REVIEW: Tango in Silk – A Dazzling Dance

©️ Photo Credit: Wan & Kelly Lin, Poster Design: Qiqi Zhang

Premiering this summer at both Camden Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe, Tango in Silk is a refined and evocative ballroom duet by acclaimed Chinese dancer and choreographer Xi Liu and dancer Mingcong Hu. Seamlessly blending the sharp sensuality of Argentine tango with the lyrical elegance of 1930s Shanghai, this original work is a deeply personal meditation on identity, migration, and transformation.

Set to a dynamic and emotionally textured soundtrack, the performance follows the journey of an East Asian woman newly arrived in the UK. Her dance begins in quiet uncertainty—hesitant gestures and reserved steps—and gradually evolves into confident, grounded movement. It’s a story told without words but rich in feeling, one that charts inner change through choreography.

Powerful. Professional. Poetic.

The piece opens with the iconic Chinese song Ye Shanghai, instantly conjuring the glamour of old Shanghai. A lone dancer sits poised at centre stage, then engages in a tightly choreographed duet—an elegant battle of dominance, resistance, and desire. Their movements are precise yet expressive: fluid turns, sharp lifts, and grounded footwork reveal a dialogue of power and trust. As the title promises, it is indeed “as smooth as silk.”

Visually, Tango in Silk draws deeply from Chinese aesthetics. A striking red qipao, a white silk fan, and the interweaving of traditional plucked instruments with tango rhythms create a rich sensory palette. But this isn’t simply a layering of cultural references; it’s a thoughtful fusion. The work doesn’t just borrow from tango—it reimagines it, using the form as a cross-cultural language of longing, constraint, and liberation.

This is not just a dance piece—it’s a cultural offering, one shaped by memory and crafted with sincerity.

★★★★1/2

With only a one-day live run at Edinburgh Fringe, the performance leaves the audience yearning for more. For those eager to revisit it, a digital version will stream on 25 August, available at: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tango-in-silk

This show is going to Camden Fringe on 9th August, 6 pm at The Courtyard Theatre, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU. More information could be found at https://camdenfringe.com/events/tango-in-silk/

Credits

Dancer: Xi Liu, Mingcong Hu