María Nieves facts for kids
María Nieves Rego (born September 6, 1934) is a famous Argentine tango dancer and choreographer. She became a star with her longtime dance partner, Juan Carlos Copes, in the popular 1983 musical Tango Argentino.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps
María Nieves was born in the Saavedra neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her parents were from Galicia, a region in Spain, and did not have much money. When her father passed away, she had to leave school after the fourth grade to work as a maid.
Her older sister, known as La Ñata, introduced her to the world of tango. At age 14, she met a 17-year-old dancer named Juan Carlos Copes. He asked her to be his dance partner, and soon they became one of the most famous tango couples in the world.
Career as a Tango Star
Dancing Around the World
María and Juan Carlos Copes showed the beauty of the tango and the milonga (a type of tango dance) to people everywhere. In 1956, they created a special dance to music by the famous composer Astor Piazzolla.
After touring Central America, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico, they met Piazzolla in Mexico City. The three artists got along very well. In October 1959, they traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where their show "Companina Argentina Tangolandia" was a huge success. Piazzolla was the musical director and hoped to bring their show to North America.
The tour continued in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Their last show together was on The Arthur Murray Party, a popular TV program, in April 1960.
The Tango Argentino Musical
In the 1980s, María and Juan Carlos created and starred in the musical Tango Argentino. The show was so popular that it had to be extended. It was originally booked for only one week, but it moved to a bigger theater and ran for over a year.
In 1986, the show was nominated for several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Choreography. A dance from the show was even performed during the awards ceremony.
Later Career
María and Juan Carlos toured with Tango Argentino again in 1999. In 2002, they starred in another show called Tanguera in major cities like Buenos Aires, New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
María once explained her amazing talent by saying, "The first time I danced the tango, it entered my skin through my feet, passed from my skin to my blood and through my blood to my heart. It requires no acrobatics, you simply have to devote yourself to your heartbeat."
Legacy and Personal Life
María and Juan Carlos were married for a time, but they later separated. Even though their marriage ended, they continued to be professional dance partners for many decades.
A 2015 documentary film called Un tango más tells the story of their long and sometimes difficult partnership. María said that their challenging relationship actually pushed her to become a better and more expressive artist.
See also
In Spanish: María Nieves para niños
