By Michelle Edgar
Tango Elite’s The Show will make its world premiere Friday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, bringing together internationally acclaimed dancers, live music from the renowned Tango Bardo orchestra, and cinematic storytelling in a production designed to introduce a new generation of audiences to the passion and artistry of Argentine tango.
For creators Carlos Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes, the production represents far more than an opening night. The husband and wife team, who have danced together for nearly two decades and been married for eighteen years, created Tango Elite after years of watching the art form evolve and asking themselves a simple question, “Where had the soul gone?”
Rather than presenting tango as a sequence of performances, Barrionuevo and Valdes envisioned a theatrical journey where music, movement, and storytelling combine to create an immersive emotional experience. “This is not a remake. It’s the next chapter,” said Barrionuevo.
Partners in dance and in life, the pair have spent much of the past two decades performing around the world, teaching students, collaborating with some of tango’s most respected artists, and building a shared philosophy centered on movement, connection, and authenticity.
Barrionuevo speaks about preserving tango’s roots and honoring the generations who carried the dance before them. Valdes focuses on atmosphere, emotion, and storytelling. “When you have spent eighteen years dancing and building a life together, you stop counting steps. You begin listening,” said Valdes. “Carlos protects the roots. I dream about the feeling. Somewhere in the middle is where we meet.”
As Barrionuevo assembled the foundation of the show, he sought guidance from longtime mentor Jorge Torres, whom he describes as one of tango’s pioneering figures. Their goal was to honor the spirit of earlier generations while creating something that felt relevant to contemporary audiences.
The cast features internationally celebrated artists including Jorge Torres and Maria Blanco, Gabriel Misse and Maru Rifourcat, Adrian Veredice and Alejandra Hobert, along with Dancing with the Stars favorites Sharna Burgess and Artem Chigvintsev, who learned a special tango routine for the production.
Burgess said, “Working with Carlos and Mayte is an absolute dream. Their creativity talent and passion for Tango is undeniable and I am honored to share a stage with them. I’m certain this is only the beginning for Tango Elite.”
For Valdes, the show’s visual identity was inspired as much by classic Hollywood as traditional tango. Drawing from the glamour and emotional tension of films from the 1930s through the 1950s, she approached the production almost as if casting a movie.
Together, the creators intentionally selected five featured dance couples not only for technical excellence, but for the authenticity they bring to the stage. Three of the featured couples are married, creating an atmosphere that feels less like a cast assembled through auditions and more like a community built through years of friendship and artistic collaboration. Yet for Barrionuevo and Valdes, Tango Elite is about more than performance.
They believe tango offers something increasingly rare in a fast moving world with human connection. That conviction deepened during international performances, including time spent in Poland, where they witnessed communities turning to art, music, and movement during periods of uncertainty and upheaval. The experience reinforced their belief that storytelling and shared experiences still possess the power to bring people together.
Beyond the stage, the pair are also reimagining what tango can become through their broader teaching philosophy and community work. “We do not teach people how to dance. We try to create experiences that allow people to reconnect with themselves,” said Valdes, who teaches at Soho Dance Academy and works with the Tango Earth amateur training team.
Their mission extends beyond choreography. Through classes, performances, and events, they hope to create spaces where people reconnect not only with dance, but with themselves and one another. The couple also sees Tango Elite as part of a larger cultural conversation unfolding across Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles has incredible creative energy,” said Valdes. “We hope people discover that tango belongs in that conversation too. If people leave remembering how something made them feel instead of what they saw, then we did our job.”
For Barrionuevo, the vision stretches far beyond opening night. He imagines Tango Elite evolving into a touring experience capable of moving between theaters, festivals, cultural spaces, and communities. “For me, this has never just been about preserving tango’s past,” said Barrionuevo. “I hope we build a community where artists support one another, where people reconnect with themselves, and where the next generation sees tango not as something distant or intimidating, but as something they want to be part of. If we can do that, then we’ve done something meaningful.”