‘Remembrances: A Ballet and Tango Showcase’ at SOhO Santa Barbara

Dance is “art that moves,” says Rodney Gustafson, founding director of State Street Ballet (SSB). “Dance allows us to see music.”

Dance as a performance art allows the audience to see the music as the choreographer and dancers interpret it; dance as a social interaction allows the participants to create their own individual and shared experiences of the music. Remembrances: A Ballet and Tango Showcase will present both dance-as-performance and dance-as-social interaction at SOhO on Sunday, November 10, in an exquisite, beautiful, thrilling, passionate, and not-to-be-missed show.

Remembrances is a collaboration between Gustafson, world-class ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer, and Alejandra Folguera, life-long dancer and founder of Nomad Tango, a Santa Barbara nonprofit dedicated to promoting the practice and pedagogy of Tango.

The performance will open with Gustafson’s “Bolero Pas,” set to the famous music by Maurice Ravel. “Bolero Pas” will be danced by Hanna Chudinova, formerly of Ukraine’s Kyiv Ballet, and Jack Stewart, formerly a member of State Street Ballet.

The Tango portion of the program will be danced by master dancers and choreographers from Buenos Aires: Alejandra Armenti, Daniel Juárez, and their son, Valentin Juárez.

Gustafson recently retired from his position as founding director of State Street Ballet, after 30 years. He explained how he started SSB “on a dream and a vision.” In 1994, while on a West Coast tour with American Ballet Theater (ABT), in between performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco, he had a chance to spend a few days in Santa Barbara, performing at the Arlington.

A few days in this town was enough to spark a dream to return and start a ballet company here, one that would grow into worldwide stature. And he did exactly that — with an incredible dance pedigree, having performed with ABT and NYC Ballet, with the likes of Baryshnikov, Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, and Antony Tudor, and armed with bachelors’ and masters’ degrees in business administration, Gustafson returned to Santa Barbara and started State Street Ballet. He combined his artistic skills with his business acumen and founded a ballet company that has grown to international acclaim without any debt! Ever.

Originally from Argentina, Folguera had the idea to collaborate with Gustafson on this production to celebrate his 30 years as artistic director of SSB and to showcase the master tango dancers from Buenos Aires. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Folguera founded Nomad Tango to support the pedagogy of tango as a performance art, as well as to maintain tango as a social dance practice, and to create a safe space where everyone can dance.

Folguera explained that, unlike ballet, tango is relatively new as a language for the stage. Tango began as a social dance form, disappeared for some time due to politics, and has re-emerged as a popular dance genre all over the world. In its re-emergence, tango has evolved from purely social dance to a performance art, but as a performance art, tango has lacked a unique pedagogy. All the current maestros and maestras in contemporary tango came from ballet, jazz, and other western dance forms. Corporación Tango directors Armenti and Juárez have been supported and honored by the government of Argentina, and are the first professional tango teachers to be recognized by the International Dance Council of UNESCO, with the objective of preparing future generations of tango teachers through their international certification program. It will be a treat for Santa Barbara to see them perform!

“Tango is a way of expressing longing and nostalgia, all done in the context of a close embrace. Tango is totally improvised, but once you know the language of tango, you can go anywhere in the world and find a milonga, and dance with perfect strangers,” says Folguera.

Gustafson loves the art form of tango, and has a deep appreciation for how technical it is. When he met Folguera, he was taken by her inspiration and dedication to her dream of developing a vibrant and knowledgeable tango community in Santa Barbara. Her approach reminded him of how he started State Street Ballet 30 years ago, on a dream and an inspiration. And so their collaboration began.

Says Gustafson, “The dance takes us to a place of beauty, out of our heads.  As we search for the meaning of our lives, the transformative moments created through artistic experience are ones that truly give substance to our own humanity.”  In truth, whether one is practicing, performing, or watching dance as an audience member, one really cannot think of anything else.

Taking place on Sunday, November 10 at 7 p.m., this show will be a unique opportunity to experience the artistry of these performers in the intimate setting of SOhO, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court. Tickets can be purchased here.

After the performances, the audience will be invited to participate in a milonga (tango party). For people who would like to learn more, there will be a free tango lesson taught by Armenti and Juárez on Monday, November 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Magnetica Studio, 3845 State Street (in La Cumbre Plaza). Everyone is welcome, and no partner is needed.