From the Milonga to
the Pillow:
Social Tango Project Creates Connection

In Festival 2024, Social Tango Project took tango from the milongas and dance clubs of Buenos Aires to the proscenium stage, inviting audiences to take part in the connection and joy of this special social dance. In their performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre, Social Tango Project immersed audiences in the heart of tango by bringing together dance, live music, and a cinematic documentary film score created by their film director, Nora Lezano. Now through January 24, audiences can relive the magic of Social Tango Project with a free Encore Stream on Jacob’s Pillow Live.

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Social Tango Project takes their vision beyond the stage. The company also produces films and photography exhibitions that give a humanistic, intimate look into the social dance. Stage Director Pablo Destito & Artistic Director Agustina Videla’s award-winning dance film, Being (2019), was featured in a 2024 Pillow Talk on the Pillow’s campus, where the artists discussed how their film work informs their performances.

The Milonga: Bringing Tango into Focus

Originating from the music and dance style of the same name which developed in 19th-century Argentina as a result of social and political shifts, milongas have been taking place in Buenos Aires since the early 20th century. A term with three meanings — a gathering, a style of music, and a dance — Lezano’s exhibit draws upon the definition of milonga as a site of Argentine social dance, a place where people from all walks of life can come together and dance.

Cachirulo, held twice a week at a tango club in Buenos Aires, is one of the most popular milongas in the city. There, among the mix of people from different backgrounds all swirling together on the dance floor, Lezano and Videla found their artistic inspiration. At Cachirulo, Lezano set up a small and austere studio, where the photographer invited subjects straight off the dance floor and into focus – from dancers to bartenders, both alone and in pairs. “The result is an excellent mosaic of fresh and varied expressions,” says Juan Travnik in the program note.

Lezano’s portraits are daringly and lovingly human. The subjects aren’t flashy or posing, but they also don’t ignore the gaze of the camera, or by extension, the gaze of the viewer. This humanist portrayal, so centric to the experience of the milonga, is what Videla captures in Social Tango Project’s performance. “Social Tango tells a story in which tango plays a part, as it might in the real world, among people who dance it socially,” said Josh Osburn in a program note, “not as show or art form, but as human experience.” 

Milonga at Jacob’s Pillow: Bringing Tango to the Berkshires

Social Tango Project brought the human experience demonstrated on-stage straight to the audience in the form of their own milonga, hosted on the Pillow’s Campus in the Bakalar Studio following the Saturday evening performance. There, following a short lesson led by Videla, audience members explored tango for themselves – showing how the company uniquely centers social connection in their work.

For more digital offerings such as Encore Streams from Festival 2025, and short films from our Pillow Lab residencies, sign up for our Digital On Demand Digest.

This Pillow Pick was written by Lucy Kudlinski and published on January 13, 2025.