Demonstrators ahead of the 13-hour Congressional vote

Gay tourism conference opens today July 21, 2010

Gay tourism to Argentina seen booming July 22, 2010

Behind closed doors, the President expanded on the same-sex marriage law July 23, 2010

A week before Limbo begins, he has time for a cooling beer on a sticky afternoon to explain his baby. Isella says: “Limbo is a compilation of all the artists I’ve been working with, but I was wondering what unites the whole thing? It’s hard to define because it isn’t a jazz or rock festival, the music is experimental and not very mainstream but the way we’re organising is also very independent. I think it’s like being bringing people to a lab, and it’s original because we’re presenting it like it’s a frame.”

A MEETING OF TWO MINDS. The advantage of holding Limbo every Thursday, Friday and Saturday across a whole month means the artists and venues receive much-needed exposure, as Isella explains.

“During the course of a year venues suffer from poor audience numbers, places close down, the artists also suffer in trying to book shows and bring people in, but the interesting thing with Limbo is that we’re giving it a frame and bringing artists together who wouldn’t normally appear on the same bill. The independent music scene in Argentina is huge, with a lot of exciting things going on. For example, there’s a guy called Mono Fontana, an amazing keyboard player and composer who played for Spinetta from the very beginning who’s very well-known on the jazz scene. At the same time there’s a guy called Mariano Otero and he’s got the biggest and brightest big band here, which is playing really exciting modern jazz. You know what, these two guys never met and I was like ‘how come they don’t know each other?’ We’re all on the same scene, we’re all friends together so they’re going to meet and play on stage for the first time. Mariano, who’s an acoustic double bass player, was so excited by all this that he said ‘I’m going to do all the things I can’t throughout the year — I’m going to experiment.’ So he’s decided to play his cello and also sing for a change. He’s never been exposed to a place where he could use his voice, something he does really well and loves to do. So why not?”

Although Limbo focuses on independent music, Isella hopes his musician friends do have the opportunity to become more mainstream at times — but not a higher cost for their audiences. Admission to Ultra, Cafe Vinilo and the Thelonious Club is a maximum of $25 which is reasonable when artists such as techno folk musician Gaby Kerpel, Puente Celeste’s Santiago Vázquez and Guillermo Klein from Los Guachos are coming together. And as Isella says, if you spend $20 on cinema tickets you’ll probably then spend another $15 on a drink. “It’s just 20 bucks!” he laughs. “But seriously, I really want to take everyone to a different level but not so that tickets cost a mainstream price. No one wants to pay such a high price and we don’t want that either, being artists and producers of such events. I’m involved with most of the artists in different ways, perhaps I played keyboards with someone I produced or I digitally released their album. But it’s not about me, because at the end of the day I’m just curating this and I want it to be valuable. What gets us musicians happy is playing live so I’m really excited about all this!”

Although he won’t reveal who he is most looking forward to seeing — “oh it’s too hard, because they’re all my friends!” — Isella does say that the Vázquez-Kerpel combo tomorrow evening will be interesting “as they search to discover the new Argentine folk. It’s folk with a different vision — they are friends who have never collaborated so, wow man, I am excited about that!”

YOU CAN FEEL IT COMING. If you feel a rumbling beneath your feet, that may be because electro-folk band Tremor, led by Leonardo Martinelli, is starting the ceremony this evening. Main man Martinelli explains their roots and what they’re about. “I started the Tremor project around 10 years ago but the first album only came out in 2004. I then met Camilo (Carabajal, who plays bombo legüero) and Gerardo (Farez, who plays keyboards and melodica) two years later and we’ve been playing ever since.”

Camilo adds: “Apart from us three playing live on stage, we have a VJ as well as sound and lighting technicians. Other people are hard at work as well as us!”

What is an unusual coincidence with regards to this trio is that they are all drummers, so when they originally met, “we had a connection, not only with regards to being percussionists but we also all the play bombo legüero,” says Camilo. “We’re all passionate about rhythms but what is funny is that we all have other musical collaborations going on in which we play drums, but none of us does in Tremor!” says Leo.

