Tango Lovers ‘Volver’ @ Wyly Theatre
—Teresa Marrero
With a one-night-only engagement in Dallas this week, Tango Lovers’ extravagant production of Volver (The Comeback or Return) wowed the audience at the Wyly Theatre.
How? By simply putting on a remarkable demonstration of stage tango performance by five couples, two live singers, and an ensemble of live musicians. Without doubt, the dancers in particular demonstrated more than enough synchronicity, preciseness, elegance, and pure dancing muscle to impress the Dallas area tango community. As part of this dancing community myself, I can attest to the sizeable number of both local tango performers-teachers and their students present in the audience.
It is customary in a performance at national and international tango festivals for the audience to applaud when the mood strikes, or let out some sort of approving sound when particularly difficult figures or aerial movements are demonstrated perfectly. Suffice it to say that the Dallas audience rose to the occasion several times, applauding the “wow” factor of this dance ensemble.
The show, sponsored by Copa Airlines, dutifully opened with a video projection of a jumbo jet on the runway, being motioned into position for arrival. As such, the mood of being transported to Uruguay or Argentina set the audience up to experience another latitude altogether: the territory of the tango.
The four-piece orchestra, made up of the fundamental instrumentation of the tango, was led by musical director Lautaro Greco on bandoneon, with Emiliano Greco on piano, Matías Craciun on violin, and Charly Cardozo on bass. The orchestra provided a rich sound accompaniment for the singers María de los Angeles (vocal coach and singer), Ache Rey (spokesman and singer), and the legendary tango composer and singer Guillermo Fernández.
Each piece was paired with a backdrop visual component—views of Buenos Aries or Montevideo, or more abstract images of smoke, water and so on.
The true stars of the show, of course, were the beautiful tango melodies—and the world-class dancers who interpreted them. The repertoire hit a home run by including some of the most popular tango music of all time with pieces such as “Volver,” “Mirando al Sur,” “Loca,” “Mi Buenos Aires Querido,” “Gallo Ciego,” “Quejas del Bandoneón,” “Tanguera,” “Libertango,” and “Adiós Nonino”. The last two pieces were presented with a backdrop of images of Astor Piazzolla, the mastermind who created so many revolutionary innovations to the traditional tango.
As I looked around at the nearly full-capacity audience in the Wyly, it seemed that many audience members were singing or humming along, particularly to the theme song “Volver”—an especially poignant number for anyone who has left their home country and longs to return to the familiar sounds and feel of their neighborhoods.
Let it be noted that the wide variety of Latino audiences in the Metroplex extend beyond the Mexican and Mexican American. There is a sizeable Caribbean, Central and South American population as well, enjoying not only the tango, but a wide variety of musical genres—and more than willing to buy tickets for quality entertainment.
All the songs were in Spanish with the exception of “All that Jazz,” a showcase for the fine voice of singer María de los Angeles. It was also evident in this and other instances that the female dancers had formal training in classical dance traditions such as the ballet, jazz, and modern.
The dancers…. Where to begin?
There was uniformity of body types, height, weight distribution, facial attributes, hair color and overall physical beauty in both men and women. This made for a harmonious visual field that also at times made it hard to distinguish individual dancers (unless one was seated in the first few rows). Nair Schinca and Nicolás Shell are listed as dance captains, with performers Ana Sofía Chillenato and José Fernández, Estefania Gómez and Fernando Rodríguez, Alumine Deluchi and Ariel Almiron, and Laly Torres and Ramiro Almiron.
The couples exuded stately confidence and sensuality without overdoing it. They easily and precisely executed difficult tango moves: fast multiple boleos, sacadas, enrosques, single axis turns, and aerial lifts that defied gravity. Most and best of all, they were authentic tango dancers who respected its artistry.
The women had numerous costume changes, particularly for each of their partnered solos. My favorite was a long and flowing emerald green silk gown that accentuated the aerial moves as well as the elegance of the tango walk.
The men wore black: black suits, black pants and shirts…black on black. One number had the dancer wear a suit jacket without a shirt underneath, which allowed him to show off his chest. This was the only instance in which I noticed an accentuated sexiness in the men, who all led marvelously well. In tango, it is said that the man creates the frame so that the woman shines. This aesthetic prevailed throughout, although it would be pleasing to see the men in as wide variety of costumes as the women. They too deserve to shine by means other than their excellent dancing.
Perhaps one of the most distinguishing features of this dance ensemble were their preciseness of movement and perfect timing, all accomplished without seeming robotic. They flowed, in a sharp way.
Tango Lovers was created by the late Lafredo Lérida and is now produced and directed by Pierina Lérida, his widow and a businesswoman in her own right. It is a renowned international dance company that travels world-wide promoting the beauty of the tango. Lérida first created Enamorados del Tango (In Love with Tango) back in 2003—later relaunched as Tango Lovers in 2010. This year has marked a return to world stages for the company, after years of difficulties due to the pandemic and other factors.
The production team includes: Fabián Vazques (production and sound), Daniel Burgos (production and lights engineer), Dario Lapaz (multimedia), Rodolfe Peñaloza (costumes coordinator), Marcelo Rey and Alex Falcone (social media), Juan Manuerl Lérida (graphic design), and Diego García (international PR).
WHEN & WHERE: Oct. 19 2023, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Dallas
WEB: tangolovers.com
Teresa Marrero is Professor of Latin American and Latiné Theater in the Spanish Department at the University of North Texas. She has been an avid tango dancer since 2005 with numerous trips to Buenos Aires under her belt. She considers tango dancing one of her most fervent passions.
