An inside glimpse of Tango Moderno

Tango Moderno, Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace’s brand new stage show, opened on 7 September, at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, ahead of a UK tour.

It is the former Strictly Come Dancing stars’ fourth stage show, following on from a trilogy that included Midnight Tango, Dance ’Til Dawn and The Last Tango, all put together by the same creative team.

A key member of that team is creative genius Vicky Gill, who led a team at DSI London in the creation of the costumes.

“It’s going to be very different,” says Flavia of Tango Moderno. “When we start a show, we always make it different to the previous one, so the audience can come and see something new. We decided, with this one, to go down a more modern route, hence the Moderno in Italian” – Vincent and Flavia both come from Italian families – “so, as our previous shows have been set from the 1920s to the 1970s, this is something we haven’t done.

“I’ve been talking with Vicky, our wonderful costume lady, about finding a balance. We’re not going full pelt, with every number being done in jeans and T-shirts. It has to be elegant, it has to feel classy and we have to feel comfortable dancing in the clothes, but the styles, the colours, the designs will have a modern take.

“Normally our costume department is really, really good at replicating a certain era, so if it’s the 1920s, they research what the blouses look like, the cuts of skirts, the men’s tailoring, so in this case we will look at colours, styles and designs we wear now, but they will still look and feel like they’re dance outfits.” So there will still be the odd sequin? “There will be,” she laughs.

“The set is going to be very different, it’s going to be set in a city,” Flavia explains. “It’s going to be based on a big apartment block with lots of windows. We’re not going to locate it, so the audience can use their imaginations and decide where they want to be in the world, but it’s going to have an urban feel.

“The other thing that’s going to be very different from our previous shows is Vincent and I aren’t going to be characters in the show,” she adds. “We’re going to be a bit more on the outside helping narrate the story; we’re going to be a bit like Cupid’s arrow, influencing the characters’ lives.”

We can’t wait to see it!

For more information and to book tickets, see www.tangomoderno.com