Tango Accelerates as City Catches Dance Fever
10th April, 2007 A three-minute romance may not appeal to everyone, but for many Sydneysiders it is becoming an accepted part of their life. The Inner West is in the grip of dance fever following a host of successful big and small screen dance-offs and tango is leading the charge. Just one of an avalanche of big screen dance stories is Shall We Dance, which stars Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez turning up the heat with the sensual Latin dance. Australia's Dancing with the Stars has been one of the most successful programs in Channel Seven's history. It peaked at 1.96 million in the latest ratings and nearly matched the combined audiences of Nine and Ten in total viewers aged 18-49 and 25-54. That success has entertained millions at home and the program's popularity has inspired many to get off the couch and take to the dance floor. Whether it's the elegance of the waltz or the energy of the jive, dancing now holds centre stage. But it's the romantic tango creating the most interest. Devotees include movie star Hugh Jackman and Clive James, who has been known to twirl around the floor at the Glebe Town Hall on a Friday night. Last year's Australian tango champion Clare Hunt, who teaches at Club de Tango at Glebe Town Hall, said the tango was a sensual and theatrical dance. She said the beauty of learning to dance the tango was that, in terms of communication, it was like poetry. She also said through reality television more people saw the tango as a fun form of exercise. Jacqueline Simpson runs Tango Entre Amigos at the Marrickville Hard Court Tennis Club. She was born in Chile but discovered tango in Australia 12 years ago and now teaches traditional Tango Argentino as it is danced in the heart of Buenos Aires. "Tango is a three minute romance where two people connect through a close embrace dancing to passionate music in a smooth and graceful walk," she said. "I specialise in the technique of the dance and its elegance, as well as transmitting the essence of tango as a dance, and ensuring dancers enjoy its magic and power," she said. "It is danced socially but you don't need to have a regular dance partner. It is also a dance that attracts all ages - it is rare to find a dance in which socially you have all ages sharing the same passion." Lisa De Lazzari and Peter Waller, also from Club de Tango, have just returned from the CITA tango festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The pair host a weekly milonga (social tango) class at the Glebe Town Hall and Ms De Lazzari, Sydney's leading tango DJ, said despite the Australian tango scene's infancy it was steadily growing, especially in Sydney. Mr Waller said the appeal of the tango was different for everyone but for him it was "an endless dance". "It is always evolving into something new, it is an improvised dance, not a choreographed step dance, so it is the individual that makes it grow," he said. Both the Glebe and Marrickville tango schools hosted heats of the Australian World Tango Championships. The final was held at the Sydney Opera House last weekend. Source: Village Voice Copyright © 2007 The Federal Publishing Company |
