First taught ballet by his mother, Nancy, Bocca also fell in love with tango at a young age. He later founded his own troupe, the Buenos Aires-based Ballet Argentino, in 1990, and provided employment for young dancers. Performing in the Teatro Maipo, a historic, 700-seat theater co-owned by Bocca, the chamber-size troupe has also toured internationally to great acclaim.

The company, with a repertory that doesn’t shy away from hot-button social, political and sexual issues, helped up the emotional ante at the Obelisk concert.