Project notes | 2018/12/27-2019/01/04 Experience with Mora Godoy’s Tango Dance Company’s tour of China

Behind the scenes of the " Love " - 2018.27-2019.01.04 notes of the first performance show by the Company

" LOVE" is the theme of the 2018-2019 World Tour of Argentine Mora Godoy Tango Dance Company. The audience in front of the stage saw the sweetness of the "Love" but we were fortunate enough to taste the bitterness alone behind the scenes. The tour spans four cities from south to north: Foshan, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. The actors, under a 35-hour one-way flight pressure from Argentina, united the West to China by Tango, helping us to break free of time, geography and language constraints. It means the confidence in the outstanding drama and the responsibility to the audience.

Long before deciding to tour the theater, our preparations were carried out in an orderly manner. After a long period of several months, Mora’s tour was finally unveiled. From December 27, 2018 to January 4, 2019, the Mora Dance Company accompanied the Chinese audience across a passionate New Year's Day, and fulfilled the promise of "performance in China every year" ten years ago. This is the decade of Mora and ours too.

Ending the New Year's tour, as a agency/operating company of the troupe, we met and summarized the lessons and experience at the first time. Now we’d like to share with everyone.

One / Big events depend on details

Guiding a group is like embroidery. Only with the final brocade in the heart, every stitch can be flat; on the contrary, only with the flat stitch can the brocade look pretty. By doing it personally, one can learn something of this precious view of the overall situation and the details.

Two/ Great oaks from little acorns grow

Guiding a group is a manual labor. After landing on 27th, the schedule of the Argentine " Love" tour is really dense, especially from Guangzhou to Beijing. The staff took a break at 1:00am the first day and got up at 5:00 the next morning to catch the plane. The actors of the Mora Dance Company have always been dedicated and punctual, even getting up early, they are still in excellent condition. At 10:05 am, the flight landed at Beijing International Airport. Assisting the actors to put their luggage to the hotel and having a quick lunch, the staff rushed to the theater to coordinate the preliminary issues.

The tour in Beijing coincided with New Year's Day, important festival in Argentina. The dance performance ended at 9:00 pm, and near 10:00 pm, the manager of dance troupe revealed that the members wanted to find a restaurant to celebrate the coming new year. Our staff kept on arranging restaurants for them. It’s easy to find a bar open to the early morning in the 3rd ring. but not easy to find a western restaurant. At this moment, the contacts have played a key role. Under our efforts, the actors’ New Year’s wishes have finally been realized.

At the end of the year, the performance industry is always busy. Our staff’s New Year’s Eve, once again spend accompanying the actors.

Three/ Nine-storey platform starts from ground

Every performance of the tour begins at 19:30 in the evening. In order to guarantee the warm-up and rehearsal time of the actors, our staff, with the equipment suppliers, arrived at the theater before 9:00am every morning to install the stage. The props in dance drama "Love ", which featuring actor dance skills, are not complicated. Unloading the equipment from the vehicle, installing the lights, laying the rubber, preparing the props, arranging the actor's dressing room, debugging the sound, and lights... The rehearsal is over, the role we play constantly switches during the preparation process, sometimes docking technical problems with the troupe, and sometimes doing the on-site work with the installers, with purpose to ensure the smooth performance.

In the performance, our on-site maneuvering work is highly important. "Love " involves 13 songs. There can be no pauses or interruptions in the middle between singing, dancing and performing. This requires us to ensure the smoothness of the sides of the stage and the lighting, to facilitate the rapid change of actor’s costumes. In addition, since the repertoire involves the interactive part with the audience, it is especially necessary to coordinate security matters in advance and guarantee the order. This is our responsibility and the theater’s to actors and audiences. After all, safety is the first.

Four/ A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step.

In short, in the six tours of the Argentine "Love" in China, from the stage set design to the arrangement of flowers in the lounge, these various "small requirements" seem to be inconspicuous but crucial. The audience sitting under the stage watching the show could not understand the details behind these scenes, although they have little to do with the art creation itself, it is an indispensable important link.

In all the behind-the-scenes work, we sincerely appreciate the support of counterparts from Music Fans, Foshan Grand Theatre, Guangzhou Opera House, Beijing Tianqiao Theater and Shanghai Oriental Art Center. During the operation of the project, we have seen the impeccable professionalism of Foshan Grand Theatre’s staff, the operational ability of our partner Music Fans to coordinate the media resources, and the team's general assistant Coty's patient and meticulous work attitude. From your part, we have absorbed a lot of valuable experience. At the same time, we thank MORA GODOY TANGO COMMPANY for bringing your wonderful performances to the Chinese audience!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Hot Vogue is willing to join hands with partners. Don't forget your original intention and move forward!

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