PointeTango Dance Company
Vancouver Fringe 2023 – Volunteer Choice Award
Montreal Reviews
PointeTango’s Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson are back to enchant Fringe audiences with their show Tango in the Dark. -PHOTO BY PIERRE OBENDRAUF /Montreal Gazette
Brownstein: Montreal Fringe fest not the same old song and dance
Back is the spellbinding PointeTango tandem of Montrealers Alexander Richardson and Erin Scott-Kafadar, whose limbs take on lives all their own as they sway across the stage in perfect harmony. The duo sold out every show at last year’s Fringe and will likely do the same this year for their six Tango in the Dark presentations at La Chapelle.
Their onstage intimacy comes easily: they are engaged to be married. They both come from classical ballet backgrounds and met while performing for different companies.
“We fell in love and decided to leave both our jobs, so we could work together doing tango with a ballet-like twist,” says Scott-Kafadar, who demonstrates that unique duality while sporting a stiletto on one foot and a ballet slipper on the other.
“I find that Argentine tango is specifically a dance of trust, in leading and following communications,” Richardson says. “We definitely worked through everything on the dance floor, and so when it came to living together and when it came to getting engaged, we knew each other through thick and thin and were ready.” Adds the laughing Scott-Kafadar: “And if there’s any problem, we work it out on the dance floor, when maybe I’ll give him an extra kick.”
“It’s all about the passion and intensity,” Richardson cracks.
“But it’s nice because our chemistry is so real,” says Scott-Kafadar. “We really have to move as just one.”
Richardson concurs. “We have a lot of gravity-defying lifts, but I’m happy to say I’ve never dropped Erin on stage, although I did once on the beach when we were first learning.
“Tango is a very intense art form, rooted in the grit of Argentine streets and nightlife. We live our lives this way on the dance floor and in our personal lives.”
-May 31, 2023 Written by Bill Brownstein
Vivid angular lights and a wide screen backdrop the La Chapelle theatre as a large bustling crowd makes their way into the space to find seats. I am eagerly waiting to watch POINTETANGO and their blend of ballet and Argentine tango. I grew up training seriously in ballet, so I know and understand its form, both classically and contemporarily. But while I have a secret love for social dance, I know close to nothing about Argentine tango, only that it seems to carry an alluring and captivating energy (dare I say sexy!)
— Jun. 13, 2023 Written By Heather Anderson
As the lights dim, the tale of Covid-19 and the lockdowns of 2020 play on the screen. With it is a gentle humour, reminding us that there is always light in the darkness. To that end, the screen tells us to please MAKE NOISE!! throughout the show. A spark of excited energy travels through the audience as the performance begins.
Over the next 60 minutes, what emerges is a series of duets (which feel closer to short vignettes) composed of various blends of ballet and tango technique. Accompanied intermittently by a cinematic love letter to Buenos Aires filmed in bright technicolour, the ballet-tango love child is a mesmerizing display of technical execution and sophisticated performance. Choreographed and performed by Alexander Richardson & Erin Scott-Kafadar, the duets range from sultry to intimate to completely innovative, merging partnering components from a traditional pas de deux with complex tango footwork. They dance effortlessly and with a performative quality that shows they know exactly how talented they are, and while their showmanship flatters in their lifts, spins and their seemingly always tangled-untangled legs, moments of softness move authentically from the performers, proving Richardson’s directing abilities can also carve out a wide array of emotional resonances. My favourite vignette was a tender dance done in bare feet in dim lighting, a glowing orb held between their bodies. The dancing touches upon so much variety, from what seems like traditional tango, to beautifully innovate lines and shapes (Scott-Kafadar’s extensions are to die for), and even what feels like a nod to Montreal in the sounds of Leonard Cohen, Tango In The Dark is a beautifully woven array of expert craft and care. Not only are Richardson and Scott-Kafadar individually skilled technicians and performers, their level of daring partnering shows an incredible level of trust and commitment to one another that has me wishing I could see more partnered dance in theatres. It is a show that is passionate, charming, and worth every second.
