back to reviews
FIRST TANGO
Zaccho Dance Theatre, First Tango
Miraflores Winery, Placerville, CA
October 16, 2008
Democrat photo by Pat Dollins
By Terrance Sheppard, Democrat staff writer
JOSE NAVARRETE, left, and Debby Kajiyama dance on the barrels at Miraflores Winery in preparation for the special perfornace on Sunday at 4 p.m. Joanna Haigood will also perform.
To experience that intimate magic be at "It Takes Two To Tango" at Miraflores Winery, 2120 Four Springs Trail in the Pleasant Valley area, Sunday at 4 p.m. This will be a one time only presentation performed by Zaccho Dance Theater and Linda Tillery, world distinguished vocalist and percussionist. Seating is limited at the winery.
The Miraflores Winery special events objective is to provide an opportunity for the community to participate in cultural and historical enriching events, said Victor Alvarez, 68, owner of Miraflores Winery.
Argentine tango has been thrilling dancers for more than 100 years. The tango has survived in the hearts of the people. It is loved by dancers and audiences for its beauty, passion, drama and excitement.
"Tango is raw emotion," said Joanna Haigood, 51, artistic director and co-founder of Zaccho Dance Theater.
"The essence of Argentine tango is life and the relationship between a man and a woman," said Navarrete. "You're deeply intimate with your dance partner."
"Some say tango the dance is the history of love for three minutes. It takes two to tango. The woman of the tango is powerful. The man leads she follows but she can influence. You enter this other realm and become one. The viewer is moved by the emotion. The dancers create a world. It's intimacy in a public form," said Haigood.
"In our contemporary world we are missing this kind of intimacy," said Debby Kajiyama, dancer with the Zaccho Dance Theater. "Today's technological world separates us. Human nature is cuddling, embracing one another. You can have this intimacy with the tango. And when the dance ends there is respect, mutual respect."
Zaccho Dance Theater and Linda Tillery
Haigood is famous for her dances in the air. Since 1980 San Francisco based choreographer Haigood and her company Zaccho have combined acrobatic style of dance that literally goes over the heads of its audience with elements of film, theater and installation art.
Her latest and perhaps most ambitious aerial work leaping and bouncing on tether lines across the massive San Francisco's Airport International Terminal Building thrilled viewers young and old alike.
"Many weeks of pre-production and development go into concept air dances with Haigood," said Wayne Campbell, 60. Campbell collaborates on concepts and sets with Haigood. Campbell sets the rigging enabling suspended dancers to leap and float 12 feet in the air.
Navarrete has been dancing for 20 years. He studied theater at the National Actors Association's Institute Soler and Dance at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico.
Kajiyama loves dancing. She moved to San Francisco in 1994 and has been performing ever since.
"I knew I was a dancer when I was 6 years old," said Kajiyama. "It is a force within."
Linda Tillery is a veteran vocalist, percussionist, producer and cultural historian whose career has spanned 34 years. Since the 1960s Tillery has been regarded as one of San Francisco Bay Area's most versatile singers.
A native San Franciscan Tillery has performed on more than 100 recordings by and with such artists as Boz Skaggs, Huey Lewis and the News, Santana, Kenny Loggins, Taj Mahal, Bobby McFerrin, Ray Obiedo, Wilson Pickett, Odetta, Richie Havens and many others.
Argentine tango history
The tango was born in African-Argentine dance venues. In the mid-1800s, African slaves were brought to Argentine and began to influence the local culture. "There is a lot of heat in African dance," said Haigood. "African rhythms met the Argentine milonga music and soon new steps were invented and took hold."
By the beginning of the 20th century, the tango as both a dance and as an embryonic form of popular music had established a firm foothold in the fast-expanding city of its birth, Buenos Aires.
The intermixing of African, Spanish, Italian, British, Polish, Russian and native-born Argentines resulted in a melting pot of cultures and each borrowed dance and music from one another. Traditional polkas, waltzes and mazurkas were mixed with the popular habanera from Cuba and the candombe rhythms from Africa.
The tango spread worldwide throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The dance appeared in movies and tango singers traveled the world. By the 1930s, the Golden Age of Argentina was beginning. The country became one of the 10 richest nations in the world and music, poetry and culture flourished.
The tango came to be a fundamental expression of Argentine culture and its golden age through the 1940s and 1950s.
Miraflores Winery
Miraflores Winery and vineyards are nestled in a quiet canyon in Pleasant Valley indulging the senses with congenial surroundings.
"We are passionate in our pursuit to handcraft artisanal wines of distinction which reflect both the terroir and the vision of Miraflores," said Alvarez. "At Miraflores Winery we strive to emulate the old world tradition of crafting memorable wines, while also being attentive to the creation of gracious surroundings."
The original homestead where the winery and tasting room is today was established in 1888 by an European of Italian and Swiss decent. The founders original ranch home was fully rebuilt in 1992.
"Over the last nine years we have tried to preserve the natural ambiance of the area by creating 5 fenced areas for the vineyards. They are surrounded by open space natural corridors," said Alvarez. "We've also planted 200 olive trees lining the road around the vineyard."
The old world tradition at Miraflores Winery goes beyond the sanctuary of the land. Alvarez strives to emulate the old world tradition of crafting memorable wines. The wines and the ambience emanate the deep satisfaction that Alvarez enjoys when bringing joy to the many people who drink the wines and enjoy the architecture and gardens all contributing to a special sense of place.
"Our philosophy is very traditional in order to produce great wines. We need the best possible grapes," said Alvarez. "Therefore, we have concentrated tremendous efforts in the development and management of the vineyards."
