María Nieves facts for kids
María Nieves Rego was born on September 6, 1934. She is a famous Argentine tango dancer and choreographer. She became well-known for her role in the 1983 musical Tango Argentino. Her dance partner for many years was Juan Carlos Copes.
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Early Life and First Steps in Tango
María Nieves grew up in Saavedra, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her parents were from Galicia. They did not have much money.
When her father passed away, María had to leave school in the 4th grade. She started working as a maid in La Boca to help her family. Her older sister, known as La Ñata, introduced her to the world of tango.
When María was 14 years old, she met Juan Carlos Copes, who was 17. He asked her to be his dance partner. This was the start of a long and important dance partnership.
A Global Tango Journey
María Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes helped share tango and milonga music with people all over the world. By 1956, they had created a dance to music by Astor Piazzolla.
After touring through Central America, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba, they met Piazzolla in Mexico City. The three of them became good friends and shared their love for tango music.
In October 1959, they traveled to Puerto Rico. Their show, "Companina Argentina Tangolandia," filled the Club Flamboyan in San Juan. Piazzolla was the music director. They then toured in New York, Chicago, and Washington. Their last show together was on CBS, which was the only color TV channel in the US at the time. They appeared on The Arthur Murray Party in April 1960.
María Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes were married in Las Vegas. Even though their marriage did not last, they continued to be dance partners for many more years.
Tango Argentino and Beyond
In the 1980s, María Nieves and Copes created and starred in the musical Tango Argentino. The show was so popular that it had to be extended. It moved to another theater in October and ran until the next year. With different dancers, the show continued for several years in New York.
In 1986, Tango Argentino was nominated for several Tony Awards. These included nominations for best musical, best director, and best choreographer. During the 40th Tony Awards show, a dance from Tango Argentino was performed.
Nieves and Copes went on tour with Tango Argentino again in 1999. Later, they starred in Tanguera (2002). This show traveled to Buenos Aires, New York, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, and then to the West End in London in 2010.
María Nieves explains her success simply, even though she never had a dance lesson. She says, "The first time I danced the tango, it entered my skin through my feet. It then went from my skin to my blood and through my blood to my heart. It does not need fancy moves. You just have to follow your heartbeat."
The 2015 documentary film Un tango más by German Kral shows the sometimes challenging relationship between Nieves and Copes. They were dance partners for over 40 years. María Nieves believes that the difficulties between them helped her become a better artist.
Images for kids
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María Nieves (2011)
See also
In Spanish: María Nieves para niños