Knocking back coffees on a miserable cloudy Monday behind the National Library in Recoleta, the trio laugh and joke their way through the interview. Their connection is obvious so it seems likely this dynamic will transmit to their live show. Although Leo and Camilo do most of the talking, Gerardo is in sync with them, given the guffaws he produces.

Leo explains “Tremor is a super independent project which I started out doing on my own — I used to do everything, such as write and send out press releases — but over the years other people have joined the team, for example, we work with the VJ Matapixels. I call what we do electronic music really but with folk elements to it, such as the instruments we play, but we don’t write folklore songs.” This last phrase Leo and Camilo say in unison. “This musical search is about taking parts of folk out of context. It’s transitory and we like to try and take these old familiar elements and see what else we can do with them. We can give them a whole new meaning.”

Although raised in Buenos Aires, the trio has roots originating from different parts of Argentina, which explains what has led them to these sounds. “My family is from Santiago del Estero, the home of chacarera, and although I’ve was brought up here and also lived in Germany, it ‘s really great to participate in the folklore tradition,” says Camilo.

Tremor, and the sounds the band creates, has certainly taken a transitory path. “The project changes as time goes by,” says Leo, “and the other guys’ influences is important too. The first album was more folklore andino influenced by the north of the country. When Camilo joined, Tremor took on a more chacarera, malambo feeling. I always had that idea but with his collaboration we could go more deeply into it.” On hearing his name, the bombo legüero player adds: “And we’re experimenting more and more.”

And that’s what Limbo is about: new alternatives offered up by passionate musicians taken out of their regular context, and tonight it’s electro-folk band Tremor who welcomes you into Fer Isella’s musical lab.

First published in the Buenos Aires Herald, August 2009

You might also like to read a review of Zuker´s band Poncho

Diamond DA42 which used biofuel at the 2010 ILA Berlin Air Show

Recent developments mean that biodiesel, wind, water and ethanol, the latter which in some cases comes from pig manure, will increasingly be fuelling homes and vehicles.

Although biofuels currently supply just one percent of all energy to the domestic market, according to St. James, legislation will require them to provide eight percent by 2016. In addition, the government recently upped the blend of biodiesel with regular diesel from five percent to seven, an important move in a world increasingly reluctant to be fossil fuel-dependent.

The fifth-largest biofuel provider in the world after Germany, the US, France and Brazil, Argentina has two main sources: biodiesel and bioethanol. Sugarcane, grown in the north of Argentina, is the feedstock for the nine companies which produce ethanol in Argentina, while soy oil is the basis for the country’s 19 biodiesel-producing firms, excluding one which converts used cooking oil into the finished product.

Indeed, one enterprising pig farm in Buenos Aires province lucratively converts pig manure into biogas in order to self-power.

Overfeeding. “At the moment, Argentina has more feedstock than it knows what to do with,” St. James told the Herald. “The Chinese aren’t buying our soy oil any more, and so we suddenly have a glut which isn’t finding its overseas market, plus (Planning Minister) De Vido is finding a good application for that extra soy oil. That also means we no longer have to import diesel fuel from Venezuela which is particularly toxic and high in sulphur — so we’re producing our own biodiesel fuel which is cleaner, biodegradable and keeps the money in the country. There’s a lot of upside and very little downside.”

Biodiesel has progressed more than ethanol in terms of quantity produced and margins made, converting 2.6 million tons a year into US$2.1 billion — although 65 percent is exported, mostly to Europe, which has a surplus of biofuel plants but not enough feedstock.

Up to seven. Following a resolution to Law 26,093 in March this year, oil companies now mix diesel fuel with five percent of biodiesel (B5), which obviously led to an increase in demand to the domestic market. But on June 30, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner instructed her Energy Secretary Daniel Cameron to hike that blend up to seven percent (B7) next month, with the intention of eventually reaching 10 percent (B10).

“Biodiesel really is Argentina’s shining star,” added St.James. “The aim is to reach B10 levels by year-end. That really is a big deal and would make Argentina the country with the highest biodiesel mandate in the world by a long shot, if it isn’t already with the B7 resolution.”

And following last week’s green light with regards to the construction of three renewable energy plants to bring the total to 22, which will provide a total of 895 megawatts (MW), 110.4MW will eventually come from biofuels — no mean feat for an industry which only came into existence in May 2006 thanks to the Argentine Biofuels Law 26,093.

