Nomad Tango will present “Malana,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara.

The idea for “Malena” was born last year, when Nomad Tango presented Tango Meets Classical.

“The successful show could be described as Tango Meets Ballet at the Nightclub,” said Alejandra Folguera, founder of Nomad Tango. “On one side sat the tango audience, on the other the ballet crowd, and in the middle a space emerged — the perfect place to co-create a shared experience.

“We knew we were onto something and needed to explore this format further” Folguera said.

“The ‘Tango-Show,’ as a dance language, rivals ballet, contemporary, and other classical disciplines, just as tango music can hold its own in any classical concert hall (think Piazzolla.),” Folguera said.

Currently Folguera is working on a tango musical to be staged as an opera.

But tango also has a different voice, she said. Its popular roots make it the perfect language for the ailments of the modern urban soul — isolation, loss, heartbreak.

With that in mind, “Malena” was created — an original production that brings together two choreographers and two dance companies — Fernanda Ghi (Tango, East Coast) and Meredith Ventura (Contemporary, West Coast).

The work explores the frustration of feeling constrained by social constructs and the human need for connection and belonging.

“Malena” is dance-theater in three acts:
Act I – Malena dances an old-style tango, feeling confined and constrained. She longs for freedom.
Act II – She breaks from convention, dancing freestyle, alone.
Act III – Realizing “Nobody can save themselves alone” (El Eternauta), she returns to the embrace — but now dances a new kind of tango, one that allows both freedom and connection.

The piece is built by two major voices in modern dance: tango legend Fernanda Ghi from Boston, and rising star of contemporary dance Meredith Ventura from California’s Central Coast.

Tickets are $27-$68 and are available by calling the Lobero Ticket Office, 805-963-0761 or visiting www.Lobero.com.

Nomad Tango is a nonprofit founded by Folguera to promote and organize Argentine tango.

“Malena” is co-produced by Rodney Gustafson, founder of State Street Ballet, who led the company for 30 years, creating original works and training thousands of young dancers.