High-Energy, Awe-Inspiring, Gaucho-Style Dance Troupe Che Malambo at Queens Theatre

They’re basically balletic gauchos. And like a wild horde, these 13 male dancers (half man/half horse, basically) prance and gallop around the stage with an infectious rhythm, energy and spirit. They stomp their heeled boots or their bare feet to the cadences of a bombo, a drum made of wood and hide. They leap for joy. They hold and turn leather straps called “boleaderos.” And of course, they leave the audience astonished (and exhausted). On November 16th and 17th, the Argentinean dance troupe Che Malambo will perform at Queens Theatre. Originally, the Malambo was a zapateado, or a stomping duel between two macho men. But these guys transformed the genre into an awe-inspiring group performance.