[Tango-L] REPORT: IV INTERNATIONAL ARGENTINEAN TANGO FESTIVAL in Dublin, IRELAND 8-15 October 2006

[Club~Tango*La Dolce Vita~]

REPORT:
 
Last week saw the successful staging of the Compadrito Tango ~ IV INTERNATIONAL ARGENTINIAN TANGO FESTIVAL in Dublin, IRELAND.
 
The festival's directors, Simona Zaino and Hernan Catvin, added yet another superb event to a four-year litany of excellent 'Compadrito Tango' tango festivals.
 
Guest teachers at this event were internationally reknowned and leading tango celebrities Fabian Salas and Carolina Del Rivero who, as usual, held excellent classes. Their particular teaching style ensured the students' in-depth understanding of all the necessary fundamental principles such as body movement, coordination, balance etc required to achieve the goal of the topics of each of their classes.
 
Unable to report on the first part of the week's events (as I only arrived for the second-half), the weekend final part I can say was a superb testament to the passion of Simona and Hernan's 'Compadrito Tango' group.
 
The Friday night was held in 'Whelans' in Wexford Street, Dublin. It was a lovely cabaret evening with the introduction of Argentinean Tango trio "Se Dice de Mi"... an excellent all-female trio (piano, bandoneon and guitar) performing their own superb arrangements of many tango pieces, including those by Piazzola, Troilo, Bardi, Laurenz and many others. Outstanding for me was their arrangements/performance of Piazzola's 'Libertango' and Bardi's 'Gallo Ciego'.
 
In a very intimate dancing space, Simona and Hernan performed two beautifully-danced tangos - Hernan wearing a two-piece cream pin-striped suit and Simona suitably stunning as the typically sensuous black-dressed tanguera.
 
A one-woman show by Nicole Rourke with her interpretation of the diplomacy and decorum engaged by the lone tanguera trying to look dignified while awaiting the invitation to dance, added a satisfyingly humourous aspect to the evening.
 
An interesting impromptu surprise to the evening took place when Argentinean Hernan Catvin took to the microphone and sang a tango to the backing strains of 'Se Dice de Mi'. He was excellent. His voice, rich and powerful, conveyed all the nuances and profound-feeling of the traditional tango singer and thus proved a touching highlight to the evening.
 
The Saturday evening was held, as the previous year, in The Garda Club in Harrington Street, Dublin... a suitably excellent tango venue. The tango orchestra for the evening was 'Silencio' - a superb band full in quality, rich in sound and producing wonderful sounds of their own particular arrangements of many of the famous tango bands of the 'Golden Age' ...since and beyond.
 
The evening was highlighted with three innovative performances by Fabian and Carolina, the second of which was a beautiful and sensuous interpretation of Piazzola's "Romance del Diablo". As usual, their inimitable style and technical precision enhanced the evening's classy feel.
 
Together with a wonderful milonga atmosphere and charming people the evening added the 'cherry-on-the-icing' to a fantastic festival... thanks to Simona and Hernan of 'Compadrito Tango'.
 
Dani Iannarelli
http://www.tango-la-dolce-vita.eu
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/clubtango-ladolcevita/