Sunday night promises to be passionate, sexy, provocative and exciting in McCain Auditorium, a McCain official said.
Thom Jackson, McCain marketing and development director, said Tango Buenos Aires, a world-renowned and original Argentinean tango performance group, will heat up the McCain stage at 7:30 p.m Sunday.
Jackson said the show will involve five to seven musicians playing traditional tango instruments live on stage while a cast of 25 dancers show K-State they are truly masters at their craft.
McCain director Todd Holmberg said he expects the performance will be colorful, filled with breathtaking costumes and sets while talented dancers tango across the stage.
“The tango is so fun to watch because it’s a very passionate and sensual art form,” Holmberg said. “It requires the partners to be held very close together with perfect coordination between dancers, so it’s visually stunning.”
Jackson said the event, cosponsored by the Mid-American Arts Alliance, will help bring Latin culture to Manhattan. Expressing culture doesn’t always have to be through lots of words and text; he said the tango, with its music, style and story-telling, is Argentina – all rolled into one event.
“We really try and reach out to the different ethnic cultures of our community,” Jackson said. “I truly think this performance is important because it’s students’ golden opportunity to experience a whole different culture in one night.”
The art of tango has been around for more than 100 years. It first started as a dance in peasant ballrooms and has escalated into what Jackson said is considered a classic art form today.
Holmberg said the name of the show will be “The Four Seasons.” Each season will be represented by tango in the street, ballroom, city and theater. The final season, he said, will conclude with a “fiery grand finale.”
“The tango is recognized as high performing art, just as ballet, jazz or classical music is,” Holmberg said. “Tango Buenos Aires is just one of the series of world-class events we’ve brought to McCain to enhance the overall experience and learning opportunities here at K-State. We hope that by exposing the students and community to this, it will encourage a life-long love of all the arts.”
Holmberg said he is anticipating the Sunday event. He said he thinks it will be quite a sight to behold the beautiful dancing and incredible live music paired with the elaborate costumes and sets.
“We’ll be taken to another place in the world,” he said, “and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Joyce Yagerline, associate professor of speech communication, theatre and dance, will give a pre-performance lecture at 6:30 p.m. in McCain 204.
In her 30-minute speech, Yagerline said she will briefly describe the Argentinean tango and give a short history of its background. Two dancers also will demonstrate a few tango steps while they are explained. If time permits, Yagerline said she will take the last five minutes of the lecture and ask volunteers to come down and experience the tango for themselves.
“The reason I like giving a pre-concert talk with live dancers is because it’s a visual and educational process so people know what to look for when they go into the show,” she said.
Yagerline said she believes there is nothing more exciting than live dance, which makes it more real.
“I encourage all students at K-State, as well as the community, to come out and support the arts,” she said. “Let’s all have a great time and enrich our lives through the arts.”