Los Totis: When Tradition Meets Perfection
Los Totis refers to the tango couple who rose up a phenomenal, awe-inspiring, and elegant twist to Tango Argentino where the dancers are given the liberty to let their unique personalities exude and let loose.
For most people, dancing has always been more than a form of art; it’s also a mirror of political issues and societal processes, as stated by Arzucan Askin.
Tango Argentino — among other tango styles in the past — was only practiced by those that were considered to be of high social standing.
These dances observe strict orchestral rules and guidelines and follow rigid gender rules. Even forms of art caused a divide among communities back then.
Currently, the youth are more inclined to perform these traditional dances without adhering to prejudicial gender roles and political hierarchies. Anyone and everyone can dance to any music with the beats of traditional dances that still captivate many. The rising popularity of tango Argentino can be attributed to the rise of technology and rapid globalization — thus, the birth of the amazing Los Totis.
Who are Los Totis exactly, and how did they become a phenomenon among tango aficionados in various parts of the globe?
A Brief History of Los Totis
Christian Marquez and Virginia Gomes — now two of the most renowned tango dancers — started dancing and learning the craft together in 1996.
They were described as brilliant students by their tango teachers — another legendary couple — Natalia Games and Gabriel Angio. Aside from sowing the most effective tactics from this couple, they were also students of some of the most amazing tango masters: Jorge Raul Bravo, Pedro Faraldo, and Mingo y Esther Pugliese. Raul — who is also referred to as the Maestro de Maestros — is a living tango legend. This tango maestro and his skills are unmatched, and passing them down to Christian and Virginia was indeed an inspired idea.
Los Totis’ style was also mainly inspired and derived from the remarkable moves of the couple mentioned above, Gabriel and Natalia.
Their specialty was stage tango, and they used flashy, sharp movements to emphasize the essence of Tango in the performance.
Seeing these precise yet liberated movements from their mentors inspired Virginia and Christian to come up with their own as the Los Totis. As mentioned in a review from the Southern California Tango Championship:
“Gabriel Angio had a genius mind, having studied with all the legends and memorizing not only their figures but exactly the way they did it and in their cadence. Gabriel’s era was also during the rise of stage tango, when performances used sharp flashy movements to entertain dancers as well as non-dancer spectators. (It’s a stark contrast from most of today’s performances featuring a more low-key social vibe and performed in front of mostly dancers.)
Being that Christian & Virginia were Gabriel’s star students, you can see exactly where they get their distinct style of precision and sharpness from. You’ll see how they evolve from their stage origins into the unique crowd-pleasing technical style that you see today.”
The couple’s first stage appearance was in 1997.
These shows were organized by dancing icons such as Roberto Reis, Gellermina Geroga, and Milena Plebs. They broke out internationally in 2009, performing with stars at different shows such as “Corporacion Tangos,” “Los Tangos de la Caballa,” “O’Tango,” Piazzolla Tango,” “Copes Tango Copes,” and the ginormous event that elevated their stardom to the next level, the Beirut International Tango Festival.
Aside from attending these world-renowned shows, Virginia and Christian give workshops for students around the globe. One of these was the “Concert Milonga” in Geneva, Switzerland, in September 2019.
The knowledge, tactics, and skills they have enhanced throughout years of experience fueled their passion for teaching other tango enthusiasts the craft of Los Totis and tango Argentino in general.
Their mature and passionate dance is close to the heart of mature tango dancers. Elegant, sophisticated, and flavorful — it’s no wonder Los Totis is well-loved by Tango masters and enthusiasts worldwide.
What the Critics Think
Los Totis has left an impression on critics who were able to witness the astonishing performances of Christian and Virginia. It’s not difficult to remember this crowd-pleaser who worked their way to the top with talent and skills.
Because of their unified and memorable movements, the couple seemed to have cemented their partnership in the audience’s perception.
We did a review of tango dancers that expressed the same sentiments on our website:
“As a part of Los Totis, it is impossible to separate Virginia from Christian as it is their partnership, coupled with their elegant aesthetic and passion for dancing, that has cemented their names in the tango world. Reaching such a status is hardly surprising as they are both students of renowned tango masters such as Toto Pedro Faraldo, Mingo and Esther Pugliese, and Jorge Raul Bravo.
In developing their personal style, they have reached a kind of maturity unique to their performance — a quality that is aspired to by professional and competitive tango dancers.”
Aside from the apparent camaraderie between the couple, their classic and authentic style also shines through their performances. It’s almost as if the audience traveled to the past while watching their performances, as expressed in this review from Southern California Tango Championship:
“The first word that comes to mind about Los Totis is “classic”. Their distinct style of tango looks like something time-traveled perfectly from the past.
The look, the moves, and the musicality. They are exactly the perfect image of what comes to mind when you think of classic tango (or “old school tango”). A suit, a dress, sharp lines, and movements. Elegant, classy, and flashy all at the same time.
Here, you can see their stage background as they dance a classic-style choreography to Pugliese over [a] concrete floor like many legends before them. It really doesn’t get any more classic and authentic than that.
