Keeping Tango Alive Means Letting It Change: Ollantay Rojas on the Past, Present and Future of the Dance
Choreographer Ollantay Rojas curates tango at Casa de la Cultura, honours Claudio Segovia at the Buenos Aires Legislature and, with his collective Noestango, questions the very conventions that made tango a global export. The post Keeping Tango Alive Means Letting It Change: Ollantay Rojas on the Past, Present and Future of the Dance appeared first on The Rio Times .
Ollantay Rojas, a choreographer and founder of contemporary tango collective Noestango, is preserving tango's legacy while challenging the conventions that may be hindering its future. In a city known for its tango scene, Rojas occupies a unique position, curating programming at Casa de la Cultura and organizing a tribute to Tango Argentino's creator at the Buenos Aires Legislature.
Rojas believes that preservation does not mean stagnation. With tango's global popularity increasing, he worries that its theatrical language and the ecosystem supporting artists may not be evolving alongside its international audience. The choreographer, who began dancing at 14, sees a crisis in tango as a performative activity, with fewer extended international engagements compared to two decades ago.
Rojas's interest in tango's traditions stems from his background in both law and contemporary dance. He merged these two disciplines after studying contemporary dance, leading to the creation of Noestango in 2017. The company's work is a deliberate challenge to traditional tango conventions, questioning theatrical norms and advocating for change.
In their productions, Rojas and his collaborators experiment with the traditional separation between dancers and musicians, allowing the music to become part of the stage environment. Their work also defies gender stereotypes often associated with tango. Rojas's manifesto outlines ten rules, including not wearing high heels or traditional 1940s costumes and not using traditional gender roles on stage.
Rojas acknowledges the importance of preserving tango's past but believes that understanding its history allows artists to interrogate and improve it. He argues that tango's international success has created a large cultural ecosystem, yet artists struggle to find substantial opportunities to perform internationally. Noestango has addressed this by performing at various venues across Argentina and internationally, bridging the gap between tango's past and its future.
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