Hugo and Celina are Argentine Tango dancers/instructors/event organizers, currently based on Dallas, TX. I met them on 2013 when we invited them to OKC.
Since then, they successfully built and integrated in Argentine Tango community in Dallas. There are several Tango groups in Dallas. But as stage performers, they are one of stand outs.
They were inviting live Tango band and having a milonga on 5/25 Saturday.
Dance with a live band is a lot of fun. Dancers are a part of the song, interpreting the music to the dance moves. Musicians can challenge dancers by tweaking rhythm, tempo, ending and the like. Dancers can answer by our moves. I am always hoping that she is up to it.
The next day, they were presenting a theater show at the Artes De La Rosa Theater in Forth Worth with the International Tango group, which is a stage tango performing group they were producing, as well as with invited Tango pros.
A friend of mine invited me to the milonga and show.
The inviter (Yoko) was working in Oklahoma, but now came back to Japan. She joined the international tango femme group while she was in the US. Thanks to the internet, she can work on the stage routines from Japan.
And she flew all the way from Japan for the show. How could I turn the invitation down?
Stage Tango in theater setting is a very different dance from social tango.
In terms of dance skills, the most demanding settings are for stage shows by professionals for which audience pay big money to see it, like, Ballet, Blackpool-level Ballroom, Broadway show, and Musicals (including Stage Tango). These have to have an appeal even to lay people, and the performers must have the "trained pro" look.
Many other community dances come with different degrees of standards and skill levels.
This show had an aspect of student showcase, and I could see some differences in skills and stage presence between pros and trainees from my front row seat. Yet, I enjoyed the theatrical production of Tango. For theater dance, dance skills are not necessarily all of the game.
I have watched many stage dances, on theater and on YouTube. Yet, when your friends are dancing, the viewing experience is different. Besides, I had no need to be critical or anything. I just sat back and enjoyed the show.
I saw a lot of work went in the show. Kudos to Hugo, Celina, and all the dancers.
PS When I was doing some interviews with professional Tango dancers as a part of a project, I asked them about how many choreographed routines they have. One of them told me that they have 30-40. Another told me that they have about 5-7 "active" ones that they can perform with little brush up.
Yoko was dancing in 9 numbers. Talk about hard working.
