German Dance Play Let's Speak Tango! to Play NYC

Direct from a smash sold-out engagement at the TamS Theatre in Munich this past fall, the new dance theatre play Let's Speak Tango! will receive its U.S. premiere.

Written and directed by Carlo Magaletti with tango choreograpy by Valeria Solomonoff, Let's Speak Tango! features an international cast that includes Katja Lechthaler as Elizabeth, Fausto Lombardi as Professor Jeff Pillet Mechanic, Carlo Magaletti as Giorgio, with tango dancers Diego Blanco, Hernan Brizuela, Heather Gehring, Miwa Kaneko, Ana Padron, Walter Perez and Valeria Solomonoff. Performances begin Friday, April 20th for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 6th at the American Theatre of Actors Chernuchin Theatre (314 West 54th Street). Opening night is set for Wednesday, April 25th.

"Let's Speak Tango! tells the story of a couple who meet while dancing the tango: he's Italian and she German. The play, now set in the U.S., intertwines the use of classical and modern forms of tango with dialogue to force the viewer to listen and focus on the emotion of the dance form. Even though they don't speak the same language the couple understands each other perfectly as they fall in love, learning to communicate by listening to each other through the language of dance. As their relationship grows, Giorgio realizes that the more he learns English, the less the couple understands each other. The play explores expression through dance, fusing movement with dialogue," state press materials.

"Let's Speak Tango! uses tango in a unique way to tell its story as a narrative element coupled with the expressive use of the body that requires the person to listen without the use of language," said Carlo Magalletti in describing his dance theatre play. He added, "Words can contaminate a relationship and are often the source of misunderstanding. By letting the movement enhance the dialogue, it communicates another very intimate way of listening and understanding."

The creative team includes Miha Glockenspiel (sets), Jilian Tully (costumes), William J. Growny (lights), and Mauro De Trizio (visuals and sound effects).

Let's Speak Tango! plays the following performance schedule: Thursdays - Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Extra added performances April 23, 24 and 25 at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets are $40.00 and may be purchased by calling SmartTix at (212)868-4444, online at www.smarttix.com, or at the box office one hour prior to curtain.

 In conjunction with Let's Speak Tango!, Carlo Magaletti will give a special seminar, "The Human Gesture," for professional dancers and actors. "Every gesture, every action can be right, you only need to change the context. There are no mistakes," said Mr. Magaletti in sharing his thoughts about his technique. The seminar will explore how the dancer can discover and creates new experiences in every moment for himself and for the audience through movement and gesture. This integration movement and expression is very important to the dancer who will experience a completeness of body and soul. He will explore how to work on interpretation of a character by finding depth and truth in a role without falling into a cliché of the character or a certain style of dancing, or acting.

 The 4 -session Seminar is scheduled for April 23rd & 24th from 12:00p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and
 April 30th & May 1st at Dance Manhattan (39 West 19th Street, 5th Floor). The fee is $65 for 2-sessions & $100 for 4-sessions. For additional information, or to reserve a space in the class, please contact Tatiana Gelfand at 732-500-7772, or via email at tatiana@gmail.com, or visit the website at www.carlomagaletti.com.