The award-winning dance company PointeTango returns to Victoria for the first time since 2019 with the new show Tango, to the Pointe.
In a recent Q&A with the Canadian College of Performing Arts, PointeTango founders Erin Scott-Kafada and Alaxander Richardson shared their excitement about performing live since before the pandemic forced much of the live entertainment industry to a halt.
“It feels amazing to be back on stage again, experiencing the electric energy of performing in front of a live audience. We really missed the spontaneity of performing live and sharing those special moments of connection with the audience and feeling their excitement.”
The combination of pointe – which is a part of classical ballet – and Argentine tango makes the company’s dancing both technical and limit-pushing, requiring new Pointe shoes after every show.
While previous shows required the use of one pointe shoe and one stiletto, Tango, to the Pointe features a full hour of Tango on pointe shoes alone – a challenge the group said they were happy to do.
As PointeTango is the first of its kind, training presented more obstacles than just a high shoe budget. The movement itself is unique and requires open-mindedness and spontaneity to master.
“The combination was awkward at first since the pointe shoe is higher than the stiletto but we decided to embrace the awkwardness and play with the movement possibilities.”
The show plays at Canadian College of Performing Arts in Oak Bay as part of the World Accordion and Tango Festival Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.
Visit watf.ca for more information.
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