María Nieves
María Nieves Rego (born September 6, 1934)[1] is an Argentine tango dancer and choreographer who starred with her long time dance partner Juan Carlos Copes in the 1983 musical Tango Argentino.
Early life
Born in the
Career
Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes brought the tango and the milonga to audiences throughout the world.[3] By 1956 Nieves and Copes had created a dance based on music by Astor Piazzolla but it was after touring through Central America, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba that they were asked to meet Piazzolla in Mexico City. The three of them shared tango music and got on well together. They flew to Puerto Rico in October 1959 where they packed out Club Flamboyan in San Juan with "Companina Argentina Tangolandia". Piazzolla was serving as the musical director and he dreamt of taking them to North America. The tour continued in New York, Chicago and then Washington. The last show that the three of them did together was an appearance on CBS the only colour TV channel in the US. They featured on The Arthur Murray Party in April 1960.[4]
Nieves and Copes had married in Las Vegas; the marriage did not last, yet they continued to be dance partners for decades.[5]
In the 1980s, they created and starred in the musical
Nieves and Copes went on tour with Tango Argentino in 1999 before starring in Tanguera (2002) in Buenos Aires, New York, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and then in the West End (2010). Nieves was given the role of the brothel keeper as she is thought of as essential to a tango production.[3]
Nieves offers a simple explanation for her success despite never having had a dancing lesson: "The first time I danced the tango, it entered my skin through my feet, passed from my skin to my blood and through my blood to my heart. It requires no acrobatics, you simply have to devote yourself to your heartbeat."[3]
The 2015 documentary film Un tango más by German Kral depicts the sometimes difficult relationship between Nieves and Copes, dance partners for over 40 years. Nieves attributes her improvement as an artist to the hatred between the two dancers.[5]
References
- ^ "Biography of María Nieves by José María Otero - Todotango.com". www.todotango.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ José María Otero. "María Nieves" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Jessica Salter (22 July 2010). "Tanguera: bringing tango to the West End". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ISBN 0195127773.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b Un tango más (2015), documentary film by German Kral
- ^ ISBN 0786414065.
- ^ "List of Nominees for 1986 Tony Awards With PM-Tonys". Associated Press. 6 May 1986. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "1986 - 40th annual Tony Awards". Tony Award Productions. Retrieved 17 March 2014.