Forever Tango

The 12-year-old showcase of Argentinean dancing and musical bravura is showing signs of age in its third trip through San Francisco. Oh, yes, the skills of the dancers remain awe-inspiring, and the band — consisting of not one, not two, but four bandoneóns (think accordion, only sexier) — is as fabulous as ever. But perhaps when you've danced the same dance with the same choreography for more than a decade, your passionate connection with your partner, which makes the tango (as the show's creator, Luis Bravo, describes it), "so much more than just a dance," starts to fray at the edges. That connection can still be seen, usually in a fleeting pause, as partners lean into one another; at such times, you can believe that it is their desire for each other, and not the footwork they've expertly performed thousands of times, that leads them to what happens next. These moments, though all too rare in this current tour, are the heart of both the dance and this show, and are still something to behold. — Molly Rhodes