The critically acclaimed performance of Tango in the Dark opens the 38th season of the Cornwall Concert Series at Aultsville Theatre on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 7:30 pm., featuring the PointeTango dancers, Alexander Richardson and Erin Scott-Kafadar. The duo are accompanied by the Payadora Tango Ensemble. Payadora is a contemporary chamber music ensemble that performs Argentinian/Uruguayan tango and folk music and original compositions inspired by that tradition.
PointeTango, emerged from the question: What happens when classical ballet meets Argentine Tango? To answer this, Alexander left Montreal in 2010 for Buenos Aires and began researching and living the life of tango. After teaching and performing in Buenos Aires, at international tango festivals, and in television and film, Alexander created a new dance company with his partner Erin Scott-Kafadar. Their goal was to highlight the richness of Argentine tango along with a new dance vocabulary inspired by dancing tango on pointe. Alexander is currently the principal dancer and director of PointeTango Dance Company for which he has choreographed and starred in award-winning shows ‘Para Dos’ (2018) and ‘Into the Tango’ (2019). An international tour was scheduled for PointeTango’s newest show ‘Tango in the Dark’ (spring/summer 2020) before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
Erin was born in Montreal, where she completed a ten-year professional degree in Classical Ballet at L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec, during which she started her professional career as a ballet dancer in 2010, touring with Le Jeune Ballet du Québec and with Ballet Ouest de Montréal’s production of ‘The Nutcracker’. Directly after graduating from L’ESBQ, she joined the Ballet Eddy Toussaint and was quickly promoted to Principal Dancer to tour with the company internationally for four years.
In the spring and summer of 2022, PointeTango was finally able to return to the stage with their new show ‘Tango, to the Pointe’ which they toured across Canada to theatres in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Vancouver, London and Victoria, as part of the World Accordion and Tango Festival. PointeTango was awarded a residency at the National Ballet of Canada to work on the creation of ‘Tango, to the Pointe’ through the support of their Open Space Programme, by a grant from the Canada Council for the arts.
Tango in the Dark was Winner Best of Venue – Hamilton Fringe, Winner Favourite Dance Show – Victoria Fringe, Winner Best of Festival – Saskatoon Fringe, Winner Patron’s Pick – Toronto Fringe, and had a sold out run at Montreal Fringe. “A romantic spectacle of high romance, high drama and high elegance” … “Smoking Hot”… ”Wow, Just Wow” – Montreal Rampage. “It’s moving, dramatic, acrobatic, sensual and haunting.” -Roots Music Canada.
The Payadora Ensemble is comprised of musicians who are each musical powerhouses in their own right. This “superstar group” has combined their profound love of tango with their classical, jazz and world music backgrounds to create something entirely new. Payadora is officially endorsed by the Argentinian Consulate in Toronto for its adherence to the spirit of tango, and their performances convey joy, virtuosity, humour and intense passion.
In the spring of 2023, Payadora’s third and latest CD, the critically acclaimed “Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango”, reached #1 on the World Music Charts in Europe, accompanied by rave reviews, airtime, and press coverage around the globe, including the BBC, CTV, CBC television and radio, the Bangkok Post, NPR, and RTE Irish Public Radio. “…The most memorable release I have ever had the privilege to listen to and review” (WholeNote Magazine). In 2023-2024, Payadora will be touring Brazil, Argentina, and throughout North America.
All concerts are held at Aultsville Theatre. Subscriptions ($125 for five concerts) and single tickets ($35) for all performances may be purchased in advance (cash or cheque) at these locations: TD Canada Trust, 1 Ninth Street East; Jolly Tours, Eastcourt Mall; The Squire Shop, 113 Pitt Street; and the City of Cornwall Box Office locations situated at the Aquatic Centre and the Benson Centre.
For further information, visit www.CornwallConcertSeries.com
