Sadler’s Wells M¡longa – February 17-21, Theatre Maisonneuve

M¡longa – The Tango Event

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

A celebration of tango with 10 Argentine masters, a duo of contemporary dancers, 5 musicians performing live and stunning images of Buenos Aires, the brilliant Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui eulogizes the essence of tango, revealing its hidden aspects. Complex figures, spectacular lifts and a contagious fever.

“Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is a great artist we have been admiring and presenting since 2003, impressed by his hybrid pieces and his unique mix of cultures. Passionately interested in human relations and true to form, he confronts in m¡longa tradition and modernity and presents an entrancing work that takes an affectionate look at both tango – which he finds fascinating – and the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires, where the dance first appeared in the late 19thcentury.”Pierre Des Marais, Artistic and Executive Director, Danse Danse

Definition of the word ‘M¡longa’
A milonga is a tango dance party, which originated in Buenos Aires. During a milonga, three to five songs are played in a row followed by a short musical break to give dancers a chance to find new partners. Dancers who attend milongas are called milongueros or milongueras. The term milonga also refers to a distinct style of tango, which is a faster-paced and less complex form of tango. Milonga can also refer to a musical genre.

“Rhythms flicker around the stage like forked lightning”
The Guardian, UK, November 2013

“Mating rituals can never have looked more artfully sexy, nor, in the show as a whole, can tango ever been given a fonder or more imaginative makeover. What a treat”
Daily Telegraph, UK, November 2013

“[Cherkaoui’s] take on tango is a sweetly melancholic love letter”
Evening Standard, UK, November 2013

“Cloaked in intimacy, dappled with melancholy, Cherkaoui’s m¡longa makes you feel as if you’ve stumbled into a fantasy dance hall, and you’re the luckiest wallflower in town”
Metro, UK, November 2013

“Very physical and very engaged, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s dance is rooted in touch and physical contact, inherent in his new piece m¡longa. It is inspired by tango dancers embracing, two bodies connecting and merging into one without speaking, without looking at each other, but clearly conveying to the spectators what they feel.”
lyoncapitale.fr

“Cherkaoui liberates the tango. With m¡longa, the Belgian choreographer reinvents with passion the dance of the backstreets of Buenos Aires.”
Le Figaro, Lyon

“Mating rituals can never have looked more artfully sexy, nor, in the show as a whole, has tango ever been given a fonder or more imaginative makeover. What a treat.”
Daily Telegraph, London

Post-performance talk with the artists: Friday, February 20, 2015