Reviews

Splendid, sensual, imposing extravagance of Argentine Tango at its very best

★★★★★

DANCE TABS

Written by Graham Watts on March 5, 2018

I cannot imagine that partnered dance gets any better than this. With his new production, Tango After Dark – having enjoyed its world premiere, in London, two days' earlier – Germán Cornejo has created non-stop, slick entertainment, with never a dull moment. I'd have happily missed the last train, for dance this exhilarating!

In Tango After Dark, Cornejo has concocted the perfect (and I don't use that word, lightly) combination of Astor Piazzolla's unique Tango Argentino music, ten of the best tango dancers in the world, two charismatic singers and an outstanding septet of musicians, marshalled – of course – by Piazzolla's own instrument of choice, the bandonéon (a type of concertina, as essential to tango as the guitar is to flamenco), played very sensitively by Clemente Carrascal.

Unsurprisingly, the most explosive movement came in the featured dancing of Cornejo and Galeassi, the lightning speed and precision of their interspersed legs peppered with a rich variety of lifts, including one-arm presages, and scintillating spins in hold. Both are former tango world champions (although not dancing together) and their passionate, eloquent dancing appears (certainly to my eye, at least) flawless with moments of gasp-out-loud excitement.

This show is not to be missed!

★★★★★

LONDON THEATER REVIEWS

Written by LTR on March 2, 2018

Coming from Argentina, Tango is a passionate and sexy dance. And from Argentina, the International Tango Superstar German Cornejo and his company delivers a wonderful show that makes you feel like if you were in Buenos Aires.

The dance company – 10 – is accompanied by a full band and two very good singers. The movements are executed with perfect timing and speed, flawless.

So: music, dance, passion, grace, drama, intensity… if you like dance, or tango or just something that makes you feel far away from the winter weather, this show is not to be missed!

Fresh and innovative: intricate dances, an authentic band and an array of superb choreography

★★★★★

LAST MINUTE THEATRE TICKETS

Written by Amanda Reynolds on March 8, 2018

Sensual, seductive and stylish, Tango After Dark makes its world premiere in London. It features Tango superstar German Cornejo who leads 10 of the world's best Argentinean dancers. Accompanying them are two superb singers and seven musicians playing authentic tango music composed by Astor Piazzolla.

The choreography by German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi is fresh and innovative. The show alternates between group numbers and showcase dances for each couple. All of the dances feature the signature moves of the Argentinean Tango mixed in with stunning aerial stunts and lifts. The impressively speedy footwork is precise and is performed effortlessly. All of the talented dancers perform with passion and technical skill.

There is no storyline or plot during this production. Instead audiences are treated to intricate dances, an authentic band and an array of superb choreography.

German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi are capable of spectacular speed, with footwork that might seem crazed but is never imprecise

★★★★☆

THE TIMES

Written by Donald Hutera on March 8, 2018

It's not necessarily a bad thing to say that this new show from the Argentine dancer, choreographer and director German Cornejo is formulaic. Featuring five couples, including Cornejo and his partner (and assistant choreographer), Gisela Galeassi, a crack seven-piece band under the direction of the pianist Diego Ramos and two full-throttle singers, the production expertly dishes up much of what tango connoisseurs tend to expect.

The score is wall-to-wall Astor Piazzolla. His music, superbly rendered, lends the dancing an extra drive and sizzle. And what dancing! The men share a look — short hair and beards — that suggests they've come out of the same jar, but all are smoulderingly strong partners for women for whom a lush backbend or a leg wrapped with spidery swiftness round a man's waist are de rigueur.

There are fabulous routines from the others too, including Ezequiel Lopez's manipulations of Camila Alegre in the aptly named Violentango.

A show that makes the evening feel it is actually going somewhere

★★★★☆

SUNDAY EXPRESS

Written by Jeffery Taylor on March 11, 2018

An intimate moment in the passionate excitement of Tango After Dark.

