
The Argentine tango dance troupe, Estampas Porteñas, scorched the stage Friday night in the show, Tango Fire, at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theater.
There are, for their who follow the tango scene, many shows that are passing through the Los Angeles area, and, with the exception of the Broadway success story, Tango Forever, which travels around the world, many are mediocre. Estampas Porteñas is a smaller company, but the troupe and its orchestra, Quatrotango, put on a great show.
The dancers of Estampas Porteñas had good form, precision footwork and passion in their dancing.
The show was well choreographed, with several gasp-inspiring tricks.
While all the dancers were a pleasure to watch, dancers Luciano Capparelli and Rocio de Los Santos stood out with their gracefulness and elegance, and the soul of Argentine tango came through strongly with Nelson Celis and Yanina Fajar. Carolina Soler is the artistic director of the company; Fajar and Celis are the choreography assistants.
The costumes were what one pictures Argentine tango to be dressed as: the women in sexy, yet feminine, bright-colored dresses and the men attired elegantly.
While the dancing was a pleasure to watch, the music in Tango Fire was exceptional. Quatrotango is a relatively young group, working professionally since 2001. Gabriel Clenar is the orchestra’s musical director and plays the piano; Hugo Satorre plays the bandoneon, Lucas Furno the violin and Gerardo Scaglione the double bass. The mastery each musician displayed and the passion with which they performed stood out, receiving the loudest applause from the audience.
It’s quite a feat for only four musicians to carry a whole show with dancers.
This was the company’s United States debut.