The title sequence to Season 2: Buenos Aires is special to me.
Once I started studying tango, I knew there was one thing I wanted to convey in each episode: the embrace (el abrazo).
For Season 1 in Havana, I don't even remember what I told my editors regarding the title sequence. I'm pretty sure I asked them to make it fun and colorful and reflect the energy of the streets of Havana - which is exactly what they did.
But tango - and Buenos Aires - felt different. I arrived as the city was approaching winter - it was cool and gray most days. And when I started studying tango, and practicing at milongas, the energy of the dance was very different from salsa in Havana. Whereas Cuban salsa is bright, joyful, sexy and flirtatious, the intimacy and delight of tango is more internal and focused.
At the center of this was the embrace - and I was enamored with it pretty immediately. Some describe dancing tango as a "walking hug". And in order to dance well with a partner, you need to have that close connection. It involves so many parts - chest, shoulders, arms, hands - and - the breath.
But it's not really so much about technique. I wanted to convey how it FEELS to come together with your partner...
To gently clasp your hands together, put your arms around one another, take a deep breath, and then.....whooosh.....dance.
And now every time I watch that title sequence, I feel it all over again.
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