Tetralogia

Leonardo Cuello, tango y fusión
"Tango, a dance of the senses in embraced bodies, a touching musical universe, a world of words and texts that stir emotions": this, as Elisa Guzzo Vaccarino aptly points out in the opening of her latest and precious book Il Tango [1], is the widely accepted image that has, however, over time become a stereotype, almost a trademark of the Argentine dance. In reality, it is a constantly evolving creature that is part of an extremely layered, multifaceted, and dynamic universe.
Leonardo Cuello, who, with his young company founded just five years ago in Buenos Aires, opens the 2010 edition of the Oriente Occidente Festival, is certainly an example of the inexhaustible mobility of tango. Cuello is one of the representatives of the phenomenon known as tango fusión, which refers to the fusion and dialogue, both in study and in the creation of a show, of material from the already complex tango universe with the multiplicity of the language of contemporary dance, theater, and other dance forms.

Tetralogía, four episodes between tradition and modernity
The performance presented by Leonardo Cuello's company is accompanied by live music performed by Tango Tinto, an ensemble composed of Argentine and European artists whose musical repertoire ranges from the so-called guardia vieja to contemporary composers, covering Pugliese, Gardel, Troilo, Piazzolla, Arola, De Caro, and many others.

Tetralogía consists of four parts: Spiritual, Flores de Lino, Entre tus Brazos, and Eterno. It is a show that combines the technical virtuosity of tango with the more intimate naturalness of the ancient dance. Spiritual is the company’s first work, reworked in a new form. It is presented as a "collective exercise that explores tango energy and space in a contemporary and abstract way." Flores de Lino represents speed and youthful spirit: it evokes a dialogue with the European waltz, which, upon arriving in Buenos Aires, merges with tango. It is the valzer cruzado, of which Flores de Lino is one of the most famous examples. Entre tus Brazos is La Milonga and the pain of tango, while Eterno reconnects with the creativity and freedom of Astor Piazzolla, inspiring themes that highlight the brilliance of the Argentine dance.

WHO IS LEONARDO CUELLO
Leonardo Cuello has worked in Ana Maria Stékelman's Grupo Tangokinesis, which is recognized even in Europe as a prime example of the meeting between Argentine tradition, contemporary dance, and ballet. In this company, Cuello dances with Eleonora Cassano and is assistant choreographer for Concertango, created by Stékelman for Julio Bocca and Ballet Argentino, as well as for the film Tango by Carlos Saura. In 1999, with Giuliana Rossetti, he presented Une Celebración. Tango. In 2005, at the Festival Internacional Cambalache, he debuted with his own company in Spiritual. In 2008, with his first full-length work Quintaesencia, he garnered strong support from the specialized press.