German Cornejo's show, celebrating – let's not beat about the bush – the sexual attraction between men and women, plays the Peacock until Saturday. Yes, there's the usual six-piece onstage band, a couple of singers and virtually no scenery, which is the secret of this unmissable show. Five couples, headed by Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi, do nothing but dance but that is what the whole thing is about.

We start in the standard nightclub setting, but I assure you there is nothing mundane about this show. Tango is serious business in their home town, Buenos Aires, and Cornejo transfers that intensity here.

It's a mesmerising spectacle - and whatever you do, don't slip out before the curtain calls

★★★★☆

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

Written by Rupert Christiansen on March 11, 2018

In Buenos Aires, German Comejo is a super-famous name. He is king of tango, the dance that embodies the soul of Argentina. Together with his partner Gisela Galeassi, he has won all the prizes and fronted all the talent shows, but as well as being a peerless dancer he is also a major choreographer. As his new show demonstrates, he is taking tango out of its ghetto and giving it a wider, expressive range.

Tango After Dark is a series of 27 numbers accompanied by the music of Astor Piazzolla, superbly played here by a seven-piece ensemble, coloured by the haunting whine of the bandoneon. Five male dancers are dressed in tails, their female partners in slinky evening dress: proud and fierce yet mutually respectful, they smoulder and stretch like wild cats, rubbing up against each other to create a crackle of erotic electricity.

Exhilarating!

★★★★☆

THE REVIEWS HUB

Written by Scott Matthewman on March 3, 2018

Returning to the Peacock Theatre, Germán Cornejo and his long-term professional dance partner Gisela Galeassi can always be depended upon to provide an exhilarating showcase of the Argentinian Tango.

The couple's latest show, Tango After Dark, receives its world premiere here. Stripping away any narrative framing device, the emphasis instead is on strong pair dances that illustrate the romantic, passionate and visually striking qualities of the Latin repertoire's most thrilling dance.

With a seven-piece orchestra under musical director Diego Ramos providing a classic soundscape of an upmarket Buenos Aires milonga, much emphasis is placed upon the sound of the bandoneon, as played by Clemente Carrascal.

A sizzling display of tango – sharp, intimate and intense!

★★★★☆

THE LIVE REVIEW

Written by Aaron Whittington on n.d.

German Cornejo brings his latest show Tango After Dark to its world premiere at the Peacock Theatre with Saddlers Wells and bring it he did! This show was a sizzling display of Tango – Sharp, Intimate and Intense.

Coming together with the great composer and bandoneon player, Astor Piazolla and mixing it with Corenejo's choreography this brings a fantastic experience. A bit of imagination and you could be transported to the dancing streets of Buenos Aires.

Live music was given to us by two fantastic singers in Antonela Cirillo and Jesus Hidalgo who simply are amazing!

A slick, streamlined and sultry production

★★★★☆

LONDON THEATRE 1

Written by Chris Omaweng on March 3, 2018

Well, it's called Tango After Dark and it's set in Buenos Aires at night. It fulfils what reasonable expectations there could be of a dance performance from that small amount of information very well. To put it another way, it doesn't take a genius to work out what sort of show this is.

I assume this is Buenos Aires in whatever passes for winter in Buenos Aires: the men, for the most part, wear jackets as well as shirts, and the women, in their gowns and dresses, could also be mistaken for heading out for the evening in London or any other major city. What sets them all apart, as I say, individually and collectively, is the Argentine tango (or, more properly, 'tango argentino') – and there is, thankfully, plenty of it.

Two hours of show-stopping, exhilarating and dramatic tango

DANCING TIMES

Written by Vikki Jane Vile on April, 2018

World tango champions German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi return once more to London for another scorching display of smouldering tango, impressive acrobatics and thrilling set pieces with a cast of ten tango dancers and accomplished live musicians. Tango After Dark is a simple take on night time Buenos Aires, full of crowd pleasing moves to Astor Piazzolla classics, making for his most formidable creation yet.

As the curtain rises, the silhouette of a lone female dancer can be seen. She softly cradles a bandoneon (an instrument Piazzolla famously played) before drifting away. That's about as much context as is necessary. The following is two hours of show-stopping, exhilarating and dramatic tango.