We are almost at the end of the huge Bicentennial celebration here in Buenos Aires. A legal four-day weekend, it actually began one day earlier for many as they headed out to their "contries" or to the beach or Uruguay.
Ruben and I did our part in celebrating Argentina's Bicentennial this weekend, and we began on Friday. The local colegio, Martina Silva de Gurruchaga in Avenida Boedo, had a beautiful historical pageant in which Ruben and I took part (the only adults.)
Maybe because the official Bicentenario only gave the tango a passing nod, the school pageant was all over it, and the show portrayed the history of social dance in Argentina from the minuet up to tango electronico.
The kids portrayed early colonists, indigenous, immigrants from Italy fresh off the boat in La Boca, comparditos, and the beginnings of tango. One boy even danced with a broom, a long tradition in Argentina. When it came to the 20's and El Choclo, Ruben and I were honored to perform it (and I was also all decked out in Argentina's colors). Unfortunately, the video got erased by accident before I had a chance to download it, so you'll just have to take my word for it how the audience of students, parents, faculty and friends enjoyed it. :) And I was SO proud to take part.
After El Choclo, the kids went on the demonstrate Piazolla with rhythmic gymnastics and tango electronico, and traditional tango was left behind as an historical artifact.
2 comments:
We just got back from 9 de Julio where my husband, I and Pup plus a gazillion other people listened to music, (we) admired the Colon and watched the jets fly-over.
It is a beautiful day, isn't it ?
Is there anything cuter than children dancing ?
What a great idea! Does the teacher dance tango? Do children in Argentina do dance as part of their curriculum? What a great way to get a new generation into tango.
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