The tango, a dance of fusion, sensuality, and nostalgia, belongs to Buenos Aires. Towards the end of the last century, the port city, which became the capital of Argentina in 1880, witnessed the beginnings of tango in the working-class neighborhoods of the Orilla. These suburbs were the cradle of a population of mixed origin, where characteristics of different races and cultures intersected.
Indeed, a dual immigration—foreign and local—characterized Buenos Aires at that time. The Orilla, homeland of immigrants, was a marginalized place where, alongside Argentines who had come to the city seeking fortune, lived Spaniards, Italians, Jewish, Arab Muslims, and Christians. This populace, rejected by the rest of the city and often forced to live in miserable conditions, organized itself according to its own laws, developed its own language, and cultivated its unique culture, shaped by its distinctive social configuration.
Jorge Luis Borges wrote: "My informants were right about one thing: tango was born in the brothels." Among middlemen, prostitutes, and gauchos, this dance took shape, expressing a bold sensuality. Accompanied in the slums by the bandoneon, violin, and guitar, and in the ballrooms by piano, flute, and violin, the early tango drew inspiration from the world of prostitution. The dance was a challenge of sexual character, often echoing a fight to the death between two contenders, vying for the same woman.
From a musical perspective, the genealogy of tango is complex and not entirely certain. An antecedent can be found in the Cuban Habanera, whose basic rhythm is echoed in the "Milonga" of the pampas plains, examples of which date back to the early 19th century. This rhythm also appeared during the same period in the songs and dances of the "Condombe" performed by the African descendants living along the banks of the Rio de la Plata.
With the Universal Suffrage law of 1912, the lower classes of the Orilla gained a different respectability, and their culture began to be considered. Tango thus left the slums and softened to appeal to new social classes. It became hugely popular in Paris. After the closure of brothels in 1919, tango was danced in cabarets and cafes, continuing its process of transformation. Tango enjoyed success until 1930, when the people lost their voting rights again and their culture was suppressed. It wasn't until the end of the decade that some degree of freedom was regained. Between 1940 and 1955, tango experienced a resurgence, but with new characteristics: singers and dancers no longer belonged exclusively to the city's suburbs, and tango, now nostalgic, became an emotional evocation of the past.
Starting from this period, musicians such as Salgan and Piazzolla began to take an interest in tango, contributing to its transformation into a popular-artistic phenomenon. By the 1970s, the process of renewal was complete.
The original Rio Platense tango re-emerged internationally in the 1980s, largely due to the production of two shows: Oscar Araiz's ballet "Tango" and Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli's "Tango Argentino." Presented at the Festival d'Automne in Paris in 1983, the Tango Argentino Company achieved tremendous success. Popular tango revived in Segovia and Orezzoli's production through a succession of choreographic scenes, where couple dancing regained the verve and passion of its origins.
"Tanguéros" is a show created for the International Encounters in Rovereto, featuring some of the best dancers from Segovia and Orezzoli's Company: Alejandro Aquino and Mariachiara Michieli, Carlos Borquez and Inés, Luis Pereyra and Norma. Alongside them are the musicians of Sexteto Tango, a renowned group formed in 1968 and performed in Europe only once, in 1984.
Alejandro Aquino, a solo dancer at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, danced for years in Osvaldo Pugliese's orchestra. In 1989, he created "Mas Tango," which was presented in South America and Europe. He has been part of Segovia and Orezzoli's Company since 1990. Aquino dances with Mariachiara Michieli, a dancer trained in the famous milongas of Buenos Aires. The pair is recognized as one of the best young tango formations.
Carlos Borquez and Inés, together for many years, danced with Mariano Mores' company and have a history as milongueros. They have been part of "Tango Argentino" since 1987.
Norma and Luis Pereyra, a stable couple for a long time, were principal dancers in Juan Carlos Copes' group before joining Segovia and Orezzoli's Company in 1988.
Sexteto Tango, led by Osvaldo Ruggero, Emilio Balcarce, and Oscar Herrero, musicians born around the 1920s, has been on numerous tours and has recorded many albums. For "Tanguéros," Sexteto Tango composed eleven original arrangements that blend with typical themes from their repertoire.