However, 500MW will come from wind farms, which is set to become the country’s second-largest renewable energy source, said St. James. “One of the unexpected winners from that deal was thermal energy — good old-fashioned generators that will work on biofuel which have fewer greenhouse emissions instead of diesel fuel.”

Back in 2008, this fledgling market saw US$12 billion of investments in Latin America, according to the AREC, although US$10 billion — went to Brazil’s ethanol plants.

“The other four countries that rank above Argentina all have access to financing, venture capital and legislation,” said St. James. “Here in Argentina we have none of that, but we still rank fifth in the world in terms of production. Just imagine what we could do if we did have access to financing and banks!”

Bean plant. Argentina’s biofuels industry received a further boost last week when local biodiesel producer Renova confirmed it is to invest US$350 million in a new plant located in Timbúes, Santa Fe province, which will process soya beans.

To add icing on the cake, EADS, Airbus’ owner and Europe’s main plane builder, undertook a test flight using a 100 percent microalgae-based biofuel made by Argentina’s Biocombustibles del Chubut.

A first for biofuels, a Diamond DA42 took off from the Berlin ILA air show last month, and was a flight two years in the planning, according to Marcelo Machín, president of the Chubut-based producer.

An important development in an environment increasingly hostile towards fossil fuels, algae can be produced in sufficiently large quantities without competing with food production for fertile land or potable water. St. James said: “A global race is on to find the right strain of microalgae which produce a lot of oil. Biofuels need a vegetable oil to be produced and if you squish seaweed, plenty of algae oil comes out.

“But the challenge is how to grow it quickly. Seaweed needs carbon dioxide and sun so it would grow perfectly next to an old, contaminating cement plant. These little gunky critters double in size in 24 hours, which is why it has caused so much excitement — you have an instant and tremendous feedstock.”

And Dr. Jean Botti, chief technical officer at EADS, added: “This opens up the feasibility of carbon-neutral flights. Third-generation biofuels are more than just a replacement for fossil petroleum — they push the possibilities of future propulsion.”
The Puerto Madryn-based factory is set to receive a sister plant in Sao Paulo which would produce and refine microalgae oil and EADS is hoping to attract 20 million euros worth of investment for it.

While former vice-chancellor Fernando Petrella says Argentina is ripe for investing in terms of biofuels, he is uncertain as to why Sao Paulo is the location for the new plant.

“Given that we are one of the world’s largest suppliers of green energies, this could be an integration point for Argentina to regain its position in the world and the G20. But it’s surprising to me why Biocombustibles del Chubut has chosen Sao Paulo over Argentina. People want to know more about this,” he said to the Herald.

Despite his uncertainty, the former vice-chancellor pointed to the investment opportunities in Argentina. “In spite of the problems this marvellous country has had — and there are three in my opinion, World War II, the Malvinas conflict and the 2001 crash — it is still able to do biofuel business which was to the tune of US$2.1 billion last year.”

St. James added: “This really is a moving industry. Last year Argentina produced and exported 1.2 million tons of biodiesel at a cost of a little under US$1,000 per ton. That makes it a billion-dollar industry. Argentina is always on the brink of an energy crisis. But now that the government is finally understanding the opportunities the biofuels industry is offering, those days may be over.”

Let there be light, and hot water…
There’s more to Misa Rumi, a village set at the immense height of 3710m on the Andean Puna in Jujuy, than meets the eye.
Home to around 50 families, Misa Rumi has been exclusively powered by solar energy since 1997, and is the only such place in the world. Over the years, the village’s solar technology has developed thanks to local NGO EcoAndina and it now houses an ecological activities centre. Paul Byrne, a freelance videojournalist based in Argentina, visited Misa Rumi six weeks ago with EcoAndina. He talked to the Herald about his experience.
“This is a developed solar village which has been functioning for several years. The villagers have solar ovens, solar tools and hot water heating which is necessary for such an extreme place — it can reach 30 degrees Celsius in the day but fall to minus 15 at night,” he says.
“The project has helped the local community who previously had no electricity and it’s now the only totally sustainable community in the world. EcoAndina trains up a member of the village to be in charge of the equipment, which in Misa Rumi’s case is Julián Martínez.
“It’s remarkable to see the first world meeting with this rural community. The Misa Rumi villagers used to live in a world of minimum conditions, but if you climb a bit higher up the mountain, you can see the solar panels shining off the peaks which is striking. It’s exciting to see modern technology in this tiny community.
“The only complaint the villagers have about it is that they want more technology!”

