Tango Tapestry - Reverberations
Tango dancers of the Maritimes were invited to send in a video of themselves dancing tango in any way they chose - solo, with props, in couples, in bubbles, with distanced partners, in nature or urban environment; Uniting the movements with a popular tune from the golden age of tango, the clips tell a story of overcoming isolation, reaching out and staying connected with others and the world around us.
Watch from home through the link or join and/or watch the movie from Gallery 1313's windows, from October 13- 17, 8pm-10pm.
Argentine tango has its roots in the movement of people migrating across the globe in search of a better life, a melting of cultures in the port city of Buenos Aires around the turn of the 20th century. The mingling, the colliding, the interaction, the impetus to connect across cultures, the sense of new beginnings - these gave birth to tango and continue to be a part of it.
Tango dancers communicate with one another on the dance floor through an exchange of energy directed and re-directed in the moment, flowing in relationship to others around them. Leaders navigate the space, while both partners respond to the music, bouncing rhythmic and melodic intentions off one another, bonding in a wordless conversation. Tango dancers need not speak the same tongue or have met before in order to move in harmonious embrace on the dance floor.
A dance of call and response, how will Argentine Tango survive the isolation requirements of the pandemic? Is there a way to preserve the tradition and keep the art form from becoming an endangered species?
Tango Tapestry is an East Coast Tango Community’s response to combat isolation, sending out signals reverberating around the globe that we are here dancing and grounding in a world of change, fostering the spirit of a resilient community. Whenever and wherever people dance tango it’s an echo of its origins, a tribute to the dance’s enduring ability to adapt, as well as our own.
