Simon Ward reviews Tango in Silk at the Etcetera Theatre

The first thing to note about Xi Liu’s Tango in Silk dance piece is that it is very short, perhaps ten minutes long. It is perhaps best understood as a showcase for what Liu (along with partner Mingcong Hu) can do. It premiered as part of the Edinburgh Fringe and the Camden Fringe, and could act as a kind of amuse-bouche at the start an evening. And that is the spirit that the piece evokes – a sophisticated world of 1930s-style glamour where the beautifully rendered mystery of the Orient meets the hot-blooded Latin temperament of the South – tango meeting silk.

Chinese dancer and choreographer Xi Liu has built what feels like a very personal work, beginning tentatively and rooted in the traditional Chinese form, before gradually and ever more confidently exploring the potential creative possibilities of blending East and West together. There are, of course, huge issues here around cultural sensitivities, colonialism, orientalism and more. By taking a more personal approach, Liu sidesteps all of this and brings us a work which feels true to her own experience. There is a vulnerability here, not least because of the proximity of the performers in a small fringe venue, but also a feeling of empowerment and strength. It can at times feel that we are a little too close – some of the more acrobatic moves might have been more effective in a larger auditorium, where the physical effort would be less visible and there would be more of a sense of spectacle. Having said that, both performers acquitted themselves with exquisite poise throughout.

Liu incorporates the traditional Chinese fan as part of her dance, and wears a striking embroidered red qipao dress, dramatically split to allow high kicking and tango steps. Her partner is in traditional white tie evening dress. The soundtrack switches from East to West and back again, but the overall impression is of a relentless, mesmerising forward momentum. It is thrilling, charming and enchanting in equal measure.

Tango in Silk played at the Edinburgh and Camden Fringe and finally at the Etcetera Theatre on Sunday 31st August 2025