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March 26, 2011

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The passion of the tango coming to Shanghai

WHEN Luis Bravo's Forever Tango show debuted in San Francisco in 1994, it ran for an unprecedented 92 weeks before it went on to become a Broadway favorite. Now, this sizzling extravaganza of tango music and dance is set to wow audiences of the Shanghai City Theater in the Xinzhuang area.

The soul of the performance is sensual, sexy and passionate. It features dazzling costumes, tricky steps, powerful voices and an 11-piece live orchestra. Beyond that, Forever Tango is a two-hour journey through the history and culture of Argentina. It will leave many with the impression that they have just spent time in Buenos Aires.

Forever Tango will be performed April 29-May 1 at the theater, which is located at 4889 Dushi Road. Performances begin at 7:30pm, and tickets are priced at between 100 yuan (US$14.66) and 800 yuan. For opening night, all the cheapest tickets have already been sold out.

The cast has been hailed by critics as world class, including Cheryl Burke, a two-time champion of "Dancing with the Stars." The show also includes six pairs of authentic Latin American tango dancers, including Miriam Larici and Cesar Coelho, two young performers with classical dance training. The musical accompaniment includes two violins, a viola, bass, cello, piano and keyboard.

The tango originated in the 19th century, when hundreds of thousands of European immigrants - mostly Italian, Spanish and French - went to Argentina and settled in working-class slums. The entertainment they evolved to brighten their dreary lives was a fusion of various musical and dance forms from Europe.

The show tries to recreate the emotional and social climate of Buenos Aires of that era. The women in the bordello scene, for example, look appropriately alluring, while the men strut in gangster gear with dramatic and seductive faces.

The tango itself incorporates a mood of dominance and submission. Conflict, aggression, jealousy and sexual passion all melt into movements and rhythms.

Argentine native Bravo is the creator and director of Forever Tango. He studied guitar and cello and was a former member of the Argentine National Symphony.

He said of his show: "It seems that you are dancing with others, but actually, it's inner and you are dancing with yourself. The tango is not only dance, but also a kind of music, a theater, a culture and a lifestyle."

In a separate show coming to the Shanghai City Theater, legendary Shanghai songstress and actress Zhou Xuan, who died in 1957, will be the subject of a retrospective that features movie clips, songs, theater and multimedia highlighting the career of "the girl with the golden voice."

The show will be staged April 22-24. Performances begin at 7:30pm, and tickets are priced between 100 yuan and 500 yuan.


 

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