Accent Dance Celebrates The History Of Tango At BRONX RISING! This Month

Accent Dance NYC, an education and performance initiative that champions learning and communication through dance, will celebrate the history of Tango at Bronx Rising! Tribute to James Reese Europe & His Latin Connection at the Bronx Music Heritage Center on June 15, 2019. With a company of multi-disciplinary artists, Accent Dance NYC will present 3 couples in a series of duets and a dynamic solo to explain the roots of tango in an evening that will explore the genre of music, both historically and culturally.

The evening will celebrate Army bandleader James Reese Europe, who is credited with introducing U.S audiences to tango during WWI. Accent Dance NYC will present a narrative that explores the evolution of Tango through, lecture, film and dance. With pieces that span from traditional tango with guest artists Diego Blanco and Ana Padrón, to the intersection of tango, jazz and contemporary dance by Lucia Jackson and Dannys Gonzalez, the evening will also feature Accent Dance NYC's artists Elisa Toro Franky, Mara Driscoll, and Argentinian choreographer Dardo Galletto. Set to an authentic soundscape by Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla and an arrangement of Frank Sinatra's I'm a Fool to Want You, by Lucia Jackson and her band, the program will bridge history and culture together through music and dance. Topping off with an educational component, audiences will also enjoy silent film clips from 1921 Hollywood star Rudolph Valentino in the first footage of Tango on the big screen, as well as an introduction to Maxixe, the popular tango and polka style originating in Brazil in the late 1800's.

When: Saturday, June 15, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.

Where: The Bronx Music Heritage Center is located at 1303 Louis Nine Blvd in the Crotona Park East Neighborhood of the Bronx and accessible by the 2/5 train to Freeman Street or the BX19 bus to Southern Boulevard and Freeman Street.