María Nieves Rego (born September 6, 1934) is an

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a Time signature, or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in pat ...

dancer and choreographer who starred with her long time dance partner Juan Carlos Copes in the 1983 musical '' Tango Argentino''.

Early life

Born in the Saavedra district of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, she was the daughter of modest Galician emigrants. After her father died, she left school in the 4th grade to work as a maid in

La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Its location near the Port of Buenos Aires meant the neighbourhood became a melting pot of ...

. She was introduced to the tango by her elder sister known as La Ñata. When she was 14 years old, the 17-year-old Juan Carlos Copes took her as his dance partner; the two would soon become lovers.

Career

Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes brought the tango and the milonga to audiences throughout the world. By 1956 Nieves and Copes had created a dance based on music by

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

but it was after touring through Central America, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba that they were asked to meet Piazzolla in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. The three of them shared tango music and got on well together. They flew to Puerto Rico in October 1959 where they packed out Club Flamboyan in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

with "Companina Argentina Tangolandia". Piazzolla was serving as the musical director and he dreamt of taking them to North America. The tour continued in New York, Chicago and then Washington. The last show that the three of them did together was an appearance on CBS the only colour TV channel in the US. They featured on

The Arthur Murray Party ''The Arthur Murray Party'' is an American television variety show that ran from July 1950 until September 1960. The show was hosted by dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray, the show featured various acts and celebrity guests and acted as adverti ...

in April 1960. Nieves and Copes had married in Las Vegas; the marriage did not last, yet they continued to be dance partners for decades.''Un tango más'' (2015), documentary film by German Kral In the 1980s, they created and starred in the musical '' Tango Argentino''. The show's run had to be extended as Nieves and Copes had been only booked for a week. It moved to another theatre in October and continued there until the following year. With different dancers, it went on for a number of years in New York. In 1986, it received

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations for best musical, best director, and best choreographer, and during the 40th Tony Awards show a dance excerpt from ''Tango Argentino'' was performed. The book ''The tango in the United States: a history'' incorrectly reported that the show had won a Tony Award. Nieves and Copes went on tour with ''Tango Argentino'' in 1999 before starring in ''Tanguera'' (2002) in Buenos Aires, New York, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and then in the West End (2010). Nieves was given the role of the brothel keeper as she is thought of as essential to a tango production. Nieves offers a simple explanation for her success despite never having had a dancing lesson: "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 Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...

, you simply have to devote yourself to your heartbeat." The 2015 documentary film ''Un tango más'' by German Kral depicts the sometimes difficult relationship between Nieves and Copes, dance partners for over 40 years. Nieves attributes her improvement as an artist to the hatred between the two dancers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nieves, Maria 1938 births Living people Argentine female dancers Argentine dancers Tango dancers Dancers from Buenos Aires