Agentinian tango masters conduct workshop in town

Argentinian tango masters Andres Laza Moreno and Isabel Acuna/Photo provided by Beijingtango.org

By Liang Meilan

Argentinian tango masters Andres Laza Moreno and Isabel Acuna are holding classes in town till April 4 as part of their ongoing Asian tour. The Beijing workshop featuring eminent Argentinian dancers is a quarterly event sponsored by local dance groups Beijing Tango and Tango Chino Club.

“We use these special events to promote Argentinian tango culture,” Stefanie Ehenlohr, founder of Beijing Tango, said.

Moreno and Acuna, both from Buenos Aires, were welcomed with a Milonga, or tango party, at the 700-year-old Hong’en Temple in Zhangwang Hutong last Saturday.

As guests of honor, they performed three Argentinian tangos. “They performed a traditional, very intimate style of tango, which some people say is the essence, the soul of tano,” Eschenlohr said. “We’re very happy and proud that we could stage this event in such a beautiful, historical venue.”

Acuna said the dance is not about show. “The beauty of tango lies in the perfect harmony and intimacy between the  dancers. It is a very sensual dance and relies on the perfect communication between the man and the woman,” she said.

Beijing band DOU China also performed at the event, as did two students from the Central Conservatory of Music, Wang Han on the accordion and Fang Xiang on the violin.

“The two girls are just 18 years old but are already promising musicians. Their performance was not only technically brilliant, but their interpretation of the pieces was also very passionate and really impressed our Argentinian guests,” Eschenlohr said, adding that the students are winners of several national and international competitions.

The party’s attendees were largely tango enthusiasts in the capital, but dancers also flew in from Shanghai, Singapore, the US and UK for the occasion. For more information about Moreno and Acuna’s Beijing workshop, visit beijingtango.org.