60 Seconds With… Erin and Alexander are like ‘Tango, to the Pointe’

Briefly introduce yourself/your company…
PointeTango emerged from the question: ‘What happens when ballet meets Argentine tango?’ Having trained and worked in both styles extensively, professional dancers Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson challenged themselves to develop a new hybrid dance vocabulary of “pointetango”.

PointeTango has toured their two original highly acclaimed shows: Para Dos(2018) and Into the Tango(2019) across Canada to sold-out theatres earning them various festival awards. During the pandemic, PointeTango turned to film to continue sharing their art and produced their award-winning feature film Tango in the Dark which was streamed at international theatre festivals.

PointeTango is currently touring their new show Tango, to the Pointe across Canada to theatres in Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Halifax, Vancouver, Victoria and London (ON). PointeTango was awarded a residency at the National Ballet of Canada to work on the creation of Tango, to the Pointe through the support of the NBC’s Open Space Programme.

What is it that makes your work/company unique
PointeTango is a one-of-a-kind dance company combining the passion of Argentine tango with the precision of classical ballet. PointeTango was co-founded in 2016 by choreographers and dancers Erin Scott-Kafadar and artistic director, Alexander Richardson. Our mandate is to create and tour new innovative works showcasing the authenticity of improvised tango and the elegance of classical ballet.
PointeTango is the only dance company in the world to dance authentic, improvised Argentine tango on pointe shoes. We decided to really showcase this in our show “Tango, to the Pointe” by having Erin dance the entire hour-long show on pointe, with a twist towards the end of the performance where she dances with Alex wearing one pointe shoe and one stiletto!

What kind of experience do you hope audiences will have during your show?
We hope audiences will feel a wide range of emotions and be touched by the authenticity of our performance. We are offering audiences to experience the nostalgia of traditional Argentine tango music, the elegant and soft fluidity of ballet, the passion of the tango and the extraordinary physicality of our acrobatic lifts.

Without spoilers, tell us what you think audiences will remember most about your show?
This is a new work showcasing PointeTango’s unique fusion between Argentine tango and classical ballet. As the only company in the world to dance authentic, improvised Argentine tango on pointe shoes, we wanted to create a show that pushes the boundaries of dance by exploring the possibilities and challenges that arise while transitioning from stilettos to pointe shoes. This dynamic show not only showcases the technical prowess of PointeTango dancers Erin and Alexander, but also offers a window into the intricacies of touch as they reevaluate the meaning of connection during a pandemic when human closeness has been restricted.

What do you think is the best thing about the Fringe?
Fringe is a place for us to have complete artistic freedom, try new tricks and take risks on stage. These festivals offer an opportunity for us to produce a new work at a low cost and help us build our company name and experience for future projects. Because we have had successful runs, it also means that we are able to keep doing what we love.
Furthermore, the fringe festival circuit gives us an opportunity to connect with our culture and communities in large and remote cities all across Canada. Touring our show has been a fantastic way to discover Canada, make new connections and present our art to large and diverse audiences.

What is the most important thing you hope audiences will take away from your show?
We encourage each audience member to find something different to take home with them. The beauty of dance is that it is open to interpretation and every individual will experience our show differently. We dance with our heart and soul and hope that audiences will be touched and feel the wide range of emotions that we express through our dance.