© Pasodos Dance Company 'Tango Spell' reviews Macias in reviews recent Pasodos reviews more Graham Watts reviews

This one Act, 50 minute production is a fresh and exciting new narrative ballet incorporating a tango theme and a brief interlude of contemporary dance within a passionate and dramatic story, written by the Irish Tenor, Anthony Norton. It is performed by the Pasodos Dance Company, based in Dublin, where ‘The Tango Spell’ received its world premiere in January.

The ballet opens with a short dramatic prologue, in which actor Cahill Quinn, as the Baron, dressed in black leather coat and gloves and illuminated by a single spotlight, delivers a sinister monologue about his father’s passion for horses. This serves as a metaphor for the ballet to follow.

His father loved ‘to watch his horses dance’ especially his particular favourite, a black Andalucian. One day, he discovers a ‘runt’ of a stable hand riding his beloved Stallion. Since his father believed that a ‘beauty marred is no longer a beauty’ and ‘nothing handles well once it has been sullied’ he forces the stable hand to destroy the horse. He then chooses a Palomino as the new object of his passion. In closing the monologue, the Baron warns ominously that it is incumbent upon the son to surpass his heritage.

© Pasodos Dance Company

The Baron also likes to watch ‘his fillies dance’ but when the ballet opens in a night club we see that his obsession is with girls rather than horses. Incidentally, the Pasodos Company’s mission emphasises clarity and the importance of detail and I was impressed that this extended right down to the “Briscola” cards (playing cards used in Italy, Spain and Latin America) on the night club tables.

The Baron’s Andalucian is Roxanne, a beautiful dancer whom he has lured and controlled through the extravagant supply of jewels and cocaine. But Roxanne is also attracted to Alfredo, a poor dancer. The ballet’s heart rests in this triangle: Roxanne loves Alfredo but she is too weak to resist the temptations of her “Master”. Ultimately, the lure of the cocaine is too powerful and she rejects Alfredo. Since ‘nothing handles well once it has been sullied’ the Baron, having now found his new dancer equivalent of the Palomino, forces Alfredo to stab Roxanne in his anger at her rejection. The symmetry of the narrative is emphasised by the “book ended” scenes in which the Baron schools his two ‘fillies’ with a whip, as if on a lunge rein.

Roxanne is danced by the ballet’s principal choreographer, Laura Macias, a graduate from the Rambert Ballet School who has previously danced with Los Ballets de Madrid. She has an exceptionally robust technique and her choreography was both remarkably mature and refreshingly innovative, even if – in places – slightly raw around the edges. Frankly, this made it all the more endearing.

The choreography incorporates some very exciting lifts, throws and turns, including some innovative (and occasionally humorous) moves such as an inverted tango sequence where Gavin De Paor (as Alfredo) dances with Laura upside down, using her legs as arms in a tango hold.

There were some choreographic elements in the ballet’s three key pas de deux that were pure MacMillan. In one phrase, a powerful overhead swallow lift was transformed into a sequence of strong spins by De Paor, with his partner still firmly held in a passionate embrace. In the first pas de deux, De Paor executes a “pressed” lift of Macias direct from a prone position on the floor. There were several other beautifully executed supported falls and overhead lifts.

Gavin De Paor graduated from the Perm State Choreographic Institute in Russia and has performed with Chelyabinsk State Theatre, Moscow City Ballet, European Ballet and Ballet Ireland. The Russian training was very evident in an impressively solid technique, melding a wide range of classic steps, such as pirouettes, barrel turns and an impressive sequence of tours a la seconde, with some more unusual moves, including one element which was the balletic equivalent of break-dancing!

I was very impressed by the fusion of passion, drama and uniformly strong technique which both Macias and De Paor achieved in the two performances I saw. Their partnering was exceptionally good and they combined a strong spark of sexual chemistry with an immense confidence in one another. They needed it, performing some very dramatic and potentially dangerous moves in an extremely confined space: in one overhead lift with outstretched point, Laura’s foot collided with one of the lights. It must have hurt but it was impossible to tell!

As a leit-motif throughout the night club scenes, two guest Argentinian tango soloists (billed only as Ricardo and Jenny) dance a series of passionate tangos, complete with the most intricate feet and leg-hugging steps associated with this sensual dance.

The “palomino” role is danced by another Rambert-trained Irish dancer, Becky Rielly, who wins over the Baron’s affection with a seductive contemporary dance solo, which she choreographed herself. Personally, I think that this would have worked better as a ballet solo but I know that this is just a question of personal preference since I can see the logic of how the contrast of contemporary dance against ballet works in the context of Palomino vs Andalucian!

© Pasodos Dance Company

Its hard to quibble with costume choices when one considers the financial constraints that these small companies work under but I found myself puzzling about the significance of her outfit of cocktail dress over what appeared to be red tracksuit trousers!

‘The Tango Spell’ is a little gem: a new narrative ballet which works exquisitely on several levels, successfully fusing a rich seam of powerful ballet with the subtle passion of tango and the raw sensuality of contemporary dance. All this is stitched together with emphatic interludes of dramatic monologue and a rounded narrative which manages to be both innovative and yet resonant of a classic ballet genre.

It is all topped off by performances of genuine star quality by Macias and De Paor. They thoroughly deserved a rapturous audience reaction and I have no doubt that this partnership could easily step into many established ballet theatre companies.

From now until 24 August, Pasodos Dance Company are performing ‘The Tango Spell’ daily at 2pm at the C venue in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, one of the largest venues for the Edinburgh Fringe. On 18 September, it will be performed at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast as the beginning of a mini-tour of Northern Ireland. It easily deserves to be seen in London and elsewhere in the UK and I sincerely hope that this dynamic little ensemble get that opportunity.

If you are in Edinburgh over the next two weeks why don’t you try the Tango Spell for yourself? Like me, I’m sure that you will be well and truly “tango’ed”!