Most tango shows are all the same: a seedy Buenos Aires brothel circa 1900; a quick scoot through the ages up to modern day electrotango; overwrought facial expressions and off-the-shelf passion. Well, not this one.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is a Belgian-Moroccan choreographer of experimental bent and magpie tendencies, who finds a world he likes and jumps right in (he has previous form in flamenco, kathak and dancing with Shaolin monks).
His take on tango is a sweetly melancholic love letter that only gently pulls apart tradition. It’s a welcome revision of stage tango. There are still flashy moves, a few sparkles and the sense of life with the temperature turned up, but in the main, Cherkaoui strips away the hackneyed history and glitz in favour of stark staging, a cinematic score and a subdued but seductive mood.
The intricate entwining of legs is a constant blur of fancy footwork to rival Lionel Messi, but each couple connects differently. There’s the pair in stubborn dispute, a stiletto’s width between passion and violence — so far so clichéd — but then there are those with a cheeky rapport or simple tenderness, a trio of competitive males or a group of mourners dancing in comfort and solidarity.
Two contemporary dancers also infiltrate the scene and gradually embrace and understand the heart of tango.
The mood is punctured by a comic interlude mocking a tango tourist in search of her Latin lover, which grates a bit. And there’s an overload on the projections of Buenos Aires streets, like one too many holiday snaps.
But at least when Cherkaoui comes back from his travels you don’t just get a slideshow, you get a reimagining of an art form.
Until Nov 10 (0844 412 4300, sadlerswells.com)
