Londoners have long been used to the quality and flair on show every time German Cornejo comes into town with his troupe of tango dancers, all Argentine with many world champions among them. Shows such as Tango Fire, Tango After Dark and Immortal Tango have become sell-out sensations all over the world, single-handedly keeping the economy going of Argentina’s plethora of world-class dancers.
German Cornejo’s Dance Company has earned its accolades not only for the excellence of its dancers and choreographies, but of the live musicians that accompany them: you’d be hard pressed to find Astor Piazzolla played as well in Ronnie Scotts as by the tango orchestra in the Peacock Theatre when Cornejo’s dancers are in residence. In this sense German’s new show, his first since COVID, is no different.
What is different is that 'Wild Tango' is his most ambitious, revolutionary and arguably best yet, showing this dancer-choreographer as a brave visionary. Perhaps, even, it's the show that will see him go down in the history annals as one of Argentina’s finest creatives of his generation.
The risk that German has taken with Wild Tango, which takes us way off the piste of successful Latin dance shows, can’t be underestimated. Parting from the usual hit Latin dance show formula (colonial origins, through to the golden days of the 1940s dance halls to the modern era) this time, German's dancers tell a different story. Ripping up the book of quaint clichés that European audiences seem never to get enough of, Wild Tango dares put forward a version of Argentinidad, that reflects the dancers own connection with their innovative contemporary culture.
From the first bars of the intro, the distinct sound of Argentine rock washes over us. It takes some of us home; we rarely hear in London these classic songs of Argentine rock, which are anthems all around Latin America, from the likes of Charly Garcia, Soda Stereo, Fito Paez, Luis Alberto Spinetta or Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. We were on the edge of our seats, but at the same time knew that it was an act of bravery on the part of Cornejo.
No ‘50s swirling skirts in sight, or sparkly dresses with slits. Instead, hi-vis industrial outfits and scaffolding of an abandoned factory gone bust during la crisis, provide the context for tango imbued with aerial, urban and contemporary dance. Couple dancing is replaced with same sex. Not only would many in the audience not expect tango to be danced to rock, London’s tango aficionados often have a conservative notion of the genre and little knowledge of Argentine culture in general. Would they hate this?
I didn’t have to worry long. Either the tango purists had missed opening night, or they were swamped by the enthusiasm of us milonga heathens, but the crowd was showing its delight from the get-go. We’ve seen on ‘Strictly’ tango danced to pop music, with horrendous results. But no such thing was happening here. If anything, bringing Argentine rock into a tango context highlighted how much tango is part of its pop culture. The inclusion of the bandoneon in the band was crucial, but this instrument is incorporated in many of the original rock songs anyway, from the Fabulosos Cadillacs to Charly Garcia. The authenticity was reinforced by how intensely the dancers felt the music, as if it were Piazzolla or Pugliese. My favourite was German and Gisela’s beautiful interpretation of Spinetta’s ballad Seguir viviendo sin tu amor. (see video below)
Wild Tango worked. And the reason it worked can be summed in one word: quality. The quality of the original music compositions and their interpretation by the outstanding Musical Director (also on keyboard) Ovidio Velazuqez and particularly the beautiful voice and charismatic guitar-playing of Luciano Bassi. And of course, the quality of the dancers, probably the best I’d ever seen (lockdown has clearly meant a lot of time for training!). Added to this were the innovative contributions to choreography by dancers Ezequiel Lopez (Malambo), Maia Roldan (Contemporary and Urban) and Edgar Luizaga (Aerial). And one cannot ignore the ever mesmerising Gisela Galeassi, Cornejo’s right hand women in choreography, whose grace has been a constant on German’s journey, her perfectionism a clear match for his.
The performance was not flawless, which is to be expected for a show debut. The dancers have yet to gain aerial confidence on the ropes and some of the costumes were less ‘wow’ than ‘wooooahh, hold on.’ But the evident delight of the performers, freed from the shackles of rigid style to express their true artistry, made up for any hiccups. German has unleashed Argentine’s finest and set them free. The energy, innovation and technical brilliance combined was an absolute joy to witness.
German has always known how to please the crowds, but this time he is doing something more. He is not simply giving his audience what it wants, what it already knows, he is doing what he and his dancers want. In German’s own tweets...“the identity that dares us…so pure, so ours”, you get a feeling of his pride in what the Company is doing. Some might loathe it, but hopefully many more will see something both daring and refreshing. In the process Wild Tango is breaking stereotypes and opening minds.
Whatever people think, with this show Cornejo has transformed from the 'young hot choreographer” that the New York Times once labelled him, into an avant-guard visionary who has not only brought tango dance to the world but stretched the boundaries of the genre itself.
German Cornejo's Wild Tango is on until Saturday at the Peacock Theatre. Book tickets here
