Vancouver Premiere of SOCIAL TANGO Comes to the Vancouver Playhouse

DanceHouse will present the Vancouver premiere of Agustina Videla’s intoxicating Social Tango, on stage October 24-26, 2024 at 8pm at the Vancouver Playhouse. An exploration of tango and its role as an essential life force in Argentine culture, Social Tango seamlessly integrates passionate dance with a soulful musical score, performed live, coupled with multimedia film projections, featuring documentary footage by Argentine filmmaker Nora Lezano.
 

“We are thrilled to introduce Vancouver audiences to Agustina Videla’s striking work, Social Tango. Her mission is to share the social value of dance and celebrate the vitality of tango as an artform around the world,” says Jim Smith, Artistic and Executive Director of DanceHouse. “Born in the bordellos of Buenos Aires in the late 1800’s, tango has survived generations of cultural suppression to evolve into a dance form bursting with passion and pleasure. And in the true spirit of tango, audiences of all ages and abilities will be invited to join in post-show tango dance parties, called milongas, for an opportunity to put the fiery moves seen on stage into practice.”

Set against evocative videography depicting everyday scenes from a bustling Buenos Aires, Social Tango opens with a businesswoman whose curiosity is piqued when an energetic couple whisk by, on their way to a tango club. Intrigued, she follows and almost joins in before embarrassment takes over. She later joins a tango class, at which point the company’s 10 professional dancers are joined briefly on stage by four local Vancouver tango enthusiasts, emphasizing tango’s inclusive atmosphere.

As Social Tango’s central character grows in confidence and skill, so does the choreography with “intricate, fast-moving footwork, dips and twirls, and that amazing flick of the lower leg that’s unique and endemic to tango” (Times Union), accompanied by a quartet of musicians and one vocalist, performing the percussive score live on stage.

Based in Buenos Aires, Agustina Videla aims to inspire individuals of all backgrounds to experience tango in new ways. Social Tango has been performed around the world and most recently made its debut at New York’s famed Jacob’s Pillow Festival in July 2024.

Social Tango’s Vancouver premiere will kick off the company’s tour across Canada this fall.

DanceHouse’s season premiere will also feature a pre-show talk at 7:15pm each night, featuring Agustina Videla, in conversation with Lili Vieira de Carvalho, Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre Executive Director. There will also be a post-show reception following the Friday, Oct 25 performance, and free post-show milongas following the Thursday, Oct 24 and Saturday, Oct 26 performances, hosted with StevenJoanna Tango.

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