“In Buenos Aires, German Comejo is a super-famous name. He is king of tango, the dance that embodies the soul of Argentina. Together with his partner Gisela Galeassi, he has won all the prizes and fronted all the talent shows, but as well as being a peerless dancer he is also a major choreographer. As his new show demonstrates, he is taking tango out of its ghetto and giving it a wider, expressive range.”
Dance Open 2024:
Tango After Dark performed by GERMAN CORNEJO DANCE COMPANY
GERMAN CORNEJO IN HIS OWN WORDS
“People […] see a unique mix of completely different dance styles and music. It’s a real immersion in Argentinian culture. In contemporary culture, where we can here folk, and rock, and tango.”
German Cornejo
In Argentina, they call him the king of tango. In Buenos Aires, the name German Cornejo (not to be confused with Herman Cornejo, the star of American Ballet Theatre, who has performed at the DANCE OPEN GALA more than once) is incredibly famous.
Cornejo was born in Zárate, Buenos Aries Province, and graduated from from Gatell Conservatory of Dance with the honorable title of Master of Tango. He went on to obtain a master’s degree in Choreographic Composition at the Instituto Universitario Nacional del Arte. He studied with many teachers, learning classical and contemporary ballet, as well as jazz and acrobatic techniques, but he considers his “artistic godmother” to be Nelida Rodriguez, a star on Broadway in the 1980s and one of the first performers of Argentinian tango on the international stage.
Having won every imaginable dance award in his homeland, Cornejo became World Tango Champion in 2005. He performed at the most prestigious tango venues on every continent. Then, in creating German Cornejo Dance Company, he conquered the world again, this time as the choreographer of vivid and unpredictable shows, the very names of which – Wild Tango and Tango After Dark – speak volumes.