Roberto Herrera
Encyclopedia
Roberto Herrera is an Argentine
Tango
dancer born in San Salvador de Jujuy
.
He began studying Argentine folk dancing at the age of 8. From 1986 to 1990 he was the principal dancer of the Ballet Popular Argentino, directed by "El Chúcaro" Santiago Ayala and Norma Viola.
In 1986 he was chosen as a soloist dancer for the movie Tango Bar, which contributed to relaunching Argentine Tango
on the world scene. From 1990 to 1991 he was the principal dancer of the show Imágenes de Tango y Folklore, with the Orchestra of Horacio Salgán
, choreographed by Ana María Stekelman
and directed by Héctor Aure. From 1990 to 1992 he was also main dancer and choreography assistant of the Ballet Folklórico Nacional de Argentina.
In 1992 he entered the cast of the now legendary show Tango Argentino, with all the major dancers of the period, during its opening season at Lola Membrives Theatre in Buenos Aires
, under the direction of Claudio Segovia. He also undertook the first of many tours of Japan
, with the Orchestra of Maestro Ramos.
From 1992 to 1994 he was main dancer of the show of the Casa de Tango Michelangelo in Buenos Aires, with the participation of the famous songwriters/singers Roberto Goyeneche
, María Graña, Adriana Varela
, Horacio Ferrer, Raúl Lavié
, and of the Orchestras Sexteto Mayor, Julián Plaza and José Colángelo.
In 1992 he was chosen by Osvaldo Pugliese
as principal dancer of his Orchestra and took part in a Europe
an tour and in a Latin American one. The two artists then continued working together until Pugliese's death in 1995. From 1993 to 1995 Roberto Herrera was also the main dancer of the show Tango Pasión with the Orchestra Sexteto Mayor, during its tours in Europe
, the United States of America and Asia
. In 1994 he was cast in the biographical movie Muchas Gracias, Maestro, on the life of Osvaldo Pugliese.
In 1995 he took part in the Japanese tour of the Orchestra of Leopoldo Federico and, in that same year and until 2001, he was the creator, choreographer and principal dancer of the show Tango, Una História, performed successfully in the historic bar El Querandí in Buenos Aires for six subsequent years, then in Brazil
in 1999 and in Korea
in 2002. In 1996 he took part in three tours of Japan, respectively with the Orchestra of Julián Plaza, with Los Grandes del Tango Argentino and with the Orchestra of Leopoldo Federico. In 1997 Roberto Herrera was chosen to open the Argentine premiere of the movie Evita
, with an original choreography
. That same year he directed the closing show of the Mar del Plata Film Festival
in Argentina.
From 1999 to 2000 he was again cast in the show Tango Argentino, directed by Claudio Segovia, during its season at the Buenos Aires Opera Theatre and its return to the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway
.
Since the year 2000 he has also taken part, as invited artist and teacher, in many festivals of Argentine tango in Europe, South America
and Japan. In 1999 and 2003 he directed and performed as principal dancer in a show with the Orchestra of Beba Pugliese, daughter of the great Maestro, touring Japan. That same year he took part in the 20th anniversary of the show Tango Argentino in Buenos Aires.
At the beginning of 2004 he was invited as principal dancer to take part in the tango musical Tanguera (singer: Lidia Borda
) at the Teatro Nacional of Buenos Aires. During the same year he also presented his new show entitled Tango Nuevo with a tour of the Northern provinces
of Salta
and Jujuy
in Argentina.
In July 2005 Tango Nuevo premiered successfully in Europe. The show, which toured the main cities of Italy
, is composed of six couples of dancers accompanied by the Ensemble Hyperion Orchestra.
In June and September 2006 Roberto Herrera took part in the sell-out show Buenos Aires Tango in the cities of Paris
(France
), Brussels
(Belgium
) and Rome
(Italy
), with Orquesta El Arranque
, Vale Tango, Quinteto Ramiro Gallo and Decarísimo. He then performed in the same show in Brescia
(Italy
) and at the Hong Kong Arts Festival
for two weeks in March 2007.
In February 2007 Roberto Herrera and his Tango Company toured Italy
once more with the show Tango, accompanied by Ensemble Hyperion.
In May 2007 Roberto and his Company took the show Tango Nuevo to Singapore
and Bali
.
Roberto Herrera has also been portrayed in numerous books and tango CDs and received a mention in the chapter entitled Camino al fin del Siglo 20 of the book El Siglo de Oro del Tango, by Horacio Ferrer, published by Manrique Zago in Buenos Aires.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Tango
Tango (dance)
Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
dancer born in San Salvador de Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy , commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. It lies near the southern end of the Humahuaca Canyon where wooded hills meet the lowlands....
.
He began studying Argentine folk dancing at the age of 8. From 1986 to 1990 he was the principal dancer of the Ballet Popular Argentino, directed by "El Chúcaro" Santiago Ayala and Norma Viola.
In 1986 he was chosen as a soloist dancer for the movie Tango Bar, which contributed to relaunching Argentine Tango
Argentine Tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
on the world scene. From 1990 to 1991 he was the principal dancer of the show Imágenes de Tango y Folklore, with the Orchestra of Horacio Salgán
Horacio Salgán
Horacio Adolfo Salgán is an Afro-Argentine pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and arranger who specializes in tango music....
