Director’s Notes
A “social tango” narrated in the language of contemporary dance, this new ballet tells the story of the rise in popularity of this distinctive working-class dance throughout all five continents of the world, confirming that the tango is a perfect vehicle for the phenomenon of globalization, a means of expression which contaminates, unites and involves all those whom it encounters.
However, rather than presenting the tango as a dance composed of typical, instantly recognizable steps, the new ballet created for Balletto di Roma by Milena Zullo explores new fusions of contemporary dance and “minimalist” entwinings of bodies, infusing the popular language of the tango with the rarified code of classical ballet.
The tango welcomes the needs, expectations, dreams, desires and even unwanted memories of all, enabling each of its dancers to contribute something of their ego, their memories, their knowledge and their unawareness, something of the life each and everyone of them has experienced to date.
In a ritual which remains unvaried regardless of time or place, the ballroom – the milonga – dictates the code of conduct, the rhythm and the form of the dance. Two dancers move as if trapped inside a box, overcoming the spatial barriers by holding themselves in a mystical embrace, which enables them to rediscover their reciprocal masculinity and femininity.
Credits
with
Marco Evola e Laura Mommi
choreography
Milena Zullo
music
Astor Piazzolla, Lucio Demare,
Anibal Troilo Juan D’Arienzo,
Osvaldo Pugliese, Francisco Canaro,
Angel Villoldo
costumes
Giuseppina Maurizi
lighting designer
Emanuele De Maria