Viva Magazine : Cover Story : Carlos Velazquez

They may say “it takes two to Tango” but it took much more than that to Carolina Soler to put together one of the most beautiful Tango ensembles that have come out of Argentina in recent times. Estampas Porteñas is close to hitting the shores of Australia to start a national tour with a new show “Tango Fire” which promises to be a spectacular extravaganza of tango dancing, music and sensuality. I had the opportunity to chat with Carolina before the tour about her life, dreams and the beautiful Tango Fire show.

Carolina, born in the city of Lima, Perú, and as many other girls do, she attended ballet school at the age of eight. She still remembers with fond memories her first dancing teacher Lucy Telge. Masters such as Alexander Plissetky, Anneli Vourenjuvry, Victor Roma and Yele Krnic also taught her.

As an accomplished ballet dancer, Carolina danced as a soloist in Swan Lake, Raymonda, Coppelia and Interplay. She danced as a principal dancer in Suite en Blanc, Paquita, Hansel & Gretel, Nocturnal and Giselle.

At the age of seventeen , she travelled to Buenos Aires to continue her education as a classical dancer in the Dance Institute of the Colon Theatre and has lived in Argentina ever since.

In Buenos Aires, Carolina’s dancing career flourished and a year after her arrival she joined the resident Ballet of the Teatro Colon where she had the opportunity to perform all the major works of the classical repertoire and won plaudits as a prima ballerina in numerous ballets. She participated in numerous International tours performing with the Argentine Ballet and the Modern Jazz Ballet Company.

After a few years of a successful career as a classical dancer Carolina felt the need for something new. “One day, I saw a couple dancing Tango and they moved me in a totally new way. I imagined myself dancing with the intertwined feet and sensual embrace of the Tango. Then, I began to study Tango with Rodolfo Dinsel. Nito Garcia, Hector Chidichimo and others” she says.

“Tango is the music of Buenos Aires, and it transports you in time. Throughout the years I have looked for ways to connect my body with that music and finally when I made it I could feel a part of it and I fell in love with Buenos Aires and my vocation as a dancer”.

Carolina is happy to have come from a big and supporting family. “I have five brothers and two sisters, a family of eight. My mother is alive but my father died when I was fourteen years old. I’ve three wonderful children who have helped me to materialise my dream. Twin girls of seventeen years old, Ana and Sofia, and a boy of ten years who misses me very much each time I am on tour. It is not easy for me and it is not easy for them but they know how much I love what I am doing and that makes things happier for everyone” she told me.

In 1996 Estampas Porteñas was formed and Carolina Soler undertook the role of choreographer, principal dancer and Artistic Director of the company. Carolina has led Estampas Porteñas on tours to many countries including Taiwan, China, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. For her wide-ranging artistic endeavours, Carolina was presented with the Adan Buenos Aires Award in 1995.

The 1960 and 70’s generation moved away from Tango as they saw it as their parent’s music. They were looking for freedom from an oppressive system and they embraced Rock as a way to express that break away with the status quo.

Today the children of that Rock generation are embracing Tango but unlike their parents, they have an open mind about other music styles. With this open mind mentality they have enriched, resurrected and catapulted Tango to the dance floors of the world.

Tango doesn’t represent all of Argentina as Carolina told me, “Tango represents the essence of its historic port city, Buenos Aires. There are other popular music styles that represent each region of the country. Tango fused the folk music of the land with the music that European migrants brought here. It put together the Spanish guitar that the “gaucho” plays with the “bandoneón” that the European brought on their trips. Tango is wonderful because it represents the mix of races and the diversity of cultures that is Buenos Aires. It has the nostalgia of the early Italian immigrates who missed their country and the roughness of the handsome descendents of the “gauchos” of the Argentinean Pampas who moved to the big city in search of a better life. It has a beauty and heart-breaking poetry”