, choreographed by Ana María Stekelman
Ana Maria Stekelman
Ana María Stekelman is one of Argentina’s leading choreographers and is the founder of the Tangokinesis dance troupe.Stekelman studied modern dance in Buenos Aires with Paulina Ossona and Renate Schottelius and then traveled to New York, where she studied at the Martha Graham Dance School.In 1968...
and directed by Héctor Aure. From 1990 to 1992 he was also main dancer and choreography assistant of the Ballet Folklórico Nacional de Argentina.
In 1992 he entered the cast of the now legendary show Tango Argentino, with all the major dancers of the period, during its opening season at Lola Membrives Theatre in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, under the direction of Claudio Segovia. He also undertook the first of many tours of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with the Orchestra of Maestro Ramos.
From 1992 to 1994 he was main dancer of the show of the Casa de Tango Michelangelo in Buenos Aires, with the participation of the famous songwriters/singers Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche was an Argentine tango singer of Basque descent, who epitomized the archetype of 1950s Buenos Aires' bohemian life, and became a living legend in the local music scene.He was known as El Polaco due to his blond hair, and thinness, like the Polish immigrants of the time...
, María Graña, Adriana Varela
Adriana Varela
Adriana Varela is a female Argentine tango singer, with a successful career that encompasses seven records, as well as minor movie roles.-Summary:...
, Horacio Ferrer, Raúl Lavié
Raúl Lavié
Raúl Lavié is an Argentine entertainer prominent in the Tango genre.-Life and work:Raúl Alberto Peralta was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1937. He first sang on a local radio station in 1955 and was subsequently invited to perform on Radio Belgrano and Radio El Mundo in Buenos Aires...
, and of the Orchestras Sexteto Mayor, Julián Plaza and José Colángelo.
In 1992 he was chosen by Osvaldo Pugliese
Osvaldo Pugliese
Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese was an Argentine tango musician. He developed dramatic arrangements that retained strong elements of the walking beat of salon tango but also heralded the development of concert-style tango music.Some of his music, mostly since the 50s, is used for theatrical dance...
as principal dancer of his Orchestra and took part in a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour and in a Latin American one. The two artists then continued working together until Pugliese's death in 1995. From 1993 to 1995 Roberto Herrera was also the main dancer of the show Tango Pasión with the Orchestra Sexteto Mayor, during its tours in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States of America and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. In 1994 he was cast in the biographical movie Muchas Gracias, Maestro, on the life of Osvaldo Pugliese.
In 1995 he took part in the Japanese tour of the Orchestra of Leopoldo Federico and, in that same year and until 2001, he was the creator, choreographer and principal dancer of the show Tango, Una História, performed successfully in the historic bar El Querandí in Buenos Aires for six subsequent years, then in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1999 and in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 2002. In 1996 he took part in three tours of Japan, respectively with the Orchestra of Julián Plaza, with Los Grandes del Tango Argentino and with the Orchestra of Leopoldo Federico. In 1997 Roberto Herrera was chosen to open the Argentine premiere of the movie Evita
Evita (film)
Evita is the 1996 film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name based on the life of Eva Perón. It was directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone. It starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce...
, with an original choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
. That same year he directed the closing show of the Mar del Plata Film Festival
Mar del Plata Film Festival
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
in Argentina.
From 1999 to 2000 he was again cast in the show Tango Argentino, directed by Claudio Segovia, during its season at the Buenos Aires Opera Theatre and its return to the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
Since the year 2000 he has also taken part, as invited artist and teacher, in many festivals of Argentine tango in Europe, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Japan. In 1999 and 2003 he directed and performed as principal dancer in a show with the Orchestra of Beba Pugliese, daughter of the great Maestro, touring Japan. That same year he took part in the 20th anniversary of the show Tango Argentino in Buenos Aires.
At the beginning of 2004 he was invited as principal dancer to take part in the tango musical Tanguera (singer: Lidia Borda
Lidia Borda
Lidia Borda is an Argentinian tango singer.Lidia Borda whom the “Rolling Stone Magazine” described as “the best tango singer of the present” is regarded as the best female voice in the last decades, and she has been widely acclaimed...
) at the Teatro Nacional of Buenos Aires. During the same year he also presented his new show entitled Tango Nuevo with a tour of the Northern provinces
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest is a region of Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.-Geography:The region had 5 different biomes:* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east...
of Salta
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
and Jujuy
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
in Argentina.
In July 2005 Tango Nuevo premiered successfully in Europe. The show, which toured the main cities of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, is composed of six couples of dancers accompanied by the Ensemble Hyperion Orchestra.
In June and September 2006 Roberto Herrera took part in the sell-out show Buenos Aires Tango in the cities of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), with Orquesta El Arranque
Orquesta El Arranque
Orquesta El Arranque is an Argentine tango orchestra formed in Buenos Aires in 1996.-History:Founded by double bassist Ignacio Varchausky and bandoneonist Camilo Ferrero and starting off as a quintet, El Arranque developed a repertoire that was readily embraced by the tango community, and by the...
, Vale Tango, Quinteto Ramiro Gallo and Decarísimo. He then performed in the same show in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) and at the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival , founded in 1973, is a focus programmes for the Culture of Hong Kong, in order to provides a wide range of art programmes from all over the world....
for two weeks in March 2007.
In February 2007 Roberto Herrera and his Tango Company toured Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
once more with the show Tango, accompanied by Ensemble Hyperion.
In May 2007 Roberto and his Company took the show Tango Nuevo to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
.
Roberto Herrera has also been portrayed in numerous books and tango CDs and received a mention in the chapter entitled Camino al fin del Siglo 20 of the book El Siglo de Oro del Tango, by Horacio Ferrer, published by Manrique Zago in Buenos Aires.