Marcus & Karen Hilton Tango Showdance WSS 1998

Marcus & Karen Hilton Tango Showdance at WSS.
Name of the song is "Concierto Para Quinteto" by Astor Piazzolla
If you're not sure who they are, Marcus & Karen are the 9 time professional international standard world champions and were also once 10-dance world champions (pretty insane)
Their dancing is usually described as "simply the best"

[@navarredance]

I had never seen this show tango before - awesome. Definitely a poke in the eye for all those Argentine tango snobs who disrespect ballroom tango. Karen Hilton has a breath-taking talent.

[@davidandlili]

God! I love them. They are by far my favourites ever. I teach dance and they just inspire me so much. It is a risky tango - but isn't that what art is all about - taking risks? The music suits them perfectly and they are definately doing a tango & it certainly tells a story, so maybe it isn't quite so traditional - if you can pull it off like they do - then why the hell not?!!!! Also,do you want people to say "my god, you both dance amazingly together!" or "where do you take lessons?

[@cdurodola]

Watching Dancesport right now on PBS, I wish for these fluid, beautiful dances, not the aerobics I'm looking at now. Beautiful.

[@MaestroAshman]

I think people need to realise that this is a show piece, not a competitive or technical routine. They are pushing boundaries and experimenting with shapes, musicality and body dynamics. They were such pioneers. Very forward thinking. I think the top pros of today could learn a thing-or-two from this.

[@navarredance]

That would make such sense. I have seen waltz danced in Croatia, of all places, that looks remarkably like Tango. Much be the culture of the hemispheres migrating and mutating to create a beautiful new dance :)

[@watchmanwatcher]

What is the music at the beginning of the video? I know it's from a movie but I can't place it. Fantastic for tango!

[@navarredance]

I always think, rightly or wrongly, of Tango Vals as Viennese Waltz because of the tempo. I guess it's just where our respective frames of reference are as dancers. American Peabody to me is a slow Quickstep !

[@slam5]

Wow.. And I though their tango is so so.. what year was this wss?

[@cshorte]

haha it seems everyone has taken this song and used a different part of it for their tango :p

[@navarredance]

That's a fair point, but with 2/4 time what else could they dance to ? Paso Doble ? The more I see of Argentine Tango the more I understand how Ballroom Tango and it's technique developed. In fact if you read the Ballroom technique books and their description of the walks and figures the analysis applies equally to Argentine Tango - the aesthetic of the inside edge of the foot etc so I agree that the character of Argentine Tango is distinctive - I guess what I am trying to say is it's all Tango.

[@McGravity1]

What happened to the sound?

[@alexanderdance]

does anyone know the song they did the intro to?

[@dwtsfanatic]

what year is this wss performance from?

[@slam5]

well, this is a show dance! They have to do these lifts and drops to earn their keep! :-)

[@DancesportReviews]

i like the slight elastic reciol they seem to have in the upper body...sometimes couple keep the upper body so stiff it looks quite uncomfortable and unnatural

[@leonardogunawan5411]

Great Tango. But I prefer Augusto Schiavo and Caterina Arzenton, though...

[@sytycdusfan]

because you lose points if you don't show expression in your face-even if its a bad one its better than none!

[@Brithyll]

Ouch! Well, I know what I'm talking about, and believe that everyone has the right to judge. The music does not suit the rendition, nor would I deem this a tango, seeing no characteristic elements of the dance. The video is here to enjoy and people are giving their opinion, informed or not. No, this couple are hardly legends, but they've produced excellent work. It's interesting that, while they're intelligently discussing their views without rancour, you seem to be more intent on calling names.

[@dapenda]

I think Karen has very much to do with it. More skill and much charisma than Alessia