First published in the Buenos Aires Herald on July 9 2010.

Now aged 42, one of Shem’s first musical ventures was while he was studying at university in Brighton. He says: “I was 18, which, was, well I don’t even want to think when that was, but it was at a pirate radio called Faze FM. There was an underground dance scene which was kind of linked to the university as well. Carl Cox and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) were also doing shows on this station — this was back in 1989 or 1990. I got gigs on pirate radio because I was a club DJ who used to do warehouse parties and I was known on the scene.”

Back in the day Radio Luxembourg was the most famous pirate station, and it was an outlet for clandestine creativity. But now in 2009 any old wannabe can set up shop on the internet and make themselves heard. Is there any point to pirate radio in this day and age? Talking about the UK, Shem says: “In London I know of a crazy pirate station in the East End which plays grime, a mixture of drum ‘n bass and house music. I suspect with the internet it’s not so necessary but when you’re driving about in your car you can’t pick up internet radio. I think it still exists but clearly it’s not as popular as it used to be. Pirate radio is like vinyl: it’s been edged out by technology.”

Shem doesn’t give off the aura of your average DJ who plays as hard as they work. Although he’s mates with some of SAMC’s other international artists such as Lee Burridge, he enjoys maintaining a low profile. “I just arrived in Buenos Aires and am here for a few days but prefer to keep myself to myself. Sometimes I like to keep quiet then be surprised by everything and not do too much research beforehand. Unless someone drags me off to the Pyramids, I’m not a very good tourist. I like keeping myself to myself. It sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it!”

The softly spoken Londoner left his home town two years ago for pastures new because he felt like he was drying up, professionally speaking. “I wasn’t happy in London or inspired to write music and was thinking that I might not write any more so I moved to Thailand. As soon as I arrived, I had a brand new life, and it’s a bit of a cliché really but started doing yoga, and just hanging out again, going out to clubs and bars and being with friends. I then got the inspiration to finish an album which I’d been trying to finish for 10 years. It’s all slower stuff, chillout coffee table stuff I call it, and it’s a departure for me but it’s more mature and it’s about my experience of moving to a different country. That’s what I’ve been working on for the past year and a half and I finished it four months ago.”

He adds that the music scene has changed so dramatically and that this new album has given him a chance to clear his head. “Making club tracks now is not the same as it was ages ago and I think my inspirational values have shifted. It’s a new era. It’s new music, it’s a bit more grown-up and I want to see where it takes me. I still play big club tracks in clubs — but making them, well unless the inspiration comes back, I’m not sure I will again.”

He hasn’t set up home on one of the tourist trap Thai islands such as Koh Samui but instead chose capital city Bangkok. “I like busy places and for me it’s so much more chilled than in London. I cleared my possessions and arrived there with two suitcases. I’ve got a very simple life,” he says. “In London everyone’s running on a treadmill to get somewhere, to earn a crust or to succeed, but the nature of the West is that you’re conditioned to keep doing stuff and getting stuff to be happy, but actually it’s rubbish. The more stuff I got and did, the less happy I was.”

This whole lifestyle change makes Shem sound a bit like the anti-DJ. “DJing, when it’s done properly, is all about good music and good fun. Over the past few years in London, I wasn’t listening to music for leisure that much. Making and playing music became a job and all that passion and joy was vanishing. As soon as I got to Bangkok I found I was chasing music again and started listening to pop and Thai music. If a DJ is loving music and wants to play it to people to communicate then it’s fine, but being in the business to get recognised and be successful, well that’s a problem.”

He adds: “All I’ve done is clear out the clutter and uselessness and then I had time to work on life. It’s simple; good health, doing yoga and being with good people, eating good food and enjoying a cheap lifestyle. It’s all about sanity. It takes a very strong person to be creative and be their own boss and I found it difficult to do all that. It’s a really good balance and I think you take stock at some point and unless you’re Sasha or John Digweed who have got millions in the bank, then why would you change?”

