Tango Buenos Aires to perform at Green Music Center (w/video)

Eva Perón, first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952, has long been a worldwide cultural icon, immortalized on Broadway in the musical “Evita.” So it might seem that no further artistic interpretations of this dynamic woman’s life are needed, but stop and consider this: There is no art form that expresses the soul of Argentina more powerfully than its unique dance style – the tango.

So when the Tango Buenos Aires dance company performs its new full-length piece, “The Song of Eva Perón,” Jan. 22 at the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall, you can expect a new and emotional experience. Through dance and music, the show tells Perón’s story from her rise to fame until her death.

“Eva Perón was one of the most important feminine characters in modern history, and she was from Argentina, so we wanted to use her story line for the dancing and the music in our show,” said Lucrecia Laurel, artistic director for Tango Buenos Aires. “The idea was to give each female dancer a different time period in Eva’s life.”

The show features five dancing couples, backed by an instrumental quartet. While this new version is presented on a smaller scale than the Broadway musical (later adapted as a big-budget film), it reflects the powerful intimacy and urgency of the tango.

The tango, Argentina’s most important cultural export, is a product of the country’s history, combining influences from other countries to form a distinctive style.

“Tango comes from a period -- the 1880s to the end of the 19th century -- when immigrants were coming in waves from Spain, Italy, Germany and Africa, and coming together in Argentina. To communicate with each other, they created music and dance. It’s a special mixture of our own,” Laurel said.

Tango music still reflects some of its early European origins, particularly in the instruments used.

“That’s why we have the bandoneon, which is like an accordion. That’s why we have the violin,” Laurel explained.

Recognized internationally as an authentic ambassador for the tango over the past several decades, Tango Buenos Aires last toured North America in 2011. The current tour lasts two and a half months and covers the United States from coast to coast.

Laurel, the daughter of the company’s general director, Rosario Bauza, has spent two-thirds of her life with Tango Buenos Aires.

“I have been touring with them since I was 10 years old, and I am 30 now, so it’s been 20 years,” she said.

To Laurel, the art form of tango remains fresh and contemporary -- growing and changing all the time.

“I think it’s important for the audience to know that because we’ve been performing for so long, we really want to keep the tango updated,” she said. “The art form is still evolving. This is why we have new music for the show and created new tangos.”

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. Read his Arts blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.