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| {{short description|Argentine tango dancer}} | |||
| {{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| | name = Juan Carlos Copes | | name = Juan Carlos Copes | ||
Revision as of 20:13, 16 January 2021
Argentine tango dancer| Juan Carlos Copes | |
|---|---|
 Copes performs at the 2011 Tango Day, in Buenos Aires, with his daughter Johana | |
| Born | (1931-05-31)31 May 1931 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | 16 January 2021(2021-01-16) (aged 89) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Occupation(s) | Tango dancer, choreographer, and instructor |
| Years active | 1945-2015 |
Juan Carlos Copes (May 31, 1931 – January 16, 2021) was an Argentine tango dancer, choreographer, and performer. He was the first to create choreographed tango stage shows and contributed to the worldwide revival of tango as a dance form after 1970.
Life
Copes was born in Buenos Aires. When he was 17 years old, he took the 14-year-old Maria Nieves as his dance partner; the two would soon become lovers. She described him as a poor dancer initially, but he improved quickly. His first professional performances were with Francisco Canaro's orchestra in 1955, and in 1958 he debuted in Europe and the United States with Maria Nieves as his partner.
He married Maria Nieves in Las Vegas, but the marriage did not last. They continued to dance together, and Maria Nieves described the hatred between them as improving their art.
During the 1960s, Copes was instrumental in creating the modern tango show concept in Buenos Aires. Copes and Nieves starred in a 1962 production at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway as well as appearing on numerous episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show from 1962 to 1964.
Copes choreographed and starred in the musical Tango Argentino in Paris in 1983, which contributed to worldwide revival of tango; his notable stage credits also include his work as chief choreographer of Ástor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires (1968), in the Spanish National Dance Company's Dance Icons series (1993), and a leading role in Manuel González Gil's Entre Borges y Piazzolla (Between Borges and Piazzolla, 1997).
Copes' film credits include Raúl de la Torre's musical, Funes, un gran amor (1993), and in a role as chief choreographer in Tango, la película (Tango, the Movie), a 1998 film by Carlos Saura.
He had a daughter, Johana, with his second wife, and he began to dance with her on stage in 1994.
Copes has received numerous artistic awards. His pupils include Robert Duvall and Liza Minnelli.
His often problematic relationship with Maria Nieves, his dance partner for over 40 years, was depicted in the 2015 documentary film Un tango más by German Kral.
Copes died from COVID-19 complications on January 16, 2021.
References
- Totango Archived 2010-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Un tango más (2015), documentary film by German Kral
- ^ "Juan Carlos Copes". To Tango. Archived from the original on 2010-04-28.
- ^ Juan Carlos Copes
- "A los 89 años, murió el bailarín de tango Juan Carlos Copes luego de haber contraído coronavirus en el mes de diciembre". infobae (in European Spanish). 16 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
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