Tangofest dances to campus
By Aubrey Lombardo
Old Gold and Black Reviewer

When the university’s Center for International Studies decided to hold a tango festival, they were anticipating the student body experiencing much more than just a few dance lessons. Perhaps one of the most storied, erotic and sensual acts of all time, the tango is much more of a dramatic performance than a few simple steps to follow.
The Triad Tangofest begins at 8 p.m. Feb. 2 with the “Music of Tango and Astor Piazolla,” in Brendle Recital Hall. The first half of the performance will feature the music of Argentine composer Astor Piazolla. Piazolla is best known for his “nueva tango” which infuses traditional tango with jazzy harmonies. He will be accompanied by Argentine-born David Alsina of the New York Tango Trio, who will play the bandoneón, an accordion-like instrument. The McIver Ensemble, the resident faculty string ensemble at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Jacqui Carrasco, the assistant director of music, will be the string quartet behind Alsina.

According to Carrasco, the Center for International Studies brought the Tangofest to campus because unlike most dances, “it is an intricate and elaborate vocabulary of steps that is determined by the music it is danced to.” In most dances there is a set program of movements but the Tango “can move slowly and seductively to the appropriate music or can become aggressive with other music,” she said.
The second half of the show will once again feature Carrasco, along with the New York Tango Trio, a group made up of Alsina, Pablo Aslan and Maurizio Najt. They will perform a mix of traditional and new tangoes. Giving a dance performance along to the music will be partners Jason Laughlin and Anne-Sophie Ville, members of the Baila Tango group of Durham.

“The tango is an entirely unique dance,” said Carrasco, who is responsible for bringing the festival to the university. “It is an intricate elaborate vocabulary of steps between partners that requires intense communication.” The dance, which has its roots in the rhythm of African slaves combined with Indian and early Spanish music, originated among the poor of Argentina, but it soon became popular in upper class France and throughout the world. “The tango literally started in the brothels of Argentina. It was a dance of prostitutes that caught on in France and then was accepted by the Argetines,” Carrasco said.
After enjoying tango during the first day of the Festival, students and Triad community members will get the opportunity to participate and be instructed in the dance the following day. From 2-5 p.m on Feb. 3, the performance dancers from the previous night, Laughlin and Ville, will host a workshop on instruction in the tango. The workshop is free for all students and $20 for other members of the community.
At 8 p.m. that night in the Vintage Theater Hall, students will have the opportunity to show off the skills they acquired at the workshop during “A Night in Buenos Aires — A Milonga.” This will be a replication of an Argentine Milonga. “A Milonga is like a club where one goes to dance tango,” says Carrosca. “It is just like a club where one goes to dance salsa, when someone goes out in Argentina, they go to the Milonga.” The Triad’s Milonga will be open to all, and in this case the adage “it takes two to tango” does not hold true because no partner is necessary to attend.

The last day of the Triad Tangofest will be a lesson in the history and evolution of tango. Pablo Aslan will provide instruction in “Tango 101: An Introduction to the Music of Tango.” Aslan, bassist and co-founder of New York Tango Trio, will be teaching the class at 4 p.m. in the Organ Recital Hall at UNCG.

For more information regarding the Triad Tangofest contact the Office of International Studies or www.wfu.edu/wfunews for a complete calendar of events.