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THE
FACT
THAT
RAY
SULLIVAN’S
critically
acclaimed
show
“Tango
Undressed”
was
selected
to
open
the
2005
Florida
Dance
Festival
is
further
proof
that
Sullivan,
who
is
gay,
is
one
of
the
pre-eminent
choreographers
in
Florida.
“It
is
definitely
an
honor
to
be
presented
in
the
Florida
Dance
Festival,
especially
on
opening
night,”
Sullivan
says.
“I
also
find
it
a
powerful
message
to
be
performing
‘Tango
Undressed,’
an
piece
that
includes
a
few
sections
with
duets
between
same
sex
couples
as
well
as
alternative
themes.”
Sullivan,
who
resides
in
South
Beach,
has
an
illustrious
dance
background.
He
has
appeared
in
dance
companies
such
as
the
Connecticut
Ballet,
Ballet
Grand
Diva,
Paul
Hall
Contemporary
Dance
Theater
Company
and
the
Purchase
Dance
Corps.
His
recent
years
have
been
spent
with
the
Miami
Contemporary
Dance
Company,
which
started
five
years
ago
and
has
since
put
on
a
variety
of
shows
and
performances.
Sullivan
spent
five
years
of
his
career
in
Buenos
Aries.
It
was
his
time
there
that
served
as
the
impetus
to
create
“Tango
Undressed.”
“I
decided
to
create
this
show
as
a
homage
to
Buenos
Aires,
my
time
spent
there
and
the
people
I
used
to
live
with,”
Sullivan
says.
“Tango
Undressed”
is
not
about
the
performance
of
tango
but
about
the
people
who
created
it
and
still
breathe
life
into
it
in
Buenos
Aires,
he
says.
The
work
brings
together
couples,
including
same
sex
couples,
and
situations
that
veer
from
traditional
tango
themes
in
order
to
try
to
transport
the
viewer
to
new
places.
Sullivan
has
stripped
away
all
of
the
sequins,
ornate
hairdos
and
strictly
traditional
couples
of
Tango
to
deal
with
different
themes.
“TANGO
UNDRESSED:
FEATURES
THREE
sections
where
same-sex
couples
dance
together
—
two
with
men,
one
with
women.
In
one
of
the
sections,
two
male
dancers
tear
each
other’s
clothes
off
and
are
stripped
down
to
their
underwear.
“There
are
moments
that
I
consider
very
sexy,”
says
Sullivan.
“But
there
are
also
moments
that
are
violent
and
upsetting,
moments
that
are
nostalgic,
and
even
moments
that
are
lighthearted.
My
dancers
are
all
very
versatile.”
None
of
the
dancers
had
issues
appearing
as
a
same-sex
duo,
Sullivan
says.
“There
is
a
tremendous
amount
of
trust
between
myself
and
my
dancers
in
terms
of
the
way
I
work,”
Sullivan
explains.
“They
believe
I
wouldn’t
do
something
vulgar
or
unnecessary,
but
something
artistically
called
for.
I
have
a
willingness
from
them
as
artists.”
These
days,
Sullivan
doesn’t
dance
as
much
as
he
directs
and
choreographs.
But
he
does
appear
in
“Tango
Undressed,”
largely
because
of
what
the
piece
means
to
him
in
terms
of
his
years
spent
in
Argentina.
The
27th
Florida
Dance
Festival
offers
a
wide
spectrum
of
dance
ranging
from
contemporary
modern
to
a
new
finale
program
that
showcases
the
talents
of
students
and
dancers
at
the
festival.
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