April 23-30 | Program 2
KARINA BEORLEGUI
Vocalist
Karina Beorlegui is a professionally- trained singer, dancer and actor.
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As an actress, her most heralded appearances were in the plays: “Andrócles y el león” (1999-2000) and “El romance del Romeo y la Julieta," adapted by Julio Tahier (2001-2002). She also starred alongside Alejandro Dolina in the operetta “Lo que me costó el amor de Laura” (2000).
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As a tango singer, she has always looked for original ways to team up with great musicians, and to delve deeper into the songbook of the genre.
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She independently produced her first album “Caprichosa” in 2003, with a repertoire of tangos and fados accompanied by her quartet led by Néstor Ballesteros (piano, accordion and arrangements), Camila Bendersky and Teresa Castillo (violins), Oscar Pittana (double bass). Guest artists included: Fernando Añón Barros and Eva Wolff (bandoneon), Alejandro Dolina and Walter Laborde, (Chino), the trio headed by Federico Mizrahi and the guitar trio of Soria, Juárez and Salmone.
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She has participated many times in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival, and completed many tours in Europe. She has participated in the Salam-Shalom Tango Orchestra led by Norberto Vogel. This group encourages the Arab-Jewish cooperation and understanding and is internationally known.
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Since 2008, she has been one of the leading singers in the cast of Tango Porteño. In 2009, she was nominated for the Clarín awards as Revelación Tango. She is also producer and creator of the Fado-Tango Club.
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Her second compact disc with tangos and fados is called “Mañana Zarpa un Barco”. Together with Los Primos Gabino, she produced the album, and presented it at Clásica y Moderna and at the Club Atlético Fernández Fierro (CAFF).
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FEDERICO MIZRAHI
Pianist
Federico Mizrahi is a leading figure in the new generation of post-Piazzolla composers and arrangers of tangos and milongas.
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He began his professional work as a theater musician, and distinguished himself in a number of works, including “El Romance de Romeo y la Julieta,” which used more than 100 classic tangos to tell Shakespeare’s tale. The National Symphonic Orchestra has performed his arrangements, and he has collaborated with popular artists like Mercedes Sosa, Sandro, Joan Manuel Serrat, and Les Luthiers, among others.
In 1999, he founded “Demoliendo Tangos” (Demolishing Tangos), a platform dedicated to new compositions and original arrangements.
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In addition to Piazzolla, his most important influences include George Gershwin, Nino Rota, Bill Evans and Charly Garcia.
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His albums include Carne Argenta (2004) and Contratiempo y Marea (2010). In 2006, he released Sudestada Tango, which contains reimagined versions of classic tangos, as well as original compositions. These works are interpreted by typical tango instruments like the bandoneon, violin, cello and piano, in an amplified musical universe evoking popular styles like rock, candombe, jazz and blues, with touches of Chillout Lounge. The disc also features some of the greatest contemporary singers of traditional tango, who stand out brilliantly as soloists against this hybrid musical background.
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CECILIA GARCIA & SERKAN GOKCESU
Dancers
Cecilia Garcia & Serkan Gokcesu are prominent tango dancers and teachers on the international scene. They have been part of numerous tango festivals and given workshops throughout the world. Drawing on their deep understanding of movement, they transmit a dance which is organic, aesthetic and modern.
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Cecilia Garcia
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I can’t remember a time when I didn’t dance. I started with folklore, moved through studying music as a pianist, and eventually encountered tango, from which I could never escape. I am fascinated by a contemporary vision of dance, the evolution of everything regarding somatics, and the immense joy that emanates from a person in movement. I am a passionate teacher, who adores sharing experiences and accompanying the learning process. I enjoy the connection and magic that comes from improvisation. I dance tango.
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Serkan Gokcesu
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I come from a sports background and started to explore dance through hip hop. I encountered tango while at University in Turkey. From that moment on, my life took a new turn, and I threw myself into exploring what dance could offer me. I believe that changing roles is imperative for a tango dancer or teacher, in order to develop a complete perception of how the couples functions in the dance. I investigate movement from an interdisciplinary perspective, which gives me a more holistic or integrated view. I share all of this experience with my students, and everything that connects with it.