With The Tango and Me, Jørgen Erik Assentoft has created a sensitive short documentary about Alejandra Mantiñan. the well-known tango dancer. This is in fact one of several films Assentoft has made about the dance. The others include, First Time in Buenos Aires for Jette Bergholdt to Dance Tango (2020) and Faith and Tango, A Dance with Life (2020). He is a cinematographer, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In this film. we are laser focused on the life of Alejandra. The bulk of the film is an interview, shot is what seems to be her home. We are immediately struck by the vivid red of her yard as well as her striking appearance, which includes multiple tattoos and partly dyed hair. She is at ease, and launches into the fascinating story of her life. Her relationship with the tango was not love at first sight. For her, it was just one dance among others. In fact, Alejandra had intended to become a doctor. She also suspects that she didn’t immediately take to the dance because she was obliged to learn it. This, of course, is the mark of an independent spirit who will usually only throw herself into those things she chooses herself.
We learn about Alejandra’s education and we hear about her various dance partners. She quickly became known as a great dancer. Not, she says, because of her technical ability, but because of her artistry. Part of her popularity and success can, no doubt, be attributed also to her connection with the audience. She says that she always has a strong connection with those in the audience, She’s very aware that the audience has come for some respite from their lives and to see her. She does everything she can to deliver what the audience wants and does not focus so much on her self.
The partner she liked most was Aoniken Quiroga, with whom she felt most free and most herself. We see here again her free-spirited nature. But what is most interesting is that Alejandra eventually became well-known in her own right, without her name having to be attached to a man’s name. This is a testament to her talent. But it also allowed her a great deal of freedom to do things her own way, and, eventually, to become a highly sought-after teacher.
We have the opportunity in this film to watch her teach to a rapt crowd. And Alejandra, it turns out, is not only a remarkable dancer, but also a gifted teacher. Life can take many strange paths. Sometimes, we learn skills that turn out not to be useful to our chosen career, but then, by some strange serendipity, those forgotten skills end up allowing us to take a new view of what we’re doing. This was the case with Alejandra. She had got some distance in medical school before deciding to focus on dance. But later, when she decided to teach tango, her medical training turned out to be very useful. Her knowledge of biomechanics gave her a scientific insight into the workings of the body and gave her a distinct edge in her teaching. She is also highly charismatic, and, like any really good teacher, she has the ability to explain difficult concepts in simple terms. For example, instead of relying on abstract theories from established tango methods, she uses analogies that anyone can understand and visualize immediately: ‘first you push the suitcase, then you move,’ when you walk with a hot pan of water, you don’t hold it close to your body, you keep some distance. These are the sorts of lessons she teaches in her classes.
What lessons can we learn from this film? There is a message here for anyone with the impulse to become an artist: if you persevere and keep an open mind, you may succeed in ways you never expected that you would. But there is also an important message here for women. Surprising as it may seem for an art form that relied on a man and woman – dancing the tango – the tango world seems much more focused on the men than the women. It was a real accomplishment for Alejandra to become noticed with her name alone. This should serve as inspiration and woman who wants to break through: it is possible and it’s a goal worth pursuing.
© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.