Embassy Night for Oasis has usually centered around musical performances. This edition was a departure from the tradition as a pair of Tango dancers came down to Pilani from the Argentine Embassy. Yoga and Hinduism have had a profound impact on the female lead of the night – Alejandra Caceres’ life (or “Viveka”, as she prefers to be called). She has been dancing the tango for the past 10 years. Jorge Ayarza, an Ecuadorian, considers himself to be a local as he has lived in and explored many parts of India for the past few years. Both of them met and danced the tango together for the first time in Pilani. However, this was barely evident from their performance at the Rotunda.

For the last couple of days, Viveka and Jorge had been slipping into their dancing shoes to practice for approximately 4 hours at a stretch. Being an amenable pair, they did not have any complaints about the texture of the Rotunda floor as it was nothing which could not be solved with some talcum powder. An hour or so before their performance, they were told that a short ten-minute act was inadequate. As a result, they simply added two more songs to their playlist and did a couple of impromptu dances.

Spanish tango music was used for all their sets. The audience cheered in fervent admiration as they performed a series of effortless twists and turns, with an occasional high kick thrown in. The tango was executed with perfect grace and it was truly a marvel to see Viveka manipulating her balance with ease while Jorge steered her through the complicated legwork.

They concluded the dance by expressing their appreciation for the crowd and the Indian community. Viveka will be holding a tango workshop with her friend, Maria Bellen. She requested the audience to attend it.