Julio Bocca makes the grandest of exits

BUENOS AIRES -- This city really knows how to throw a farewell bash. Under a full moon at the foot of the Obelisk monument -- where Avenida 9 de Julio, said to be the widest avenue in the world, and Avenida Corrientes come together, the Times Square of Argentina -- a crowd estimated from the tens of thousands up to 300,000 worshiped at the altar of dance guru Julio Bocca as the superstar gave his final performance.

A free concert that featured titans from the worlds of tango, jazz and pop as well as other celebrated ballet figures, this was the place to be Saturday night. All week long, the city was dotted with signs reading, “Gracias Julio,” and seemingly everyone -- whether a cabby or an Internet cafe operator -- was bursting with pride for their native son.

More akin to a rock concert than anything classical, with cellphones glowing like fireflies in the cool night air and many people having stood in the summer sun for up to eight hours to procure a good viewing spot, this event was Vegas worthy in terms of sheer spectacle and panache. Indeed, pop icon Diego Torres even crooned “My Way” in Spanish, as Bocca, who’d donned more costumes than Cher throughout the 2 1/2 -hour performance, danced to the tune in a breezy style reminiscent of Fred Astaire.

Still at the top of his game at 40, Bocca pulled out all the terpsichorean stops. Beginning with the pas de trois from “Le Corsaire,” which also featured old pals Maximiliano Guerra and Eleonora Cassano, the firebrand leaped and turned with abandon. Whether dancing with the Royal Ballet’s Tamara Rojo in the pas de deux from “Don Quixote” -- a role he performed more than 1,000 times -- or partnering Nina Ananiashvili in the “Black Swan” duet, Bocca looked as fabulous as he did when he first hit the dance scene in 1985.

For it was then that Bocca snagged a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition, a victory that not only conferred on him pop star status in his country but also propelled him to a successful international career, including 20 years as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre in New York.

A major draw at that company and as a guest artist around the world, Bocca was known for his quicksilver spins and explosive turns in the air. A passionate dancer as well as a superb technician, Bocca -- who also performed for three months on Broadway in “Fosse” and with Boris Eifman’s company in “Red Hamlet” -- was paired with some of the era’s greatest ballerinas, including Cynthia Gregory, Natalia Makarova and Ananiashvili. His most enduring partnership, though, was with Alessandra Ferri, their “Romeo and Juliet” creating memorable heat whenever it was danced.

In fact, Ferri was partnered with Bocca when he retired from ABT in June 2006. That triumphant farewell performance of “Manon” earned countless curtain calls, with the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House awash in flowers. Writing in the New York Times, Jennifer Dunning said, “He was just a guy from Argentina who danced like a god.”

First taught ballet by his mother, Nancy, Bocca also fell in love with tango at a young age. He later founded his own troupe, the Buenos Aires-based Ballet Argentino, in 1990, and provided employment for young dancers. Performing in the Teatro Maipo, a historic, 700-seat theater co-owned by Bocca, the chamber-size troupe has also toured internationally to great acclaim. The company, with a repertory that doesn’t shy away from hot-button social, political and sexual issues, helped up the emotional ante at the Obelisk concert.

Choreographer Ana Maria Stekelman has worked with Bocca and Ballet Argentino since 1989, and her number “El ultimo cafe” Saturday featured him in a steamy duet with Cecilia Figaredo.

“Julio started the ballet star system,” says Stekelman, whose own troupe, Tangokinesis, also performed during the farewell show. “He is a true artist who put dance on the map. Julio is not only admired but loved by the people. “

Fellow Argentines sharing the stage with Bocca were singers Mercedes Sosa, Viviana Vigil and Sandra M, with musical groups Octango and Antigua Jazz Band providing energetic tango beats for a constantly roaring and occasionally weeping crowd. In addition, ABT’s Jose Manuel Carreno and Figaredo wowed with a pas de deux from “Diana and Acteon,” as did Paris Opera Ballet’s Manuel Legris, who partnered Cassano in a duet from “Manon.” Bocca also strutted his tango stuff in “Calambre,” dancing the more flashy, female role with partner Carlos Rivarola.

Among those in the audience were first-time Bocca viewers, including 61-year-old Deyna McDonnell, who came with her daughter from outside the city for what she called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” as well as longtime devotees such as Anahi Platas Puente, 25, a member of a Bocca fan club. Said Puente: “Julio is everything -- he’s the one that made dance popular, who brought it to the country. He made us all believe we could be artists.”

Earlier in the week, Bocca had said he was excited about the concert. “I’m very happy the way I’m going to finish my career -- on a high and the best way an artist can end. I have no plans,” he added, “but to enjoy this moment. I want to stop, relax and take time to think and figure out what to do next.” (He remains artistic director of Ballet Argentino and oversees a charitable foundation in Buenos Aires, where he also started a musical theater school.)

Bocca had obviously planned his encore, an extraordinary Stekelman-choreographed solo with a ladder in which, shirtless, he executed balletic gymnastic moves, hurling himself around, above and underneath the 8-foot-high prop. When the lights finally dimmed, fireworks lighted up the sky surrounding the Obelisk, and Bocca returned -- in a bathrobe -- for 20 minutes of wild cheering, the large group of onstage dancers showering him with kisses, flowers and, finally, champagne.

What was probably not planned, however, was Bocca’s exit. Lifting up the back of his bathrobe, he turned around and, mooning the audience, jauntily walked offstage. Now that was a fond farewell. Gracias, Julio.