Bringing the heat and passion of Argentinean dance, Inaki Urlezaga is ready to set Bangkok on fire accompanied by a troupe of 15 dancers at the Thailand Cultural Centre on September 29.

Supported by the Embassy of Argentina, Urlezaga, their country's best known dancer and a multi-award winner, will present two productions with his Inaki Urlezaga Tango Group.

The first, "Pulsaciones", is a classical ballet work, while "Destiny Buenos Aires" is the ultimate tango showcase. Both are taking place as part of the Bangkok International Dance and Music Festival.

Ballet Concierto's "Pulsaciones", with music and choreography by Vittorio Biaggi, was created specially to showcase movement and the technical prowess of the dancers.

"Destiny Buenos Aires", on the other hand,  is inspired by Urlezaga's life and career, with music composed by C Gardel, A Paizzola, Le Pera and Matos Rodriguez among others, and choreography by F Fleitas and M Morassut.

The plot gives room for Urlezaga to express the nostalgia that he feels for his homeland. As the production unfolds, we are also led through different periods in the history of tango.

"Tango is universal nowadays and I am proud of that," he says. "In my country, tango has been around since 1900, but in that period it was not considered a good thing. In the years that followed it got national and international recognition."

Though he was trained classical dance from the age of eight, Urlezaga says he includes tango in his performances at every opportunity because it will capture an audience's imagination anywhere in the world. And, he just loves to dance it.

Urlezaga was for ten years principal dancer with the Royal Ballet London, and is now a principal guest dancer with Dutch National Ballet.

He is also the man behind the success of one of Argentina's leading dance companies, Ballet Concierto, which exports the best of Argentinean dance, both tango and classical ballet, to a world wide stage.

Among the  company's repertoire are productions that encompass all styles, like "Apollo and His Aunts" (choreography, Oscar Araiz), "Ravel's Bolero" (Miguel Elias), "Tango" (Miguel Elias), Chopin's "Constanza" (Inaki Urlezaga), as well as special versions of "Don Quixote", "La Bayadere", "Which Boy" and others.

The reason that tango is so famous and so special, says Urlezaga, is the magic. "People listen to tango and find it very exciting. I don't know what the secret is, but I am sure that it was the "bandoneon" (large accordion) and Carlos Gardel's voice that made it immortal, and people have been working ever since to maintain and add to this wonderful Argentinean tradition. Also, tango allows you to tell a story, and though there is melancholy there, it is also connected with love and passion. These things form the typical recipe for

a good Argentinean tango."

Turning his attention to "Destiny Buenos Aires", the tango-highlight of the Dance and Music Festival in Bangkok, Urlezaga says that the choreography and music that go with the plot are exceptional.  "It allows the audience to enjoy not just the dancer's technique, but the artistic development and interpretation that are outstanding here. The story is about my life, my journeys, my success," he says.

It also focuses on his feelings on having to leave his home country to make a career, on love and on the tribulations of the travelling life that he leads as an internationally renowned dancer.

The music is tango but the choreography is adapted from different styles.

The famous tangos of master-composer Astor Piazzolla will be aired, as well as others by big names like Matos Rodriguez and Mariano Mores.  You can enjoy "La Cumparsita", "Adios Nonino", "El Da que me Quieras", and "Liber Tango" - so called "tango for export". 

However, for Thai listeners, who may be not familiar with tango music, Urlezage says that all the composers have something to offer. Carlos Gardel may be the most famous, but Astor Piazzolla was a great artist and his music travels all over the world, and Mariano Mores is also fascinating listening.

If all this gives you the bug to try tango for yourself, Urlezaga says that beginners can learn the basic steps very fast and with that, can enjoy the feeling of dancing tango in no time. "You should try it!"

Kupluthai Pungkanon

The Nation