Tango Buenos Aires: Plenty of steps, little sizzle at George Mason

Being in love is hard work. So is being in lust. Just ask a professional tango dancer. Night after night, the good ones come out looking ready to bodice-rip; men grasping at skin like it's freshly fired porcelain, women clinging knee-to-thigh as if strong tendons are the secret to sealing the deal.

Tango should be steamy stuff. But what if, in reality, the women are ready to throw their partners under the tour bus?

Midway through Tango Buenos Aires' American tour, the passion is looking as painted on as lead dancer Cynthia Avila's over-rouged cheeks. The Argentine troupe performed Thursday in Manassas at George Mason's Hylton Performing Arts Center; Saturday night and Sunday, the company comes to the Fairfax campus.

Fans of Latin music should go just to hear the virtuosic quintet, led by bandoneonist Martin Sued, play Piazzolla. At curtain call, the musicians received more applause than the 10 dancers.

Each night, the troupe follows the same semi-script. Avila is an aging femme fatale headed to the clubs in search of masculine attention. Too much of her choreography consists of hair-tossing and scarf-flipping. She's worried about her rival dancers, and she should be: Ines Cuesta is a stunner. She has ball bearings where other humans have knees and a lithe but strong upper body that seems completely at ease.

Highlights of the night are Cuesta's duets and a handful of ensemble pieces. There's an amusing sequence where a drunk Avila flirts with all five guys and an uptempo dance that cleverly infuses tango with a bit of Lindy hop.

More traditional moments prove there's nothing more sultry than watching four women each wrap a sparkly peep-toe around a partner's thigh, while the other shoe slowly skims the floor. The dancers' faces may say otherwise, but the legs remain alluring.

Rebecca Ritzel is a freelance writer.

Tango Buenos Aires repeats Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. at George Mason's Center for the Arts in Fairfax.