New Generation Dance Company - Aires de Tango

Abigail Gehring
March 6, 2005

"Aires de Tango" was presented by New Generation Dance Company on March 4,5, and 6 at the Henry Street Settlement in the Lower West Side of Manhattan. Artistic Director and Choreographer: Dardo Galletto. Co-Director: Gabriel Contreras. Executive Director/Marketing: Karina Romero. Fundraising: Nuria Martinez. Press: Mariana Parma. Publicity: Valeria Solomonoff. Dancers: Sergio Amarante, Leah Barsky, Gabriel Contreras, Mariana Galassi, Dardo Galletto, Heather Gehring, Nuria Martinez, Maximiliano Paradiso, Luciana Paris (guest dancer), Mariana Parma, Karina Romero, Valeria Solomonoff.

In recent years Argentine tango has evolved from an intimate dance found almost exclusively in the cafes, clubs, and streets of Buenos Aires, to a social dance taught at nearly all respected ballroom schools and performed for audiences from Vegas to Vienna. New Generation Dance Company takes the beauty and intensity of tango a step further, fusing it with the grace of ballet and the ingenuity of modern dance.

The company's most recent performance, "Aires de Tango," was evidence to their rapidly expanding circle of supporters who filled the 350-seat theater at the Henry Street Settlement in Lower Manhattan for three consecutive evenings. New Generation presented fifteen pieces, all choreographed by Artistic Director Dardo Galletto. The twelve dancers (including guest artist Luciana Paris of ABT) gave the show its power, performing with strength, fluid control, and remarkable presence.

Several of the pieces combined more traditional tango partner dancing with solos and interplay between dancers, creating a tapestry of movement that kept the eye traveling between brilliant jumps on one side of the stage and intricate tango ganchos and boleos on the other. Other pieces departed even further from the expected, such as the opening three-movement "Women Quintet" (Galassi, Martinez, Parma, Romero and Solomonoff). The first lights revealed five women in vibrant red taffeta skirts seated with striking elegance on metal chairs. The following measures were somewhat disappointing as one by one the women began to move, posing, standing, and sitting again, in a rather lengthy introduction. In the proceeding movements also, parts could have been shortened- such as when the women walked in unison across the stage, holding their mouths or gesturing in pain (repeated later in the performance)-without sacrificing the emotion portrayed. However, where the piece gained full momentum the result was a vivid celebration of feminine strength and beauty.

Part way through a solo performed by Nuria Martinez, Galletto emerged upstage in partial lighting, shadowing her beautifully controlled movements with his own. A later male trio (Amarante, Contreras and Galletto) exploded in tremendous jumps that bore witness to extensive ballet training. Part II of the program included four pas de deux that varied from slow and sensuous to fiery intensity. "Gallo Ciego" (Amarante and Parma) evoked claps and hollers while "Russian Tango #4" (Galletto and Gehring) brought audience members to tears with its graceful and sultry lifts and tumbles.

Throughout the performance, moments of lull and repetition were redeemed by a beautiful and talented cast. Such accomplished dancers offer tremendous potential to a company that is quickly gaining in popularity and repute.

Author Abigail Gehring is a member of Gehring Dancetheatre, performing "Anything Goes", a contemporary dance show, March 26 (8pm) and 27 (7pm), 2005 at Teatro la Tea. Call 973.497.0888 for tickets or visit gehringdancetheatre.org for details.