A night at the world renowned opera house of Buenos Aires, the Teatro Colón theater, was the closing activity of the first day of the 2018 G20 Summit. The heads of states arrived to enjoy an evening of music, fine wines and choripan, among other local specialties selected to showcase Argentine traditions. Argentum, a show directed by Ricky Pashkus, reflects the diversity —at the same time geographical, ethnic and artistic— of the country host of the influential global forum. With 84 dancers and 75 musicians playing live, the audience will go through a tour of folkloric rhythms (such as malambo, cueca, zamba and carnavalito), contemporary genres (rock, hip-hop, rap) and the classical tango. The site chosen for this gala dinner, the Teatro Colón theater, is in itself a work of art and history. A beautiful architectural piece built in 1908, has been home to world talents such as María Callas, Igor Stravinsky and Arturo Toscanini. Argentum will blend technology and arts along five musical-theatrical displays, one for each of the main regions that make up the country: Patagonia, the Pampas, Cuyo, Littoral and Northeast. Gala dinner will feature king crab from Argentina's southern Patagonia region, and Saturday's main course for dinner will be braised Patagonian lamb, Perlberger said. The meals will be accompanied by wines from across Argentina. But the star of the G20 menu may be the choripan, a chorizo sausage grilled over coals and served between bread, that will be served as an appetizer. Often slathered in garlicky chimichurri sauce, vendors sell the popular street food at soccer matches or in parks. "We did a full search for the best chorizo in Argentina, " said Tommy Perlberger, the chef who owns the company that will provide the food for the summit. "I would love it if the presidents were delighted by our food. Maybe at some point their countries will purchase some of our products, " Perlberger said.