Back to this side of the world. This isn’t the first time Shem’s played here and he speaks fondly of Buenos Aires. “This is one of the best cities for clubs and gigs I’ve ever been to. I remember playing Pacha a few years ago and it was electrifying. I love it. I’ve played Argentina eight or nine times, and the guy who normally books me works for Pacha so I’ve played there several times. I’ve never had a bad gig here.”

Where & When: If you missed Slacker at last weekend’s SAMC, get a taste of his new material Start A New Life, which is now available on iTunes.

The SAMC verdict
Slacker: “SAMC was a real blast for me, I had a wicked time.The place was huge, and the crowd was really up for it. Even early on when I played the atmosphere was electric: it needed to be, it was bloody cold out there! Thanks to everyone who turned up and danced the night away.”
Ronan Portela (Unlock Recordings): “The event satisfied the expectations of plenty of electronic music fans because there was a wide variety of artists. And despite the cold and previous days’ storms people were entertained regardless. What personally emoted me was when I went into the tent where Alex Under had just started playing, he was putting on Beat Up, a track from my recent EP which was released just a few weeks ago.

First published in the Buenos Aires Herald in September 2009

Its second inauguration at the current Cerrito Street location was supposed to coincide with the 400th anniversary in 1892 of America’s discovery – but that wasn’t to be. Architect Francisco Tamburini and his team had a two-year deadline, and the cornerstone was laid on May 25, 1890, but Tamburini died a year later. His partner Victor Meano, the mastermind behind the domed Palacio del Congreso (Congress Palace), was his natural successor, but in 1904 he was murdered. His death, combined with that of Angelo Ferrari, the Italian businessman financing the project, meant that funds ran out almost immediately. And so Belgian Jules Dormal took on the white elephant, and made his mark on the interior with a definitive French style. The entrance steps come from white Carrara marble, the grand hall is made of Rosso Verona marble, the handrails are Portuguese marble, while the vitraux dome is the pièce de résistance. Only the best would do for this lady.

And only the best have performed there. From Pavlova, Nureyev, and Nijinsky, The Three Tenors, Callas, and Te Kanawa, and Strauss, Honegger, and Stravinsky – the names who have walked up those marble steps to gaze up at the splendid dome, unable to utter a word, are a Who’s Who of music and dance.

The world’s finest opera house, along with Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and the Palais Garnier in Paris, the Colón has undergone surgery several times, yet never a full clean-up service. Extensions were added to flesh out workshops and rehearsal studios, but no operation has been as dramatic as this last one. The city government’s original ‘master plan’ in 2006 involved structural restoration, but Mayor Mauricio Macri decided on a facelift across the board to the tune of US$100 million – the most expensive heritage restoration in Argentina’s history – in order to improve both the building’s structure and to bring it up to date technologically. Not just a facelift, but an entire body lift.

Macri – who took charge of the master plan in early 2008 – and his predecessor Jorge Telerman have come under scrutiny, namely with regards to funding, which has been interrupted to say the least. Operations were supposed to be led without much song or dance, but Macri insisted on putting the project’s management out to tender. Any previous irregularities were pushed under the table, but bringing in a manager failed to pave a smooth path; the city mayor then dreamt up a special projects unit to oversee the master plan’s manager. This new body came under the Ministry of Urban Development’s remit, turning the Colón into a political weapon.

With restoration teams being shipped in and out at every town hall change, and the need to address winning bidders’ unrelated outstanding debts before they could start work, the refurbishment has taken far longer than expected. But this is just another blip in the Colón’s history – if her overhaul had gone smoothly, well, it just wouldn’t be the Colón, would it?

The Argentine National Symphony Orchestra brought matters to a close in October 2006, so it has taken the best part of four years of blood, sweat, and debts paid to reopen – although complementary buildings neighbouring the Colón won’t be completed until 2011. But the Colón has shed the scaffolding and bandages protecting her and is back, fresh-faced and wrinkle-free – and it was worth the wait.

