Director and Choreographer: Germán Cornejo
In the ballroom repertoire, if the Rumba is a vertical expression of the horizontal dance of sex, then the Argentine Tango is everything that comes before: it is flirtation, seduction and foreplay, all danced out to the sound of a bandoneon.
Germán Cornejo’s Tango After Dark, returning to London, is a smooth, atmospheric celebration of the dance form. Led as ever by Cornejo and his dance partner Gisela Galeassi, the show’s strength has always been its ensemble of ten other dancers. Backed by a five-piece band led by musical director Diego Ramos and with solid vocal performances by Jesús Hidalgo and Antonella Cirillo, both in group numbers and as separate partner dances, the emphasis is on sultry charm.
Within each dance, the standard moves – the flicking, hooking legs of the gancho, the lifts of the sentada, the whipping sensation of the boleo – are executed well, providing the evocation of a dimly lit Buenos Aires bar to great satisfaction.
Once or twice, some of the greater flourishes – with a man holding his partner by one hand above his head, for example – do not look as polished or as comfortable as the rest of the routine, dampening the overall effect. Elsewhere there are rare, but visible, occasions where the footwork does not look quite as accomplished as one has come to expect from Cornejo and his ensemble.
One of the great advantages of the Argentine tango, though, is that the fluidity and expressiveness of the dance as a whole tends to compensate for any such deviation from the usual high standards. And when everything comes together, as it mostly does throughout, there is nothing to beat it. On particular good form are Mariano Galois and Micaela Spina, whose partner dances always impress.
The weakest sections of the choreography occur at the top of each act, as a dancer performs a routine with a prop bandoneon. It really feels unnecessary, especially as Clemente Carrascal, the band’s excellent bandoneon player, is so visible on stage throughout.
But despite that, Tango After Dark moves like clockwork through 26 tango numbers. And as the couples come on stage to take their final bows, they each perform a huge show-stopping lift, the gentleman flinging, spinning and throwing his partner to dramatic, perfectly executed effect.
As a night of seduction it may make a few wrong moves, but by the end it’s impossible not to be won over.
Continues until 22 October 2022