Stuart Nulman’s Grapevine
Tango in the Dark: My choice for THE buzz-worthy show of this year’s festival. The ballroom dancing duo of Alexander Richardson and Erin Scott-Kafadar takes the art of Argentine Tango dancing to a whole new level, and gives a new meaning to the expression “tripping the light fantastic”, with their electrifying new show. Combining ballet, tango and incredible acrobatic moves, you will see why this couple makes dancing a thrilling feast for the eyes, and earned every one of their thunderous ovations after each routine.
– June 15, 2023 Written by Stuart Nulman
MONTREAL RAMPAGE
Forget Christmas in July. Tango in the Dark is Valentine’s Day in June! Erin and Alex (Alexander Richardson and Erin Scott-Kafadar) wed tango and ballet into a romantic spectacle of high lifts, high drama, and high elegance. There’s fire between them and unfailing trust too. Alex is slightly more subtle than Erin, whose feats of flexibility and skill are highlighted as she spins around him and is raised up or dipped. It’s a great generosity to share the stage in such a way that each piece delights the audience with what is most awe-invoking. I love their touches of humour and the film noir narrative of having them meet for a clandestine dance. The music highlights this hazy ambiance with Leonard Cohen’s Blue Raincoat, Edward Satie, and a jazz rendition of Fever. They even dance to a poem. Costume changes and shoe changes are quick, and each one brings a new variation to the theme, but the whole shows feels as if one has entered another world where dance is the language. This is the second time I’ve seen them perform and both times have felt like I’m getting away with something by seeing these talented dancers at the Fringe. Everyone in the audience knows this a class act is meant for a world tour in sell out halls.
— June 13, 2023 Written by Rachel Levine
Cult MTL
Tango in the Dark — Bringing the sizzle on
If you failed to catch last year’s sold-out performances of Pointe Tango, a seductive duo of ballet-trained dancers who dance this sexy mix of Argentine tango and ballet, now’s your chance. Choreographers Alexander Richardson and Erin Scott-Kafadar (a real-life couple off the dancefloor) are just sensational to watch perform. Last year’s show, Tango, to the Pointe, met with rave reviews. With their rapid-fire moves and oozing sensuality, not to mention good looks, I have no doubt this show will be just as smoking hot.
– June 7, 2023 Written by Toula Drimonis
Montreal Fringe: 15 shows (out of 90+) to see at the festival this year
This award-winning show, adapted from a film project, features a blend of ballet and Argentine tango. Montreal Fringe director Amy Blackmore predicts that the PointeTango production, featuring Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson, will be the buzz show of this year’s festival, as Josephine was last year.
-June 5, 2023 Written by Ashley Fish-Robertson
VANCOUVER REVIEWS
Stir Magazine
TANGO IN THE DARK
Tango in the Dark, presented by PointeTango, is a piece that dazzles with artistic brilliance. Danced by Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson, two world–class artists and athletes, the show is a brilliant fusion of classical ballet and Argentinian tango, packaged in a creative production that considers story, flow, visuals, and the audience.
In recognition of the impact the COVID-19 shutdown had on the performing arts, Tango in the Dark begins with a mesmerizing contemporary ballet number featuring Scott-Kafadar dancing en pointe with partner Richardson, and gradually introducing tango steps. The number climaxes with an outstanding one–handed star lift, which caused the opening night audience to gasp and then erupt into applause.
From there, the dynamic duo takes us through Buenos Aires at night, with the help of film footage projected onstage. From the electrified city scene to a romantic tango bar to a bass-pumping nightclub to a field under the starlight sky, we’re swept through this dance journey. The choreographic stylings and moods range from sultry and sensual to full-on show-biz spectacular.
Make no mistake—this is both real ballet and Argentinian tango combined. Scott-Kafadar’s pointe work, battements, penchés, and petit battements, are ballet-company-principal level. And the pair’s holds and patterns, quick swivels, and leg flicks would be the envy on any tango floor. To show her expertise, Scott-Kafadar even dances with one pointe shoe on one foot and a heel on the other—even tying into a cute Cinderella theme. From sassy numbers like “Fever” to the quietly captivating “Clair de Lune”, there’s meaning to every piece, and the dancers never forget the audience, even playfully interacting with them at times. Tango in the Dark feels like dream come to life. •VK
-September 10, 2023, Written by Vince Kanasoot
PointeTango Dance Company 