In mid-April, The Music Center launched The Music Center Offstage, a virtual arts experience that includes interviews with and performances by renown artists that include some of the world’s best dance companies. This weekend the focus in on the Malpaso Dance Company from Cuba.
On Friday, May 15, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. Special Student Event Introduces Viewers to a Virtual Performance of 24 Hours and a Dog with Introductions and Q&A Featuring Malpaso’s Founders and Company Dancers, and on Sunday, May 17, 2020 The Music Center Offstage continues with INSIDE LOOK: Malpaso Dance Company Highlights Cultural and Artistic Exchange Between Cuba and America, Featuring Exclusive Interviews with Malpaso’s Founders Osnel Delgado, Fernando Sáez and Daileidys Carrazana, plus Choreographers Ronald K. Brown and Sonya Tayeh, Followed by Streamed Performance of Tayeh’s Face the Torrent.
Malpaso Dance Company – Indomitable Waltz – Choreography by Aszure Barton – Photo by Rose Eichenbaum
The Malpaso Dance Company was founded just six years ago and with the aid of Joyce Theater Productions, it has already drawn the attention of world renown choreographers and become one of the most sought-after Cuban dance companies in the U.S. and abroad. In 2019, the company performed at The Soraya and the Irvine Barclay Theatre with the 1980 work Fielding Sixes choreographed by Merce Cunningham Aszure Barton’s Indomitable Waltz, Sonya Tayeh’s Face the Torrent, and Ocaso by Artist Director/Choreographer Osnel Delgado. In my March 22, 2019 review of Malpaso Dance Company I wrote. “It is a company with a cast of 11 brilliant dancer artists who brought the Irvine Barclay Theatre audience to the feet with their stage presence, technical prowess, acting abilities, and their grace.”
The Music Center’s May 7, 2020 press release best describes the events.
In line with The Music Center’s commitment to arts learning for all ages, Friday’s digital student performance will begin at 11:00 a.m. with an introduction by Malpaso’s three founders, followed by a 20-minute suite performance by the company of 24 Hours and a Dog. Geared for middle and high school students tuning in from Los Angeles, Compton, El Rancho and Lynwood school districts among others, the company will discuss how visual storytelling, self-expression, Cuban culture, and diverse perspectives can be communicated through dance, movement, and music. A Q&A will follow the performance, led by Sáez with his fellow company founders and dancers. Filled with jazzy and youthful energy, 24 Hours, and a Dog features choreography by Delgado for 10 dancers with music by GRAMMY® Award winner Arturo O’Farrill. The Malpaso Dance Company special student event is made possible with support from the Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Center Dance Arts, Anita Mann Kohl and Allen Kohl and U.S. Bank.
Malpaso Dance Company in 24 Hours and a Dog – Choreography by Osnel Delgado – Photo by Robert Torres
Sunday’s event, INSIDE LOOK: Malpaso Dance Company beginning at 2:00 p.m., will feature a behind-the-scenes exploration of the artistic and cultural connection between Cuban and American artists, articulated by company founders Osnel Delgado, artistic director; Fernando Sáez, executive director; and Daileidys Carrazana; and interspersed with video clips from the ensemble’s performances. The program continues with an interview with award-winning American choreographers Ronald K. Brown and Sonya Tayeh, who will discuss their artistic collaborations with Malpaso Dance Company, concluding with an exclusive streamed performance of Tayeh’s Face the Torrent; this piece was commissioned by The Music Center, which also hosted its world premiere in 2017. Choreographed for eight dancers, Face the Torrent showcases Malpaso’s range of dance skills, theatricality, and raw emotions. In the piece, Tayeh, an Emmy® Award nominee for her choreography for So You Think You Can Dance, confronts the underlying angst inherent in facing adversity and tragedy and interprets these emotions through a fusion of classic and contemporary dance. The streamed performance of Face the Torrent will also be available on-demand on musiccenter.org for a limited time following this online event. INSIDE LOOK is made possible with support from the Glorya Kaufman Foundation and Center Dance Arts.
Malpaso Dance Company in Face the Torrent – Choreography by Sonya Tayeh – Photo by Rose Eichenbaum
So, there is no need to deny oneself of dance performances this weekend. The Music Center Offstage offers us the change to see and experience excellent choreography, amazing dancers and interviews with the artists involved with the Malpaso Dance Company.
Where:
The Music Center Offstage: musiccenter.org
When:
Friday, May 15, 2020, 11:00 a.m. (Digital Student Performance)
Sunday, May 17, 2020, 2:00 p.m. (INSIDE LOOK)
Written and compiled by Jeff Slayton for LADC, May 12, 2020.
Featured image: Malpaso Dance Company in Face the Torrent – Choreography by Sonya Tayeh – Photo by Rose Eichenbau
