Dances, guests and surprises: the show at the Colón Theater

The dancers lay on the floor. Some stretched their legs or arms. Others watched their cell phones while they waited their turn to approach the center of the stage. A few meters away, another group rehearsed steps of a national dance following instructions of a voice on a loudspeaker. In front of them only a few people occupied the seats in the Colon Theater. It was just a preview of what will happen on Friday night, when those seats will be occupied by the most important leaders of the world.

The show that the Government entrusted is aimed at demonstrating the artistic, cultural and landscape diversity of Argentina. Tuesday was the first general rehearsal after months of preparation in separate places, such as the Kirchner Cultural Center or Tecnopolis .

The show includes the participation of 84 dancers and 75 musicians, who will form a symphonic orchestra specially prepared for the occasion. It will be the central event of the gala at the Teatro Colón, which will take place on Friday at 8 pm, with the participation of all the delegations. Behind the scenes they laughingly say that they are counting on having "a full theater", as there was a surprising amount of requests for invitations from the delegations to attend the show at the Colón, that over a month ago was rated as the best in the world by a recognized tourism site of Italy.

The show, which will include a display of visual and sound effects, will last 40 minutes and will be broadcast live on the Public TV from 6.30pm.

It will feature demonstrations of national dances such as malambo and chamamé, as well as more modern disciplines, such as urban dance and even parkour. "It will be a journey through Argentina in a setting with various scenic languages," said Gabriela Ricardes, who underlined the technical aspects "of the 21st century" that will be presented at the ceremony.

The creative team of Argentum, integrated by Ricky Pashkus (artistic direction), Gabriela Ricardes and Gustavo Mozzi, among others, tries not to reveal too much information about what the world leaders will see, and who will be sitting in the lower boxes. The upper boxes will be closed.

Despite the secrecy, the event will include the participation of special guests, icons of contemporary culture in Argentina. Julio Bocca and the tango choreographer Mora Godoy will participate, among other artists.

Six gray cubes about two meters high were deployed on the stage yesterday. Behind each of them, waiting behind a set of stairs, a dancer slipped on his head, like a giant hat, a gleaming white horse's head. With the precision that only hours of rehearsal could give him, the horses climbed into the cubes and took part of the rehearsal.

"It's going to be a very intense show," said Ricardes in the Golden Hall of the theater, where the presidents will dine after the show. Ricardes said that president Mauricio Macri specifically requested that show demonstrate the greatest cultural diversity possible. Therefore, castings were held throughout the country to form the dance team. More than 700 people showed up. "There is a total federal representation, people from all the provinces came," Pashkus said.

Por Alan Soria Guadalupe

• G20 Summit 2018

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