Tango and flamenco at Lycabettus Theater
It’s all about energy, passion, grace and beauty – a spectacular show, combining Spanish flamenco with Argentinean fado and tango. This summer season’s parade of flamenco and tango troupes in Athens will be completed with a performance by an exciting dance company, the Talent Danza Ballet Espagnol. With works choreographed by Antonio Najarro and with lead dancer the renowned National Spanish Ballet soloist Pascal Gaona, the troupe is scheduled to present a show titled «Tango Flamenco.» The unique performance will take place on Wednesday at the Lycabettus Theater, followed by performances in Thessaloniki at the Gis Theater on September 1 and 2. The production features 24 artists (dancers, vocalists and musicians) performing works by Piazzolla, Yagoa and Jarcamora. Prior to the appearances in Greece, the production has already received rave reviews in theaters around Europe. A core part of the show is the music as performed by a popular group of young interpreters, Ensemble Nuevo Tango, inextricably tied to Talent Danza Ballet Espagnol. The history In 1985, critically acclaimed musician Astor Piazzolla was stuck at home, taking care of a broken arm. In the mood to listen to some music, he chose a tape which had been given to him at a concert the year before. Greatly impressed by the music, very much composed in his own style, he asked his manager to arrange a meeting with the composer, Fernando Egozcue, founder of the Ensemble Nuevo Tango. Whether it was Piazzolla’s sensibility, his intuition or his taste, the master’s decision to meet the aspiring musicians that day very quickly changed their lives. With its refined talent, the Ensemble Nuevo Tango managed to enrich Piazzolla’s heritage – a considerable accomplishment that even the seasoned musicians in Piazzolla’s own orchestras couldn’t match. According to Egozcue, the group was officially established in Torrecabrera, Almeria, Spain, in 1998. It was there that the company experienced its first real success; overwhelming popularity with the public predominantly made up of British and German tourists, who all wanted to buy the group’s CDs – only there were none. As the troupe came into being, its artists sought something beyond the traditional, developing different sounds than the ones most Europeans were used to hearing in relation to tango. Following in Piazzolla’s footsteps (who had been criticized for his approach early on in his career), Talent Danza Ballet Espagnol is essentially a Nuevo Tango group setting out its own artistic path, performing, for instance, without the bandodeon – an instrument similar to the accordion and a regular fixture in tango. Tickets to Wednesday’s Lycabettus show cost 25 euros.
