Passion, Precision Entwine in Tango Vivo Show

If life is a dance, tango is surely one of its most glorious and seductive performers. Indeed, one of the steamiest places in town on Friday had to be the Wiltern Theatre where Tango Vivo, the latest Argentine tango contender, gave new meaning to the words “torrid” and “smoldering.”

The show, with only six dancers, one onstage singer (an ardent Martin De Leon) and four musicians, also managed to create an intimate atmosphere, connecting with the audience as if electrically charged. Much of the credit must go to the singularly named Sandor, originally from Buenos Aires, who not only created, directed and choreographed many of the brilliant numbers but danced as if his life depended on it.

In a program of two dozen works, the danced duet and the soulful, traditional tango music, led by pianist-musical director Fernando Marzan, proved stellar throughout. Sandor and the sensational Beverly Durand--circumnavigating the stage with feral intensity--slid, dipped and twirled, a mix of trust and lust. Entwining her legs around Sandor like a python, Durand never missed a beat; their precise and dazzling leg kicks--fast, high and numerous--were nothing short of awesome.

The other couples, Guillermo Merlo and Fernanda Ghi, and Diego Di Falco and Carolina Zokalski, also displayed exquisite form. Variations on sweeping, gliding and hopping permeated the numbers, with legs seemingly as long as the Amazon frequently on view.

Yolanda Rossi and Azita Milanian’s sumptuous costumes, from velvet and satin gowns to pinstriped suits, also raised the sybaritic ante, as did Carlos Diaz’s lighting.