Tango Moderno is a story of loves, music and phenomenal dancing that will grip you from start to finish and for days after the last dancer exits the stage and the curtains close for the night. It’s unmissable.

Set in the city, Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, two of the country’s most successful dancers and choreographers, took centre stage to weave together four drastically different stories of love and passion, dazzling the audience with the raw emotion of their movements and the result was impossible to look away from for even a second.

A combination of the powerful lighting, stunning costume design and beautiful set made for a performance full of colour, while the music, with its vast collection of tracks ranging from Walter Jacobs’ ‘You Better Watch Yourself’ to Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnerman’ to Rag’n’Bone Man’s ‘Human’, brought an unmatchable level of life to the stage. Director and choreographer Karen Bruce, along with Simone and Cacace themselves, orchestrated such a wonderful range of dances, performed by a number of exceedingly talented dancers, who executed the fast-passed footwork with precision and were fundamental to the spectacular performance.

“You didn’t know what to watch,” said Isobel Turner, who enjoyed the performance at the Hawth, Crawley, “You get engrossed in one part – a dancer, a singer, a violinist. There was so much, and it was all so good.”

It was not only the dancers that were worthy of attention, however. The music needed to be heard to be believed. A live band, not hidden beneath the stage, but partially visible to the audience, played every track and the atmosphere created was one of life and vibrancy. Particularly, congratulations are due to Rebecca Lisweski, who was not only a stunning dancer but a truly remarkable singer, and Oliver Lewis, who is impeccably skilled with the violin (and is the 2010 Guinness world’s fastest violinist).  

Any one of these feats would have been impressive but for Tango Moderno to have a combination of such phenomenal dancers, music, choreography, costume, lighting, and setting accounted for a spectacular performance that is certainly worth witnessing.

Tango Moderno is currently running at The Hawth, Crawley, so go and see this masterpiece for yourself.

Emily Thompson – Heathfield Community College