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Kevin Kwong

Tango Por Dos

Auditorium, Kwai Tsing Theatre

Sat-Sun, 3pm and 8pm

Dancer/choreographer Miguel Angel Zotto  and his troupe Compania Tango Por Dos are no strangers to this city. They debuted at the Hong Kong Arts Festival a decade  ago with their signature tour piece Perfumes de Tango  and returned in 2002 with the electrifying Una Noche de Tango.

They're back again - this time with their latest creation Tango Una Leyenda (Tango:  The Legend), which promises to 'whisk  the audience through the dance's exotic history'. This programme is a highlight  of the  Latin Passion Festival organised  by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The history of tango is closely entwined with that of Argentina - so much so that many  regard this sensual dance genre as a symbol of Argentina in the 20th century. This two-act show  traces the steps of the tango, from the streets to bars, from South American ports to big European cities, and from exclusive Parisian clubs to Broadway.

It  began early last century in  Buenos Aires, a melting pot of European migrants. Many  immigrants were from Spain, but many more were from Italy and Eastern Europe. They created  a new culture, from which the tango sprang. As outsiders, these new migrants were forced to the bottom  of the social heap, where they mixed with outcasts and the criminal underworld.  For this reason, their dance was often associated with dangerous dark alleys, nightclubs and the  demi-monde.

But as the century moved on, so did these new migrants, from the margins of Argentine society into the mainstream, taking the tango with them. It  survived  the 1930s depression and the 1955 coup - which removed president Juan Domingo Peron   - and re-emerged in the 1980s.  The tango is regarded as one of the most symbolic cultural exports of Argentina.

Zotto started as a  social dancer and is now renowned for his expertise in milonga, or dance hall.

When he presented Tango Una Leyenda - with music from Astor Piazzolia  - at Sadler's Wells in London a couple of years ago, the theatre's director of programming,  Alistair Spalding,  said: 'The company has produced another highly sophisticated show with beautiful backdrops and the  very best of tango dancing.'

12 Hing Ning Rd, Kwai Fong, $120-$300 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2370 1044



Tango Una Leyenda