DANCE

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), presents Tango Buenos Aires:  Fire and Passion of Tango, at 2pm and 8pm Saturday, January 29, 2011, in Jones Hall. Part of the 2010-2011 "Experience the Magic" Season IW Marks Dance Series.

Known as one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, Tango Buenos Aires returns to Houston for two performances of its program titled Fire and Passion of Tango. Incorporating the key elements of love, passion and seduction, this piece introduces audience members to the many ways tango has evolved into modern times through the precise movement of its dancers, and its five-piece music ensemble performing the music of Astor Piazzolla among other South American composers.

Tango Buenos Aires has become one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the Tango.

In 1987 the company undertook a lengthy tour of the principal cities of Argentina, performing at the Spring Festival in Bariloche, at the Galli Auditorium in Mendoza, at the Municipal Theatre in Ciudad de Rosario, in Santa Rosa La Pampa, and in the city of Rio Negro, in addition to various appearances on television channels for . . . the S.A.D.A.I.C. series and in the series sponsored by the Argentinean Ministry of Culture, before ending the season at the Auditorio in Mar del Plata.

In March 1989, the company traveled to Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany, to Granada, Spain for the International Tango Festival, and to Madrid for performances at the Teatro de la Villa and at the National Auditorium. In October 1989 the company began a Latin American tour, appearing in Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador, in Mexico, and ending in Los Angeles.

In March 1990, Tango Buenos Aires participated in the International Festival in Adelaide, Australia, and in April the company performed at the New Zealand Festival. In June 1991, the company traveled to Southeast Asia, giving performances in Singapore and Kuala Lupur, Malaysia, and Bangkok, Thailand. Under the patronage of the President of Argentina, the company introduced the Tango to Indonesia for the first time ever.

In 1992 Tango Buenos Aires performed in Santiago, Chile and on Chilean television, with further performances in Vina del Mar and a subsequent trip to Brazil, performing at the Memorial.

1993 was a year of extensive travel in Argentina, Spain (Granada, Madrid and Andalucia), Finland and Chile (Vitacura, Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaiso). Beginning in November, the company toured Malaysia, Japan and China. In Beijing, the company hosted a series of unprecedented master classes and residencies with Chinese dancers at the Dance University of Beijing, teaching the origin and evolution of the Tango and further international understanding and cooperation.

In 1994, Tango Buenos Aires traveled to Spain, performing for the third time at the sixth International Festival in Granada, and also performing at the University and National Auditorium in Madrid. In June, the company took part in performances and master classes at the Kuopio Festival in Finland, and also performed in Copenhagen, followed by another trip to Malaysia.

The company spent most of 1995 performing in Buenos Aires and touring throughout South America, culminating in a season at Buenos Aires's Museo Fernández Blanco, Teatro Gral San Martin and the Teatro Presidente Alvear. In 1996 Tango Buenos Aires toured Portugal, and in the Autumn the company will travel to Greece, and will end the year with a tour of Japan extending into January 1997. Tango Buenos Aires toured the United States for its first Coast-to-Coast tour during the 1998-99 season to great critical and popular acclaim, appearing in cities including Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Miami, Atlanta, Washington, DC, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Louisville, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Lincoln, Toronto, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In June 1999, the renowned pianist Cristian Zárate succeeded Mr. Requena as music director, and Pablo Mainetti, the world’s greatest bandoneon player, joined the orchestra. In 2005 Julian Vat, Argentina’s most prolific composer and leading musician assumed the title of music director. The company returned to North America in Winter 2003 for a two and half month tour of the United States. Do to the extraordinary success of this tour the Company returned in the fall of 2007 for a two month Coast to Coast tour of the United States. The Company returns in January through March 2011 to undertake a two and half month Coast to Coast tour of the United States and Canada with a new Music Director Emilio Kauderer.

Time for Tango & Malbec! Exclusively for ticket-holders to either performance of Tango Buenos Aires! Join us from 4:30-6:30 pm on Saturday, January 29, in the Rehearsal Room of Jones Hall for some Tango dancing. Space is limited so please RSVP to marie@spahouston.org.

Co-sponsored by Consulate General of Argentina and Casa Argentina de Houston.