Tango music arose from a clash of cultures, and true to its roots, VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Tango Festival will blur the line between tango, jazz and Latin American music.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a big crossover in Buenos Aires and other places between Latin music and tango,B次元官网网址� said event co-ordinator June Waters. Dance floors in Argentina will vary between the dance styles, giving everyone a chance to get up and dance, she said.
Local group Kumbia, known for helping to start the salsa scene in Victoria, will perform, giving audiences a chance to listen and dance to their tango and broader repertoire.
B次元官网网址淲e also have a jazz concert this year that has jazz, jazz-tango and tango in it, because B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檝e got a fabulous musician who is a world champion harmonica player that isnB次元官网网址檛 bound to one (style),B次元官网网址� said Waters.
The annual event, in its fourth year, has a mandate to increase live tango music in Victoria.
While many people think of tango as a style of dance, this festival is about the music.
The style of music started in the culture clash B次元官网网址渢hat began in Buenos Aires in the late 1880s,B次元官网网址� said Waters. A large immigrant population contributed influences from Cuba, Italy and other countries. B次元官网网址淚t was their grief and longing for their homeland that was expressed in the tango music. Then it was transported to Europe B次元官网网址� and it continued to evolve.B次元官网网址�
Composer and musician Astor Piazolla changed the genre radically in the 1970s, drawing on an existing movement by tango musicians.
B次元官网网址淭hey didnB次元官网网址檛 want to play just dance music. They wanted to go further and develop and expand it,B次元官网网址� said Waters. PiazollaB次元官网网址檚 music was intended for concert halls, rather than dance halls. ItB次元官网网址檚 his style, called B次元官网网址渢ango nuevoB次元官网网址� that inspires the festivalB次元官网网址檚 headliner this year, Norte帽o.
rholmen@vicnews.com
Mark your calendar
The festival runs Aug. 12 to 14, including a range of free and paid musical and dance performances, workshops and an open dance floor. Centennial Square also features food, crafts and vendors. Norte帽o, the headlining performance, plays Sunday at Alix Goolden Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 at the door.
Check out the schedule at www.passion4tango.com.
