Audience members will be dancing in their seats when Once Upon a Tango an original tale, told entirely through the dance of Argentine tango, hits the stage 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at the New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St. The show is making its premiere in Santa Barbara.

Based on real people and events, the dance tells the journey of a young woman and a quirky man who, in discovering tango, find each other, and the passion they have been longing for comes to life.

The performance is Argentine tango in its traditional form used creatively via a passionate fairytale of emotions as theater and dance come together for a magical experience. Critics say it is “a uniquely delightful show, with expert tango performances.”

Real characters and real settings are pulled from the tango community of Los Angeles and are the genesis of the production.

It was in fact five years ago when Giovanna Dan and Guillermo De Fazio met at The Tango Room — a real place. They had danced the tango all their lives and their connection was palpable.

“Argentine tango is the traditional social dance of the country. It’s the ultimate social outlet and brings the whole community together,” said Dan.

Even the real teachers of the dance studio, where the protagonists are learning to tango, are in the production. The same goes for all the characters in Once Upon a Tango, who in real life are professional dancers, as well as social dancers, performers, and event organizers.

As for the protagonists, their story of meeting and falling in love through dance are a combination of classic tango love stories. The show’s creators chose to develop it this way to show audiences the traditional context of Argentine tango dance, and inspire people to learn to tango.

De Fazio, who has worked with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Placido Domingo, knows the power of the stage. “People can come together transform fears to courage, to love,” he said. “We put the audience next to our hearts.”

“Tango is a unique sensation, it brings up a chemical reaction almost,” said Dan.

A traditional reception milonga will be part two of the Argentine experience. After the show, the audience is invited to join them for a reception on the side of The New Vic, where light refreshments will be available.

Plus, theater-goers can take a spin on the floor and learn the dance from the performers.

Devised by and starring Dan and De Fazio, Once Upon a Tango also features Tomas Galvan, Gimena Galván, Claudio Predieri,  Romina Rodriguez, Geraldine Freitag, Damian Acosta, Angel Echeverría and Julie Friedgen.

Assigned seating ranges from $35-$50 and includes facility fee. For tickets: 805-965-5400, https://gdtango.com/our-show, boxoffice@etcsb.org, www.etcsb.org.

Currently based in Los Angeles, the duo of De Fazio and Dan has been spreading tango together worldwide since 2015.

While dedicating their time to growing Argentine tango in LA, they work on their own productions and travel worldwide teaching and performing at events and festivals in the U.S., South America, Europe, Asia and Dubai.

GD Tango was recently featured dancing at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphony, choreographing for commercials including Geico, and performing on television channels including Telemundo and Univision.

De Fazio, from the sibling duo Los Hermanos Macana, is a world renown Argentine tango performer, choreographer and teacher. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, he and his brother studied tango and other popular dances from an early age.

In 1995, Los Hermanos Macana had their tango debut, and by 1998 they invented the choreography Mala Junta that would lead them to dance in the most prominent theaters and events worldwide.

In 2001, they participated in the Robert Duvall film Assassination Tango and then continued to tour the world, sharing the stage with artists such as Domingo.

In 2011, the brothers were invited by Baryshnikov to perform in a major art festival, and in 2012, they began to tour their own entertainment company, Tango Macho.

Tango Macho, comprised of the original sibling duo (Argentina’s best dancers), and live authentic tango music, is what brought the brothers to Los Angeles. Since 2015, Guillermo De Fazio has been developing his own productions and touring the world with GD Tango, most recently featured at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic.

Dan, born and raised in Los Angeles, has Argentine tango flowing through her veins. Daughter of the legendary dancer and Forever Tango star Zita Gonzalez, Dan grew up around the art form.

Starting at age 4, Dan stayed close to her roots by dancing Argentine folk and eventually decided to follow her mother’s footsteps and pursue tango.

Reflecting her passion to preserve Argentine culture, Dan founded Tangaucho youth group, where she directs future generations of Argentine folk and tango dancers in Los Angeles.

With training in various styles from belly dancing, to hip hop, to modern dance, she continued her dance education at the UCLA, where she received a BA in dance/choreographic studies.

Since 2010, Dan has been seen in tango and folklore productions across the country and internationally, including Master Gaucho Productions, Tango Macho, Tango Buenos Aires, and Tango Under the Stars with the LA Philharmonic Symphony.

She currently is developing projects with GD Tango.

— Maureen McFadden for GD Tango.