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ROBERTO HERRERA and
ROCIO LEGUIZAMON
The Tango Bali Club took
pride in welcoming a great master of contemporary times as it
presented its’ latest production "Tango Nuevo A new style A new
beginning" top-billed by no less than Roberto Herrera with Rocio
Leguizamon last November 2005. Staged at the Sunset, it was well
attended by the largely expat community in the island as Roberto
and Rocio immersed the audience into a rhythm of passion and
nostalgia.
The show started at
exactly 9:30pm after guests feasted on a sumptuous combination
of Indonesian and western delicacies on the buffet table, thus
making the event even more exciting and memorable. Spotted were
Mama Milo, the grand dame of the Italian community and mother to
the famous designer Milo enjoying the evening with her friends.
Of course our beloved Gianfranco Boca was there too and
certainly not to be upstaged as he delighted everyone with his
style of dancing every time he took to the dance floor. Dubai
tanguero Paul Bradley was in his usual element exchanging
banters with straits tangueros Angeline Jansen from Singapore,
Runa Baagoe and Cheah Pek Kiang both from Kuala Lumpur. Husband
and wife Peter and Galina Brouwer came with their friends and
occupied one table. The couple has been very supportive of the
clubs activities as both are tango fanatic themselves. Another
tango couple Nigel and Kathy were seated quietly in one corner
enjoying the evening ditto with Mark and Ricky who were in a big
table with friends whom they invited to watch the spectacle
hoping that it might arouse their interest to join the tango
movement.
The German tango ladies
were in full force and in full tango regalia from Franziska,
Antje, Doris, Viktoria and many more ready for action that
evening. Lovely tango couple Omar and Lily, were seen in
animated talks with Made of Made’s Warung fame. The lady is
slowly catching the tango fever.
The Tanjung Sari crowd
headed by Ade came with sister Wita, brother-in-law Avi and a
bunch of other friends. Nancy came with her Jengala people from
Ellen, Mitra, John, Maria et.al. Not to be outdone were the
Swiss community headed by Christine who just got back from a
three month holiday in Switzerland to visit her lovely daughter
Mei lin who also is a young tanguera in the making. Judith came
with restaurateur Peter and was seen persuading him to take
tango classes as the guy showed some interest. And statuesque
Helena who always comes out glamorous during functions was
spotted too.
Dozen other guests came to
join in the fun. Everyone that night was feeling romantic
because of the fully charged tango ambience Stefani created for
that special evening. Black satin cloths draped the tables with
nicely decorated centerpieces with sprinkles of rose petals and
candle lights for lighting accent,
In a few minutes, lights
went off and the show started. Roberto and Rocio came out
wearing traditional outfits as they interpreted the song Lucio
Demare. Roberto was in a maroon suit with white undershirt and
off-white pants and a finely printed cravate to compliment the
ensemble. Rocio was in a stunning gold fabric with a circa
1940’s look a la Greta Garbo, looking more mature than her age.
As they glide and swayed into the dance floor, one can already
see the beautiful fine lines that these two dancers were
outlining as they weave out intricate patterns. Breathless is
the word to best describe the feeling everyone felt as the
couple ended their first number with a subtle suggestive
embrace.
They then proceeded on
with their second number and this time around the much vaunted
tango nuevo style of Roberto Herrera was showcased. This is a
bold and daring attempt for somebody of Roberto’s stature, whose
distinct style of the tango is taken much from traditional, to
venture out into something alternative, thereby requiring some
changes in the discipline that he is so already used to. As he
ended his Tango Enigmatico repertoire with Rocio, the guy simply
vindicated himself to the thunderous applause he got from the
crowd signifying their approval of the master’s latest foray
into a new genre.
Into their third number,
Roberto and Rocio changed their outfits in to something
"youngish" ,where he was clad in all white ensemble wearing
rubber snickers while she was donned in a red jumpsuit. They
danced to the playful rhythm of El Lloron, a milonga, combining
elements from traditional and tango nuevo, and eventually
captivating the audience with their syncopated steps and jumps
as they finished the choreography.
Energy was building up and
the audience was ready for the last presentation. Roberto came
out clad in a gaucho outfit while Rocio was in a white chemise
with her hair down ready to dance the chacarera. They moved and
swayed in folkloric fashion and as they finished, Roberto took
center stage as he prepared himself to do the bolleadora,
another Argentine folk dance were the man is the sole
protagonist as he juggles two pieces of balls tied to a string.
Using both hands, he slowly lengthened the strings as he started
to move his arms in criss -cross pattern. The balls started to
twirl around looking like atoms controlled by a magnetic force
as it gradually increased speed while it rotated in full circles
moving in all directions. It was a sight to behold as Roberto
stood and juggled the bolleadoras to the delight of the
audience. Thunderous applause soon followed as he finished his
act.
Everyone was ecstatic
about the show. People stayed on as the Dj played mixes of
tango, salsa, bachata and other latin stuff till everyone
dropped. The Tango Bali Club members were all smiles as they
made another milestone in the club’s short existence. This event
will long be remembered as the club carries on with the
promotion of Argentine tango in the archipelago.
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