(Photo credit and copyright David Andrews)

As tango shows go, this one is quite different. Still incorporating the story telling of unrequited love, passion, deceit and abandonment (which is common is almost all tango shows), this show embraces the beauty and expression of both Salon and stage tango and also folkloric dance, allowing the storyline and characters to be easily conveyed and developed through the talented dancers ́ beautiful movements. 

You are probably familiar with Carmen, the Bizet opera that shocked its French audiences back in 1875 with its passionate and scandelous storyline which climaxes with the lead character´s murder on stage. Carmen is a free spirited gypsy who seduces military man Don José, making him release her despite being arrested for assalting another woman and he is thrown in jail for not doing his duty. Despite reuniting with Carmen after his release, and running away with her and a group of smugglers, Carmen gets bored of Don José and sends him back to his mother. She then falls for the enigmatic bullfighter Escamillo and a love triangle ensues, which ends with Don José murdering Carmen in a jealous rage. 

Musically, Carmen has given us two of some of the best known operatic arias: the Habanera from Act 1 and the Toreador Song from Act 2. While Bizet adapted ¨L´amour est un oiseau rebelle¨ (the actual name of what is known as the Habanera from Carmen) from what he thought was a folk song, it was actually adapted from the habanera El Arreglito by Spanish composer Sebastián Iradier. 

Full of love and passion, Carmen is ripe to be remade and told through dance, and what more appropriate dance than the flirtatious and sensual Argentine Tango? That´s what went through Parasol Arts Creative Director Lorita Travaglia´s head who is the master mind behind this wonderful piece of choreography and dance. Seeing the emotional response of the audience to the 2018 production, she has been excited to present the show for its second year running in Denver Colorado. ¨If a show can move you to tears, it´s a success¨. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ44qLr-9fs

Featuring the talents of Donato Juarez as Don José, Diana Cruz as Carmen and Marcelo Molina as Escamillo, Carmen is presented by Parasol Arts which is a professionally operated non-profit organisation providing a space for the collaboration of dancers, musicians, vocalists and creative artists in unique and original theatrical productions. They endeavour to bring the joy and passion of Argentine Tango to new audiences. They have also recently brought us Tango Portraits in Love which is the stories of eight people whose lives are entwined. Their paths cross in a variety of roles (lovers, partners, exes, acquaintances) but ultimately in friendship.  It is described as ¨an exploration of love and human relationships through narration of poetry, lyrics, philosophy and Argentine Tango.

While the performances of Carmen the Tango have finished for the season, once a sponsor is found, this show will be on the road in the United States. It would be wonderful to see this interpretation of the opera Tchaikovsky described as ¨a masterpiece in every sense of the word … one of those rare creations which expresses the efforts of a whole musical epoch¨ brought to the home of its dance - Buenos Aires

Review of Carmen the Tango:

“Enthralling!

Bravo bravo!!!!! Bravisimo!!! Bravo!!!!

We both very much enjoyed your CARMEN: the Tango production Lorita, it was absolutely, utterly and completely magnificent!! I say this, as it brought tears of love to my eyes in the last few minutes!

The roles, the costume, the sound, the lighting, the colors, the movement, the expression, the telling… the entire event was magnificently precise and suffuse with fulfilling engagement!

Ahem… Well done, to say the least.

Again, great thanks and gratitude for the blessing of opportunity for our attendance.”

To find out more about Parasol Arts and the beautiful work that they do, you can find more information about the performers, shows and ticket sales on their website:

www.parasolarts.org.