Love, Passion, Tango

Duo Explores Universal Themes Through Dance

Nearly two years ago, former "Forever Tango" dancers Melina Brufman and Claudio Gonz¿lez decided to create a new type of tango -- one that combined theater, poetry and song as well as several styles of dance and even elements of circus.

But the most untraditional moment of "Tango-Encoded Episodes," which has its U.S. premiere this weekend at Lisner Auditorium, is when Brufman dances nude to the waist. The piece was not originally choreographed that way: Brufman was wearing a flesh-colored corset when -- in a wardrobe malfunction -- it accidentally snapped off during a performance in Buenos Aires. But once it happened, the dancers were persuaded to keep the sequence in. The honest exposure, as it were, speaks to the theme of the show, which explores love and relationships expressed as a tango.

"We chose love as the theme for our show because that's the most important part of our lives as human beings," Gonz¿lez says in Spanish. "In tango, the couple's personal relationship is almost everything." Brufman agrees that if the audience does not feel a connection between the partners, they are not "dancing fully."

And yet, this is a case of art, not life; despite the suggestiveness of the duo's performance and the fact that tango is the quintessential dance expression of passion, Gonz¿lez describes their relationship as a friendship.

The dancers followed different paths to the tango. "At 18, I came to Buenos Aires from the interior to become a ballet dancer," says Brufman, 32. "But tango is everywhere there, permeating the city even in abstract ways. The first time I saw couples dancing tango, I was captivated -- I knew I had to learn it."

Gonz¿lez, 40, was born into a tango-dancing family in the Argentine capital. "My parents are also tango dancers and teachers; they were my teachers," says Gonz¿lez, who also trained as a modern dancer.

The concept for "Tango-Encoded Episodes," which is accompanied by guitarist and singer Guillermo Fern¿ndez, took shape while Gonz¿lez and Brufman were touring with "Forever Tango" in Mexico.

"We had to spend hours on a bus during a tour in Mexico. So we started talking about what we would like to do," Gonz¿lez recall s. He and Brufman wanted a show that would fuse tango with a variety of lively arts. To that end, they returned to Buenos Aires to start their own company, Tango Pulenta, and began work on "Tango-Encoded Episodes," giving up safe berths in an established international hit and risking the critical reaction of traditional fans.

"Dancers inevitably fuse styles because each dance is a synthesis of everything the dancer has learned," Brufman says. "What we do is essentially tango, but we have a lot of creative freedom to incorporate elements of other techniques."

And Brufman and Gonz¿lez believe that the theme of love has universal appeal.

"Tango has an unbelievable power to bring together people with very diverse backgrounds," Brufman says. "I hope American audiences experience the show as a celebration."

Other upcoming tango events in the area:

Sunday Glen Echo Park, Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Bethesda. Tango lessons at 7, milonga (tango dance party) from 8 to 11. $15. 301-299-8728.http://www.flyingfeet.org.

Oct. 19 at 6:30 The Embassy of Argentina, 1600 New Hampshire Ave. NW, screens the tango film "Abrazos, tango en Buenos Aires" ("Hugs, Tango in Buenos Aires") by Daniel Rivas. Free; registration required. 202-238-6464.

Oct. 26 at 8 Tango Buenos Aires at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. $32-$58. 301-581-5100.http://www.strathmore.org.

Oct. 27 at 8 and Oct. 28 at 7 Tango Buenos Aires at George Mason University's Center for the Arts, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. $22-$44. 703-993-8888 or 888-945-2468.http://www.gmu.edu/cfa.

Tango-Encoded Episodes Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW 202-994-6800 or 202-397-7328.http://www.lisner.org. For mature audiences. Friday and Saturday at 8 $20-$50 Tango-Encoded Episodes Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW 202-994-6800 or 202-397-7328.http://www.lisner.org. For mature audiences. Friday and Saturday at 8 $20-$50