The Argentinean tango has been popularized worldwide because of its sexually charged partnering, which commonly focuses on heterosexual behavior. Little attention has been given to the practice of men dancing tango with other men, a phenomenon that was popular decades before the current conventions became the norm.
The performance group Tango Vesre (lit. "inverted tango") examines male tango partnerships from historic, performative and choreographic perspectives and considers issues of homosexual bonding and sexual identity through tango practice by examining the 100-year evolution of all-male tango dance in the Buenos Aires of 1910 and 2010 from a queer perspective. Tango Vesre's performance at Dickinson (details at right) includes two duets: Parallel Tango by Alejandro Cervera and Bound Tango by Alvin Rangel. Although the work is framed within the Argentinean tango aesthetics, the dance puts into motion issues of power negotiation, equality, marginalization, gender roles, sexual identity, acceptance and rejection.
Performers:
Alvin Rangel, assistant professor of dance at California State University, Fullerton, and former dancer with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, has taught master classes and workshops throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Ricardo Garcia, former dancer with Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Peoria Ballet and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, resides in Chicago and works as resident choreographer for Piel Morena Contemporary Dance.
Argentinean-born bandoneónist Héctor Del Curto is the founder of the critically acclaimed Eternal Tango Orchestra. He has shared the stage with world–renowned tango legends and was the youngest bandoneónist to perform with the legendary Pugliese Orchestra.
Yebel Gallegos is a member of Tango Verse and of Mexico’s Cressida Danza Contemporanea. View video of Gallegos onstage.
"Even in contemporary dance movements, Rangel perfectly harnessed his power and technique to embody tango's dichotomies: quiet yet explosive, sensual yet restrained." —Austin Chronicle
“Tango lives or dies by the quality of its accordion like bandoneón, and [guest musician] Héctor Del Curto was a splendid player." —The New York Times
Tango Vesre Performance Images from Alvin Rangel on Vimeo.
View Hector Del Curto's Eternal Tango promotional video: