“This tango show is a good bet to take abroad because not in all places you get to see tango between two women or two men,” says Sol Bardi, vocal director of “Bandoneón, tango obsession”, which, prior to its world premiere at the Peacock Theater in London, debuts at the Teatro El Nacional, with two performances on December 13 and 14.
The show is a performative theatrical experience in which Bandoneón, the mythical tango instrument, will take human form. The scene will be a field of experimentation in which dance, music and voice will pass through the greatest hits of the genre and its ideas.
The scenery is in charge of Will Parrachoreographies Sole Mangia and Nahuel Tortosa, dramaturgy of Martín Melgarejo Arena. The acting direction is Orlando Alfonzo and it stars Pablo Citarella at the piano, Damian Foretic (bandoneon), Lautaro Muñoz Arista (double bass), Sara Tubbía Ryan (violin), singers Maria Sol Gonzalez Bardi, Juan Lopez Boyadjian, Macarena Tropea and the dancers Federico Paleo, Jorge Calabrigo, Hebe Hernandez, Jesus Pi Alvarez and Luciana Francheli. We talk with Bardi.
Journalist: What are those universal themes of tango that appear in the show?
Sol Bardi: The inevitable is unbridled love, passion, heartbreak, that forbidden love, the one that left or that never was. There is a lot of romantic tango. The neighborhood landscape appears, which at the beginning of the century was that meeting place, the nucleus, on the shore of the Río de la Plata, in La Boca, a Buenos Aires where this expression emerged that is not only music but its own folklore. The human and artistic encounter is key, tango is music and it is all those stories, customs, meetings in cantinas, those bonds, those tenement patios, those nights.
Q: In what sense is it an unconventional tango show?
SB: It is disruptive and at the same time maintains tradition. The show is created from a contemporary perspective with young people who have listened to and investigated tango for a long time. We are making songs from many years ago but with arrangements and choreographies that fuse other styles. The costumes and aesthetic proposal include mapping, it is abstract, there is not the typical lantern and the neighborhood but it transcends. The tango couple will be there but there will be surprises. It is interesting to take outside because in Argentina there is a lot, we were born with tango on our parents’ radio but taking it out is telling our story. We continue researching and studying. With today’s information we can go through tango differently.
Q: Was it conceived for export and do they have two functions here?
SB: Yes, it is an intelligent decision by the production because we make the show more solid than it would be with rehearsals alone, that is, we put it on stage in front of the audience. We live the real magic of live and premiere here with our own affections. That has an emotional value that we carry on the plane.
Q.: It combines dance, theater and visual art, how did tango shows grow?
SB: Therein lies the difference between this show and others, it is ideal for those who like tango because it is different and those who listen to tango for the first time will bring them closer. When something is very niche and highly respects tradition, it closes some doors, in this case it brings us closer to all types of audiences. This show is an opening to having no ceiling. Tango is seen from different perspectives, it leaves no loose threads, it puts the best in dance, singing, music, aesthetics in costumes and set design.
Q.: There is reference to stories between males and women, where is the tango male today in the era of feminism?
SB: Luckily, feminism crosses all spaces. In tango there has always been the image of the macho leader who leads the duo, let’s not forget that tango was danced between men. The tango male and the feminine woman is later. Our optics are updated and groundbreaking, that will be left behind.
Q.: Is there more tango in the world than in your own cradle?
SB: I don’t think so, it is so rich, special, it has so much magic and depth that there is something that is the Argentine dancing and singing tango. When you travel, the world can’t help but buy and love you. It makes itself seen. There are many milongas here, as Argentines we don’t know how to value what we have so much. We have a beautiful city but we idolize others. We have nothing to envy the world, we have everything. We are in charge of keeping tango alive, listening to tango, singing and dancing.
Q.: Tango was left off the platforms, what place does it have on Spotify?
SB: It takes place on my Spotify. The contemporary mainstream monopolizes everything but today’s trap is tango too, cumbia is our folklore. We must understand that youth is born listening to something different and develops it. The exciting thing is that it doesn’t let it disappear. It happens, it generates passions, it speaks about us. Spotify may suggest less tango than other genres, but one puts together a playlist to make new music coexist with eternal music.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
