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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

This Is Tango Now challenges dance tradition with 'Identidad'

When one thinks of tango, one might envision a couple dancing and staring into each other’s eyes, a rose clenched in one dancer’s teeth.

Puppeteers and marionettes do not fit this image.

This Is Tango Now is an Argentine tango company founded by Alfredo Minetti, who earned a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at IU. It works to push the boundaries of traditional tango. 

The creators of the company — renowned dancers Fernanda Ghi, Guillermo Merlo and producer Minetti — design performances that fuse tango dancing with contemporary lighting, music, props and storylines.

“It is more than a show,” Ghi said in a video press release via YouTube. “This Is Tango Now is an experience.”

The company will bring this approach to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater this weekend for the show “Identidad.”

“Some reviews say that ‘Identidad’ is too modern and not traditional tango, but Alfredo is more into creating an engaging show that tells a story,” said Annie Orrill, the company’s social media publicist.

“Identidad” tells the story of a marionette who longs for freedom from her puppeteer. The two battle for dominance in the string relationship. The story explores the human themes of identity, willpower and passion that Minetti described as relatable for all audiences.

“The storyline is one that resonates with anyone,” Minetti said in an email. “Who does not feel that she/he hasn’t made things, got into situations or chose a career, that years down the line they wish could have been different? Who among us does not strive to find passion for someone and for something? And who doesn’t spend their entire lives negotiating between multiple identities?”

The dancing, music, lighting, costumes and props all work together to bring this mysterious, dark and whimsical tale of identity to life. Maarten Bout, the director for marketing and technology at the Buskirk-Chumley, said the show will be riveting.

“It is an amazing show of music and dance, as well as stage and lighting design,” Bout said. “It is much more than just a dance exposition. They tell a story by means of Argentinian tango, not tango as a means by itself, and very few in the world are doing that right now.”

Ghi and Guillermo are celebrated Argentine tango dancers and have won Tony Awards and World Championships. Minetti, a musician and anthropologist, combined his and the dancers’ talents to reinvent the genre of tango in “Identidad.”

“The show has layers, like an onion,” Minetti said. “One can wonder at the lights, the choreography, the music, the beauty of each scene, engage more with the plot ... or with all of the above. They should want to come back and see the show multiple times, each time discovering something new.”

This Is Tango Now’s national tour of “Identidad,” after selling out the past four shows, has made its way to Bloomington. However, it is no stranger to this college town. This Is Tango Now performed in the 2010 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, and Minetti lived in Bloomington before relocating to New York City with the company.

“Alfredo’s connection to Bloomington brings us this world-class performance,” Bout said. “It is so exciting that Bloomington, Ind., is one of the first places to experience this budding, international phenomenon.”

Minetti encourages all people to come embark on this “journey of some of the most fascinating situations and deepest emotions.”

“We’re convinced that this show is so good that the Bloomington audience will really eat it up,” Bout said.


Catch a performance

WHEN 8 p.m. today and Friday

WHERE Buskirk-Chumley Theater

MORE INFO Tickets are $10 for students and $25 for the general public

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