
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