Dance Brings Havana to Houston

 

Recently, Americans have been flocking to Cuba since diplomatic relations with the United States have thawed, eager to get a taste for the preserved Cuban culture.  Fortunately, Houstonians can enjoy a piece of Havana right at home.  On April 30, 2016, Society for the Performing Arts is bringing Cuban contemporary dance company Malpaso Dance to the Wortham Center.

Malpaso Dance Company is a repertory company, which means they perform the work of guest choreographers from all over the world as well as their resident choreographer, Osnel Delgado.  Founder and Executive Director Fernando Saéz explains “our mission is to develop our own choreographic voice facilitating dialogues among the Cuban and international dance communities.” Creation of new work through creative partnerships is a hallmark of the company.  Saéz continues, “collaborations have been part of what Malpaso Dance Companyhas been since its foundation. Not as a circumstance, or a state of mind or attitude, but as a necessity connected both to our cultural condition and to the collective art we practice.”

These adventurous artists pursued international collaborations long before the political situation between the United States and Cuba started to improve.  Even though the company has already engaged in developing consistent collaborations with American artists, Saéz confirms “the new era is allowing us to work in a smoother environment and makes us dream in a promising future.”  Even with the uphill political battles, their commitment to cultural collaborations has never faded because Saéz believes “exchanges and dialogues are essential to the genesis and development of the Cuban culture, to who we are, and where we come from.”

For companies that work with outside choreographers, finding a good artistic match is important.  “This is not a random process,” says Saéz, “we have to find, in the selection of our creative partners, the common points that would allow us to grow and to enjoy the adventure. This is also a way of deepening and exploring the ostensible versatility of the dancers of Malpaso.”  All Malpaso dancers have graduated from their national modern dance and ballet schools; they embody the sophistication of a severe Cuban training, and the charming humility of curious artists.  A sense of humor is also important, especially considering the translation of their company name, misstep.   

On April 30, Malpaso Dance Company will perform three works for Houston audiences. Ocaso, which translates to “Twilight” or “Sunset” is a thirteen-minute duet by resident choreographer Osnel Delgado. The couple in this piece explores the emotional nuances of a love relationship.  The light reference alludes to couple’s multiple shades of knowing each other, which Saéz describes as “in transit from light to obscurity.”

Malpaso Dance brought on the hailed and prolific choreographer Trey McIntyre for the second piece on the program, Under Fire, a “metaphor about the human condition and destiny” created soon after his ensemble, the Trey McIntyre Project, was disbanded. 

The final piece, 24 hours and a dog, also by Delgado, is an abstract approach to a typical day in the lives of the dancers in Havana and an imaginary dog.  This charming work was choreographed with the dancers to to music by Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill, who will perform live with members of his Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Tickets for Malpaso Dance Company’s performance at the Wortham Center on April 30, 2016 are available at spahouston.org.