Review: CIA. Union Tanguera

The Argentine writer Leopold Marcecchal (1900-1970) wrote that "tango has infinite possibilities." These possibilities are explored and brought to an extremely successful and entertaining fruition in Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night), presented by Cia.Unión Tanguera at the Joyce Theater, September 23rd-October 5th. Cia. Unión Tanguera, founded in 2002, is a contemporary tango company based both in Lyon, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The concept and choreography is a collaboration of the company's Lyon-based artistic directors, Claudia Codega and Esteban Moreno, and Jorge Crudo and Rolan Van Loor of the Parisian tango company Cie.Modos Vivendi. The company has toured Europe and America, making its United States debut in 2013 at Berkeley, California.

In Nuit Blanche, traditional tango is married with live music, innovative lighting and contemporary and theatrical dance in an 80 minute (without intermission) show that verifies tango as a viable and contemporary art form. The performers are simply wonderful. The women, Lucila Cionci, Claudia Codega, and Claudia Jakobsen are glamourous and shimmering. The men, Rodrigo "Joe" Corbata, Jorge Crudo, Esteban Moreno and Rolan Van Löor are virile and debonair. The choreography shows off the technical and artistic strengths of these fantastic artists The wonderful live quartet of Argentine musicians under the direction of the show's composer Pedro Onetto is comprised of Onetto on piano, along with Camilo Ferrero on bandoneón, Marta Roca on violin, and Ignacio Varchausky on double bass. The musicians are onstage with the dancers. Both the musical quartet and the brilliant scenography and lighting by Gonzalo Córdova are integral parts of the production.

Nuit Blanche begins after-hours in a milonga (a night-time tango club). After a traditional tango performance has ended, the performers join with their audience in dancing and romantic entanglements. Tango is often called "the dance of seduction." In Nuit Blanche, seduction and its components of passion, envy, jealousy, friendship, isolation, and the celebration of love and its defeat, are combined with results that are sexy, hopeful, comedic, and sad. The ingeniously staged group numbers and the various and mixed sexual pairings of duets and trios are fueled not only by passion, but also by cigarettes and copious amounts of alcohol. In a few numbers, red bean bag chairs are utilized as props in very witty ways that make them part of the choreography. While the various group dances are delightful, Nuit Blanche really ignites when the dancers perform the traditional duets that show these superb tango artists in their mastery of the art form in all its passion and glory.

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