a Sadler’s Wells production

Deeply rooted in Argentinean culture, tango has fascinated and captivated the world with its sexuality, power and beauty. It is this unique appeal that has drawn Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui to create m¡longa.
He now collaborates with an incredibly talented cast of Argentinean dancers and musicians to create a show that brings his own unique style to the tango.
Taking the idea of a milonga as its starting point, those social dance-evenings held in intimate late night bars in Buenos Aires, Cherkaoui draws on traditional influences and adds a contemporary twist. This is the first time that an international large-scale production about tango is directed by a non-Argentine artist, offering exciting opportunities to explore the traditional dance from another cultural perspective.
Cherkaoui's fascination for tango can be traced almost as far back as the beginnings of his career. He says: "What attracts me most about tango is the eternal embrace of the dancers. When a tango couple dances, we sense the hypnotic dialogue between two bodies connecting intuitively, merging into one. If there is such a thing as my style of dance, it is rooted in touch, in physical contact - and that is inherent in tango."

With guidance from tango superstar Nelida Rodriguez de Aure and featuring new music from Argentinean composer Fernando Marzan and Cherkaoui’s long term collaborator Szymon Brzóska, video and set design by Eugenio Szwarcer, and costumes by renowned fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen, m¡longa combines traditional Argentine aesthetics with state of the art technology. With a cast of 10 tango dancers from Buenos Aires, 2 contemporary dancers and a tango band of 5 musicians, this is a fascinating exploration of both traditional and contemporary tango for the 21st century.