The Tango Shalom Story
In Tango Shalom, Moshe Yehuda, a Hasidic Rabbi who happens to be an amateur Hora dancer, is played by Jos Laniado. Rabbi Yehuda enters a Tango competition to save his Hebrew school from bankruptcy.
Unfortunately, due to his orthodox religious beliefs, the Rabbi is not allowed to touch a woman. And for a tango dancer, not being able to touch a woman is a definite problem.
This brings an uncomfortable situation between his wife, played by Renee Taylor and five kids, The Grand Rabbi of his orthodox sect and Moshe’s entire Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
In his endeavors to find an answer, Moshe must go outside his usual supporters. He is forced to seek counsel from a Catholic priest, a Muslim Imam, and a Sikh holy man.
Between them, they were able to make a plan to help Moshe dance in the Tango competition without sacrificing his sacred beliefs.
This is a wonderful, fun, and passionate dance movie. It is both heart-pumping and heartwarming, testing family and community bonds, as well as the boundaries of tolerance and faith.
2020 was a bleak year, to put it mildly, and 2021 has not been much better. It is fitting that the ice of the depressing year is broken by a comedy in which the Vatican, a Hasidic Synagogue, a Mosque, and a Sikh Temple collaborate.
During the current tense times in the Middle East, Tango Shalom brings religions and people together.
Although the religions share few things well, they come together in this groundbreaking film to promote a doctrine they all share, laughter.
Talent and Humor
Lainie Kazan who plays the aunt, along with Karina Smirnoff { 20TH season alumna of Dancing With the Stars} both add their unique talents in Jewish humor and dancing skills.
Tango Shalom is an American dance comedy with a star-studded soundtrack and fun Bollywood-like dance sequences designed to steal hearts and minds, one step at a time.
It is definitely the Jewish humor that catches the audience with laughter and tears.
Music
The eclectic soundtrack by Universal Music includes multiple Grammy Award-winning Gordon Goodwin, Latin Grammy-nominated Tango sensation Daniel Binelli, The actual Vatican Choir, the top-charts British act Touch and Go, plus modern Klezmer bands Golem, The Burning Bush, and Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Band.
All of the dance sequences were choreographed by Jordi Caballero, who previously worked with Madonna, and The Spice Girls, and was Supervising Choreographer for “Dancing With The Stars.”
Producer and Director
Tango Shalom is produced by Joel Zwick, director of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Robert Meyer Burnett {“Agent Cody Banks” franchise} Joseph Bologna, who is Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning co-wrote Tango Shalom and co-stars.
This Joel Zwick Comedy Dance Film is playing in Top Film Festivals around the world thanks to the award-winning ensemble of actors and filmmakers including Academy Award, Grammy and Emmy talent.
The film is playing in more than nine seasoned Film Festivals across the USA. In India, the film production capital of the world, it just won the Jaipur Critics Award [ see The Times of India] and Best Comedy and Best Actor (Jos Laniado) at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Also, Jos Laniado (Milcho Manchevski’s “Bikini Moon”), Claudio Laniado (“Mudbound”), Bern Cohen (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Judi Beecher (“Taken 3,” “Family is Family,” “La Garconne”) and directed by Gabriel Bologna (co-writer of “Love is All There Is” starring Angelina Jolie, writer of HBO’s “The Elevator” starring Martin Landau, director of “Boston Girls” starring Danny Trejo, and “The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond”).
See more at the movie website. https://www.tangoshalommovie.com/#awards