The official gala inauguration took place on May 24 to the sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (Act 3) and Puccini’s La Bohème (Act 2), with the latter officially opening the 2010 season. But a sneak preview of Beethoven’s Ninth on May 6 for everyone involved with the restoration had the mops and buckets out, because the tears of a full house were falling thick and fast. When Carlos Vieu stepped out to become the first conductor in four years to lead the Colón’s in-house orchestra, eyes glistening, he raised both hands to the ceiling mural, which was looking as fresh as the day it was unveiled in 1908. Then the real test began. How would she fare acoustically?

Perfectly, is the answer. Granted, the second row is not an ideal seating placement although perfect for witnessing the musicians’ raw emotions on such a momentous occasion in the Colón’s blemished history. When hair hit strings, when soprano Paula Almerares’ first note emerged, a rush of prickly energy soared upward within. A crystal-clear sound, as dazzling as the hundreds of bulbs working hard in the breathtaking chandelier, combined with an immaculate, if hindered, restoration, means the Teatro Colón is back once more.

First published in Oryx, the Qatar Airways inflight magazine, in June 2010

Enough about my financial crisis. Joking aside, state-run Canal 7 is running the show for the moment in order to bring digital TV to the people, and although Argentines have a particular skill for hooking up to other people’s electricity wires (just look up on the average street) and internet, it’s harder to tap into a satellite dish. Plus it costs upwards of $100 pesos a month, steep if you’re a primary school on around $800 pesos a month.

Even if you do sign up for an internet and TV package, these deals often only last three months.

However, despite all the fanfare of getting the million set-top boxes out in time for World Cup – and actually only 400,000 have been posted – really, they are a pre-election bribe.

CFK lost control of the Lower House in 2009′s mid-term elections, and Argentina’s history dictates that whenever that happens to a serving president that they never get to complete their term.

So she needs whatever help she can get. Farmers are still angry over the cap on beef exports, her VP Julio Cobos no longer supports her, she’s recently been involved in an overly public verbal battle with BA city mayor Macri over the Teatro Colón’s reopening, there’s not just been mist but full-blown fog over the proposed food import ban, affecting relations with Brazil, and that’s just been the past few weeks. Frankly, voters can’t wait to head to the ballot box next year.

So reflecting on this matter, if I did qualify for a freebie, I’d take it. Without a shadow of a doubt. But only because my version of foreigner’s DNI means I can’t vote in the presidential election… and then I’d sell my set-top box on Mercardo Libre and splash out on a Maldon-salted Kobe steak…

See the <Herald, Friday, June 11, for more.

Los labios directed by Iván Fund and Santiago Loza

…and closes, April 15, 2010

World Travel Guide
Alternative Latin American beaches, January 2010

But God was on his side back in 1940 and and Jones deigned to follow in his coal miner father’s footsteps, instead choosing music and to search out the limelight.

His first band, Tommy Scott and The Senators, had a bit of a name for themselves in 1963, but when he released debut album Along Came Jones two years later, recognition came thanks to It’s Not Unusual, an easy-listening track and his second single which went to number one in the UK and closed his Luna Park show. In 1965 he also released What’s New Pussycat, which also made it onto the set list.

With his bushy white hair — no mean feat to have a headful at 69 — and bushy white beard, Jones wasn’t physically so different to the God he thanked for giving him his voice, or indeed to actor Morgan Freeman, according to Welsh Elvis fan Fiona.

Smart in a leather jacket, Mr Jones definitely does not look his age and kicked off the night, accompanied by his 10-piece band, with the Bono-scribed song Sugar Daddy from latest album 24 Hours (2008).

Although his teeth are a bit day-glo and slightly offputting, Jones is so bloody happy and revelling in his performance that a close relationship with his dentist can be ignored.

Give A Little Love was followed up by a stupendous third track of the night Thunderball (1966), theme to the James Bond film. Wow, it was heaven to hear 007 live and barely warmed up, Jones was in full belting-them-out force.

First pelvic thrust of the night came at track four with In Style And Rhythm, also from 24 Hours, and Jones included funk (Hard To Handle), country (Green Green Grass of Home, 1966), easy listening dance (She’s A Lady, 1971) and rocky pop (Mama Told Me Not To Come, 2000) in the 25-strong set, keeping the generations happy.

