Review: GLAMOUR TANGO a Female Twist to the Sultry Dance

BWW Review: GLAMOUR TANGO a female twist to the sultry dance

On May 11, 2016, The Cutting Room on East 32nd Street housed Polly Ferman's Glamour Tango. In befitting cabaret style, wining and dining were part of this evening's performance. A four-piece band would allow our ears to hear live music, which is something quite rare if not at the opera or the ballet. What piqued my interest prior was how Ms. Ferman's creation would demonstrate the tango elements without the male presence. The man seems to be an integral part of this. However I would soon be shown how the man could instead be considered a preference.

Glamour Tango consisted of numerous vignettes from musical sections, solo and partnered dances, as well as the sounds of a vocalist. This show displayed a consistent pace for the audience. One was never without visuals nor oratory presentations. It's creator and pianist, Polly Ferman, played the keys of her grand piano with the utmost passion of Argentine tango. Musicians Ina Paris on violin, Shinjoo Cho on accordion (bandoneon), and Iris Ornig with her double-bass were truly skilled with their instruments and capturing the iconic sounds. At first, the music brought my mind to France and then I realized that Argentina was heavily influenced by the French hundreds of years ago. Mariela Marco, their guest singer, was one of my favorite performers. Even though I have an extensive background in dance, the ear never lies. Ms. Marco gave both of my ears a wave of euphoria with each song sung. Her pronunciation was crisp as well as her pitch-a joy!

Dancers Karina Romero, Valeria Solomonoff, and Marina Parma, who was also the choreographer, were the ladies who showed me that the tango does not have to involve a man. From the sultry solos to female/female tango partnering, I was surprised how they were able to use the limited space for the ostentatiousness of this dance style. There were even snippets of tango infusion with dévelopé and balancé. A unique way to keep the pace of the show from becoming stagnant.

One of my only criticisms lies within the use of a slide show. I feel that a New York City show does not need picture slides as filler nor during an act. The slides of various art work depicting various sites within the cities and fields of Argentina was a good idea, yet I believe it would have been more appropriate before the show began-while we wined and dined. That would have gotten me in the mood more so than during.

It is refreshing to see a twist on tango, just like Les Ballets Trockadero does not necessarily need a female presence. The evening was a pleasure and now has driven me to yearn for a trip to one part of the world I have not yet seen and take a chance to dance the tango with a native female Argentinean. She'll be the one leading the steps-maybe.

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