Once Upon a Tango

GD TANGO Presents
Once Upon a Tango
First time critically acclaimed Tango group in Santa Barbara for One-Night Only
(Santa Barbara, CA) You’ll be dancing in your seats when Once Upon a Tango an enchanting original tale, told entirely through the dance of Argentine tango hits the stage on Sunday, May 19 at 5pm for one show only, at the New Vic. Based on real people and events the audience can enjoy the journey of a young woman and a quirky man who, in discovering tango, find each other, and the passion they have been longing for comes to life. This is Argentine tango in its traditional form used creatively via this passionate fairytale of emotions as theatre and dance come together for a magical experience. This show is making its premiere in Santa Barbara. Critics say it is “a uniquely delightful show, with expert tango performances.”
Real characters and real settings are pulled from the tango community of Los Angeles and are the genesis of this production. It was in fact five years ago when Dan and De Fazio met at The Tango Room – a real place. They had danced the tango all their lives and their connection was palpable. Dan mentioned, “Argentine tango is the traditional social dance of the country. It’s the ultimate social outlet and brings the whole community together.” Even the real teachers of the dance studio where the protagonists are learning to tango are in the production. The same goes for all the characters in Once Upon a Tango who in real life are professional dancers, as well as social dancers, performers, and event organizers. It’s real, it’s authentic, it’s hot, it’s a great night out.
As for the protagonists, their story of meeting and falling in love through this passionate dance, are a combination of classic tango love stories. The creators of the show chose to develop it this way to show audiences the traditional context of Argentine Tango dance, and inspire people of all ages to learn to tango. De Fazio who has worked with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Placido Domingo knows the power of the stage, “People can come together transform fears to courage, to love. We put the audience (and he gestures to his breast pocket) next to our hearts.” All this magic comes by way of the tango. Giovanna added, “Tango is a unique sensation, it brings up a chemical reaction almost.” A traditional reception Milongo will be part two of this very true Argentine experience, after the show the audience is invited to join them for a reception on the side of The New Vic where light refreshments will be available. Plus, you can take a spin or two yourself on the floor and learn the dance from the performers you’ve just been entranced by.
Once Upon a Tango is devised by and stars Giovanna Dan & Guillermo De Fazio. Featuring Tomas Galvan, Gimena Galván, Claudio Predieri, Romina Rodriguez, Geraldine Freitag, Damian Acosta, Angel Echeverría and Julie Friedgen.
On Sunday, May 19 at 5 pm, New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Assigned seating ranges from $35 – $50, includes facility fee. Call (805)965-5400 or online https://gdtango.com/our-show. boxoffice@etcsb.org www.etcsb.org

About the Artists:
GD Tango represents the partnership of Guillermo De Fazio and Giovanna Dan. While currently based in Los Angeles, California, the duo has been spreading tango together worldwide since 2015. While dedicating their time to growing Argentine tango in LA, Guillermo and Giovanna work on their own productions and travel around the world teaching and performing at different events and festivals including various states in the US, South America, Europe, Asia, and in Dubai. GD Tango was recently featured dancing at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphony, choreographing for commercials including Geico, and performing on television channels including Telemundo and Univision.
Guillermo De Fazio, from the famous sibling duo Los Hermanos Macana, is a world renown Argentine tango performer, choreographer, and teacher. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Guillermo and his brother studied tango and other popular dances from an early age. In 1995, Los Hermanos Macana had their tango debut, and by 1998 they invented the choreography Mala Junta that would lead them to dance in the most prominent theaters and events worldwide. In 2001, they participated in the Robert Duvall film Assassination Tango and following that, they continued to tour the world nonstop, sharing the stage with artists such as Placido Domingo. In 2011, the brothers were invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to perform in major art festival and in 2012, they began to tour their very own entertainment company, Tango Macho. Tango Macho, comprised of the original sibling duo, who are the best dancers of Argentina, and live authentic tango music, is what brought the brothers to Los Angeles, where Guillermo currently resides. Since 2015, Guillermo has been developing his own productions and touring the world with GD Tango, most recently featured at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic.
Giovanna Dan, born and raised in Los Angeles, has Argentine tango flowing through her veins; daughter of the legendary dancer and Forever Tango star Zita Gonzalez, Giovanna grew up around the art form. Starting at the age of 4, Giovanna stayed close to her roots by dancing Argentine Folk and eventually decided to follow her mother’s footsteps and pursue tango. Reflecting her passion to preserve Argentine culture, Giovanna founded Tangaucho youth group where she directs the future generations of Argentine folk and tango dancers in Los Angeles. With extensive training in various styles from belly dancing, to hip hop, to modern dance, Giovanna continued her dance education at the University of California Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance/Choreographic Studies. Since 2010, Giovanna has been seen in various tango and folklore productions across the country and internationally, including Master Gaucho Productions, Tango Macho, Tango Buenos Aires, and Tango Under the Stars with the LA Philharmonic Symphony. Currently Giovanna is developing projects with GD Tango, as they teach and perform around the world.
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Ticket Link: https://gdtango.com/our-show
The New Vic Theater: www.etcsb.org
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=ie4w4oDa3ug
WEBSITE: https://gdtango.com