First ovation of the night came at the half-way point with his beautiful acoustic version of ballad I’ll Never Fall in Love Again but it didn’t stop there. Once the country section was over, Leave Your Hat On, Sex Bomb and Kiss kept the packed auditorium on its feet, roaring full approval although fortunately the ladies in the audience remembered it was 2010 and refrained from throwing underwear as if it were 1967.

See the original here

BA Expats says: http://baexpats.org/culture/6110-new-english-radio-show-startting-tonight-ba-live-9pm-11pm.html

Buenos Aires Stay says: http://buenosairesstay.com/buenos-aires-sightseeing-tours-blog/news-current-affairs/english-media-now-radio-buenos-aires/

Amelia Comunicación says: http://www.ameliacomunicacion.com/comunicamos/urbana-895-fm/

http://inmigracionyliteratura.blog.arnet.com.ar/archive/2009/09/15/index.html

Nocturna's acrobats rehearse for the tango circus show. Or is that circus tango?

Bare-chested men took charge of their saucily dressed partners to dance to the likes of Bajofondo, Gotan Project and Electrocutango, ensuring the show is bang in the 21st century, although more traditional songs were mixed in over the 65 minutes. The six couples, dancing in flat gymnast’s pilmsolls, and the acrobats back-flipping about like loose cannons did, however, require several pairs of eyes just to keep up with their vigorous leaps and bounds.

Having learned to do the tango “walk” in baby beginner’s class last week, watching the same steps take place on a giant rectangular trampoline confirmed that some of us have got it… and some of us haven’t. And the Nocturna cast has it. Other tools-of-the-acrobatic trade included the table-and-chair milonga set-up as well as a seesaw, a trapeze, bendy street-light poles and a giant swing, and the performers made use of everything, climbing, flipping and dancing their way all over them.

Given a moment to shine, the first acrobat up, literally several metres in the air, was Hoop Girl. Like a lady in the moon, she flirted and writhed about for her lover as he waited below, desperate for a touch of her foot, as she took complete control of the hoop and flipped around it. As she turned and spun, so did my stomach. Frankly it was breath-taking, and Hoop Girl’s segment was immaculately performed, all without the artificial flavourings of ropes or harnesses to taint our complete confidence in her skills.

The coquettish mood changed dramatically when Giant Swinging Girl was carried in, funeral procession style, supported atop her colleagues’ sturdy shoulders.

Attached to a safety rope, she was little girl lost, her life cut short, but as she rocked and pushed herself high over the city, carefree, oblivious, she was reliving a special childhood moment. “At any moment she’s going to do a complete 360,” I thought to myself, as she soared to great heights, cheekily flashing her bottom as the wind knowingly whipped up her short skirt.

To keep the female audience members happy, the muscular, often bare-chested men took their turn bouncing and somersaulting via the seesaw, although not quite close enough for my leering eyes. To gain momentum, two started jumping, one on each side, in the style of the Korean game “Nol-ttwigi”, then another acrobat would leap on, giving the first the momentum and height to gyrate through the air and reach the ground perfectly.

The dominant tango-dancing couple also took centre stage and were surrounded by gymnastics and outrageous contortions of the balancing kind. Although it was hard to keep up with all the action, the twosome remained the centre of attention, commanding rapturous applause after their more traditional segment.

But the ultimate crowd pleaser has a rather dubious job title for his CV. Picture the conversation with his parents: “So son, what are you going to do with your law degree?” “Well, dad, I thought I’d be a right-tope talker…” With a face as flexible as his bendy inch-thick wire, this was my ultimate tango and circus combination. Dancing his way lightly, perfectly, with smooth foot moves and his feet dealing with each little groove, the audience was close enough to see Tight Rope Man’s every expression and sweat bead that steamy Thursday evening. But as much as he pretended it was an almost impossible mission, Tight Rope Man was in control of every bouncing, tango move all the way along that impossible-looking rope.

Fabulous fun, a dynamic production and a phenomenal combination of circus techniques and classic tango moves fit for 2010. Tangus? Cirgo? You want to go, that’s for sure.

Where & when: Every Thursday to Sunday until end of April 2010. Centro Cultural Recoleta, Junin 1400.
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