Aerial dance, between tango, harnesses and live music

“This is one of the worst times for culture in terms of public policy, the places and support gained are barely maintained,” says Brenda Angiel, dancer and choreographer, pioneer of aerial dance in the country, who celebrates 30 years of activity and re-releases “8cho”.

This is a show of tango, harnesses and live music, which will be seen again from Sunday 4th, at 6pm, at Aérea Teatro, Bartolomé Mitre 4272. This show had 24 performances in New York, 10 in Miami, and went to Bogotá, Romania, Barcelona and Moscow, among other destinations. We spoke with Angiel about aerial dance in particular and dance and culture in general.

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Brenda Angiel, founder of aerial dance in Argentina.

Journalist: What will the public see in this show? How does the tango play?

Brenda Angiel: It is a show composed of live music and live dance. It features arranged compositions of classics and other original songs. I always work with renewal along with a dance that maintains the essence of tango but from another spatiality, dynamics and other possibilities of movement. The show goes through the different rhythms from a perspective and search for transformation of the genre.

Q: How long has this show been on the road?

BA: We premiered this work in Centennial Park in 2010 and took it on tour. Tango, but also my previous works, had international appeal, but with this show we did 24 performances at the New Victory Theatre in New York on 42nd Street, but it was a non-profit space, without profit, as part of a plan to recover the city on that street that presents a more cultural program. Afterwards we were in festivals in the United States, Holland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Colombia. As dance workers we always want to spread art and if it is recognized internationally that is valued and desired. When you travel, the working conditions from the theaters and the structure are very professional. That helps.

Q: What place does dance have in culture and among the public?

BA: Dance has an important place in both but it does not have the sufficient support that it should have at a national level. It is a special moment, with most cultural areas not receiving the state support that they should. These are areas that need support in order to develop because they do not follow the rules of the market but rather the rules of an identity that is significant and hopefully can transcend. There is a dance audience, there are creators, but no support. We have been after the dance law for more than 25 years and it has still not been approved. Historically we have suffered from it. If there were more support there would be more dance demonstrations, and there are still some, with great effort.

Q: How did your space and school sustain itself for three decades in this volatile country?

BA: It is difficult. I was lucky that the aerial dance technique that I codified from my shows could be taught and learned by many students. It is a different and novel activity that is broad, it reaches out to people from dance and others, and I always try to find a way to reinvent myself in order to move forward and sustain the work. The school is a support for the dancers of the group and my works are also presented in the theater. If I have to look for a technically adequate theater it would be complicated in terms of costs, so there we rehearse, teach, present, sustain the space. There are times when it is not sustainable and I use my savings, like today, but in others I received support from the Nation and City. In any case, there is a need and eagerness to do it by force of will, vocation and the public supports, the audience has not declined, people need cultural activities that fulfill them.

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