Created in 1997, Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera is a sensual exposé of tango as reinterpreted and reimagined with modern dance. Taylor honors the tradition of tango, preserving the essence of the form in his choreography.

The music, composed by Astor Piazzolla and Jerzy Peterburshsky, shapes the work into four distinct sections, a complex and electric landscape where dancers can sway and swivel through the arts of both tango and modern dance.

In a dimly lit club, working class men and women confront each other in sizzling sexual duets and trios: men with women, men with men, and women with women. Two men too drunk for conquests perform a loopy dance as lamplights sway dizzily overhead. A woman, who has searched desperately for a partner but failed to find one, collapses – as if mortally wounded by a night without passion. Taylor has created a series of fiery encounters, in turns playful and predatory, in this passionate homage to tango’s Argentinian working class roots.

“Dynamite!  A sexy, saucy modern tango tour-de-force. Rich with drama and exquisitely danced by all.” –The Huffington Post

“…a sizzling addition to the Ailey repertory.” –The New York Times

Generous support for this production of Piazzolla Caldera is provided by the Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn & Nicolas Rohatyn New Works Endowment Fund.