Today Tango is danced all over the world and Carolina has witnessed the resurgence of Tango during her numerous overseas tours. She adds, “All around the world, they teach, they dance, and execute the Argentinean’s Tango respecting the basic essence of the dance. There are people that are truly “tangueros”, the same or much more than us. Also you can perceive a little in each community, an influence of their own by the dancers and local musicians. This influence has enriched our “música porteña” and the dancing, it has enriched the artists from Buenos Aires’ as they create new music and choreographies”. She pauses a little and continues. “I don’t believe that the Tango is distorted outside Argentina. Dancers execute Tango from the level of their cultural and artistic knowledge. Of course, there are those who said that they dance Tango and only do a distorted imitation of the dance. One thing is to dance Tango badly, mechanically and without feeling and passion but I would say that I don’t believe that truly “Tangueros” distort Tango in other countries. The same in respect to the musicians”.

On the other hand, in Argentina, Tango has always incorporated the contribution of young people; it’s a natural and necessary thing that makes it possible for Tango to be alive for the new generation to come.

Do you believe there is such a thing as an authentic, pure Tango? I asked Carolina and she was quick to answer, “I don’t know if the music can be categorised from a purity perspective. Yes, I would say that there is a Tango which is danced in the Milongas Porteñas which originated in the past century, but it has evolved with time keeping its origins and roots: the dancers walk connected, it is the art of dance walking. This is the secret of sensuality and is the point of the choreography of Tango. It can be danced in three compasses flattering the bodies, this is the Milonga style, which was born in the poorer suburbs of the city and picked up musical influences of the Candombe.

The Tango was brought into the salons of the middle class and was stylised incorporating the gentleness of the waltzes danced by the aristocracy porteña. This was the golden epoch of the big orchestras of Tango. The Tango became a more spread style of dance and dancers dressed up for the occasion and wore high heels, Tango did evolve from its origins but the essence have been always there. This evolution and the pursuit for new forms of music and movements in Tango is what made the dance so rich and captivating. This is what we do in our shows and is what the new generation of Tango dancers is trying to do”.

For Carolina, the stars are shining and she couldn’t be happier from a personal and a professional point of view. After she fulfilled her dreams as a dancer, she has had the opportunity to have her own Dance company and her own dancers and musicians which she chooses carefully from the best of the best in the scene. She has won a number of awards and acknowledgments in Argentina and abroad but she is quick to point that, it is the recognition of the audience and people that see her shows that she appreciates the most. She admits, “Awards are nice to have but people’s smiles and the thought that the best will be in the next show, is something that I always have in my heart”.

She is an achiever and admires artists who challenge themselves in what they do, those who give themselve complety in the pursuit of perfection. In the Tango world she admires Virulazo, now deceased but who danced like a God with his wife. She also admired Miguel Zotto dancing with Milena, with whom she told me, made a great couple.

For Carolina, one of her most memorable performances was in South Africa, the first tour to that country. With a clear demonstration of happiness she commented. “It was something wonderful and unbelievable for me, the audience gave us our first standing ovation and for a moment I lost my breath, it was like angels had descended to illuminate the stage and for minutes the only things there were a lovely light and the sound of and endless ovation in the background”

Carolina is a busy person in search of perfection which she acknowledges doesn’t exist, but in her desire to give people more and more she keeps moving forward. To relax during her tours, she chats constantly with her children, awaiting the moment she gets home to cuddle them.
For Carolina, there is much more that can be achieved with Estampas Portenas. There is always something new that can be discovered, new technology can be implemented in the shows and a mine of knowledge to be learnt from her own experiences and the experiences of others.
According to Caroline, “in shows, there is always the uncertainties that have to do with our own creativity and emotions. We don’t know what to expect and how we will react. We are at mercy of the artistic creation of the director and we are there to be taken into a magical journey in time”. Carolina knows all about this and she understands that it is her responsibility as Director to touch the most intimate fibre of our souls with the wonderful music and dance of her shows. Take a seat, hold your breath… the show is on fire!