Pay close attention to the sharp movements and intricate figures sprinkled throughout the dance. They would soon become the hallmarks of the dubbed “Los Totis style”.”
Another unusual excerpt from the review creatively described Los Totis’ style as “still classic tango, but now on steroids.” Los Totis’ avant-garde innovation to tango is truly different from the usual performances seen on TV:
“Here, we arrived at Los Totis’ infamous “white pants era” where they reach a whole new level of technical precision. This is still classic tango, but now on steroids.
They shed the Pugliese stage-dancer image a bit and begin playing with D’Arienzo, highlighting his orchestra’s energy, speed and playfulness. This is the moment they became truly unique.
Long complex sequences mixed with unorthodox sacadas, barridas, and ganchos, all perfectly synced to the music’s staccato energy. They are especially known for their ganchos, intricate variations, choppy cadence, and ridiculously super-clean precision.
It’s one thing to throw out hard moves, but another thing to always end up in perfect positions each and every time. It’s a testament to their cleanliness that some people even think they’re “too perfect”. For those wondering…yes, he absolutely can lead all those moves. (Amazing, we know.)”
Even a non-Tango enthusiast can zoom in on the precision and flawlessness in techniques the couple exhibits on the dance floor. These are some of the qualities professional choreographers and dancers aspire to have. However, being precise is not more important that rigidity, as the couple surprised the audience with novel tricks up their sleeves:
“Christian does an enrosque, ending in what LOOKS like a pasada — OH WAIT, it’s a trick, he’s doing barridas now — actually, he tricked us again, and swings a quick colgada as he runs behind her. Now, he’s showcasing his smoothness with the same colgada but to the other side, transitioning into 2 sacadas before finishing with a long perfect close-embrace colgada, much to the crowd’s delight.
They start running off multiple chain combos and embellishments in perfect synchronization, but that was just them taking a break.
Right when you were about to clap, Christian erupts into a dozen ganchos in rapid succession and NOW WE HAVE JUMPING GANCHOS! The song ends and we have officially seen it all, ladies and gentlemen.”
Los Totis is indeed a breath of fresh air for all tango enthusiasts, tango masters, and tango maestros who have been following this dance for years. The reviews say it all — they are indeed phenomenal and close to legendary.
Los Totis: On Gender and Sexuality
Los Totis is definitely fun to watch, according to these reviews.
However, some cannot help but wonder whether tango is a kind of dance that embodies the long-forgotten perceptions of gender roles and hyper-heterosexuality.
This was written by Kathy Davis of VU University, Amsterdam, in a journal publication:
“Tango seems to be the most extreme embodiment of traditional notions of gender and heterosexuality. The appearance of the dancers, their movements, but also the lyrics of the music, and the codified interactions between dancers in salons (the venues where tango is danced) are all permeated by hyper-heterosexual and old-fashioned meanings of masculinity and femininity.
Tango, therefore, not only seems to be the performance of passion, but it is also the performance par excellence of gender inequality: feminine subservience and masculine machismo.”
Also, an article from Sasha Cagen seems to beg the same question after receiving dance lessons from Los Totis:
“But I can’t help but ask, if tango is macho, or machista, does the feminine energy in the follower role get a fifty percent equal role in the dance?
I have been to many tango classes where tango teachers teach passivity in the female role. I’ll never forget the women’s technique class I took from a well-known Argentine woman teacher who told a group of women,
“Technique is all you need. You don’t need any style. If you had a style, that would actually hurt because you would be less malleable.”
I wondered if she thought a woman’s job was to be malleable off the dance floor as well as on it. She was married to her dance partner. I thought of a woman adopting all the preferences and personality of her husband. You like that wine, I love that wine. You love that neighborhood, I love that neighborhood. She was a beautiful dancer but there was something generic about her dance. It was technically perfect but soulless. Boring. She seemed too malleable.”
However, the insights for both of these feminist reviews on tango, in general, and the passionate Los Totis ended on the same note as we did:
“In tango, these stereotypes are challenged. Women are graceful and beautiful yet fierce and strong. The Argentine Tango provides an expressive outlet for women looking to embrace and explore their femininity while dismantling outdated and harmful stereotypes and clichés.
The conversation around dance has changed a lot over the years, and it is time that you learn more about femininity through the beautiful art of dance.
Argentine tango is a vessel through which to harness your inner power. When learning to dance, you will find out exactly how to express that, and you may even discover things you didn’t know about yourself.”
Tango — and Los Totis in particular — stirs up discussions on gender and how tango can break these stereotypes instead of promoting them.
The sensual and passionate tension between the couple Los Totis empowers women and equalizes their passion with men.
This makes Los Totis a positive change to tango as people know and love it.
It Takes Two To Tango
Christian and Virginia shook the world of tango with their unexpected style. Their remarkable performances — which you can watch in this Youtube video (posted above)— serve as a reminder that dances don’t need to be rigid, and they can evolve in their own rights.
Los Totis earned their title as the “Master Couple” given their determination to reach the top and their love for tango.
Their students will surely benefit from their dance prowess and passion as the legendary Los Totis.