Café Bellas Artes honors Tango icons
By Arooj Ashraf, La Prensa Corespondent

Cleveland: Death of three legendary tango icons in Argentina left a void for many passionate about the dance; and Sherrie Pallotta and Guillermo Pimentel-DeNovais, dance instructors at TANGOrush honored their contributions at Cleveland State University’s Mather Mansion on Feb. 13, 2009.

The program was sponsored by Cafe Bellas Artes, a collaborative program by Cleveland State University and Cleveland Museum of Art, which promotes Latino art, culture, and language.  A crowd of 50 filled the ballroom to learn basic moves, discover the influence Pedro (Tete) Rusconi,  Pascual Contursi, and Osvaldo Zotto had on the dance.

Pallotta introduced the life of each enigmatic man and Pimentel-DeNovais extinguished a candle in their horror. “Tango is the statement of the soul, not just statement of skill,” said Pallotta as she emphasized the oft contradiction between melodramatic lyrics and soothing music distinct to tango.

Pimentel-DeNovais said as students of tango begin to master the movements they cannot resist the temptation to learn Spanish and truly immerse themselves in the stories of passion, tragedy, and betrayal. Evolution of tango he added has mirrored changes within Argentina’s social fabric and served as more than entertainment but also form of political opposition. He had the distinct pleasure of training with Rusconi and said as a milonguero his movements defied the natural laws of kinesis.

“Let me tell you, he was wild,” said Pimentel-DeNovais, and also notorious for whacking students on the back of their heads if they failed to mimic the complexity of style. “He seemed to fly across the floor,” said Primentel-DeNovias.

Pallotta and Pimentel-DeNovais have been performing at CMA for six years and offer instruction in genuine tango. Together they founded TANGOrush; an organization devoted to fostering Argentine Tango as a social dance in the Cleveland area. For more information about tango and available classes please visit: http://www.tangorush.com/

Copyright © 2010 by [LaPrensa Newspaper]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 09/20/11 20:02:02 -0700.