Photo by T. M. Rives.
The atmosphere was electric as the lights dimmed and the performers cooly danced off the stage during the final bow of the Malpaso Dance Company in Saturday evening’s performance at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall.
Malpaso, a Havana, Cuba based contemporary dance company is only four years old. It nurtures new Cuban choreographic voices as well as exposes Cuban contemporary dancers to top international choreographers. In this program, three choreographers were showcased: Malpaso director Osnel Delgado; American Trey McIntyre and the well established New Yorker, Ron K. Brown. The Malpaso artists are highly trained as classical dancers, many having gone through the National Ballet School in Havana, the most prestigious Cuban ballet school. Many Cuban dancers who don’t go on to enter the Cuban National Ballet become contemporary dancers. The most established contemporary company is the Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, where a number of Malpaso dancers began their careers. With the ever-growing range of contemporary companies to choose from and dancers poised and ready to jump toward new choreographic voices, the Cuban market for dance is exploding. Malpaso Dance Company is reflective of this venture into explorative territory.
The Knight Concert Hall is not the best venue for dance with its make-shift back drop and wings, no front curtain and sight lines that are unforgiving. This, however, is not a factor when there are dancers who are so well rehearsed, have such high energy and are, overall, so good. That is not to say that the performance didn’t contain some bumps, but these dancers can dance. They can take choreography and “wear” it, so it becomes as natural and as easy as having a conversation. The movement is a part of them, in their body and in their soul with every element of their physicality activated.
Photo by Roberto Leon.
The opening piece, "24 Hours and a Dog," a jazz infused contemporary romp choreographed by co-founder Delgado (there are three co-founders), in collaboration with the dancers, evoked memories of "West Side Story." Acoustics in the concert hall are stellar and nowhere was this more obvious than in the live Afro-Cuban accompaniment composed by Arturo O’Farrill. Played by a large ensemble of musicians in the pit (maybe this is why they were in the Concert Hall) the sexy rhythms took us to a club in Havana where emotions were high, relationships were rampant and thoughts were deep.
Delgado, as dancer, had a velvety, sinewy quality. He appeared larger than life in the expansion and stretch of his lean limbs. Even while the choreography got pedantic in its predictable pace, there was a freshness in its simplicity. Few influences had crept into the work. The development of vocabulary was authentic and honest from the trembling hands to the frenzy of complicated duets and solos. The final tango to Astor Piazolla was a pleasing blend of craft and artistry. Less use of gesture and more use of dance dynamics served this section well. The piece was almost an hour long. Perhaps some editing would keep the pace and avoid unnecessary randomness.
"Bad Winter" was choreographed by Wichita, Kansas native, McIntyre. He has been the golden boy of the successful artist/choreographer. Known to have a unique voice as a choreographer with an astute business sense, McIntyre has developed projects and choreographed world wide making him a proper choice to be in this trio of choreographers. The three dancers of "Bad Winter," Dunia Acosta, Daile Carranza (co-founder) and Manuel Durán were in all pieces. That alone would be enough to make them impressive. As the solo woman, Acosta was spontaneous and playful in her effortless delivery of McIntyre’s blend of classic ballet with quirky gestures. Acosta was a standout in every piece. The duet by Carranza and Durán was raw and sensual each depending on the other as they wove a spidery web of depth and intrigue.
Photo by Robert Torres.
The final piece was Ron K. Brown’s 2014 "Why You Follow" with African themed contemporary choreography. Brown’s style is influenced by dance forms of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. In this piece, his vocabulary was simple consisting of skips, ball changes, low walks while adding the use of canons and easy patterns. The stage became a collective, joyful journey of heartfelt passages. Sometimes simple is harder to do and Brown, by choice or not, did just that. Every part of the dancers’ body was activated with hips gyrating, shoulders keeping rhythm and legs flying - and they seemed to be having a good time in the process.
When the performers are engaged, it inspires the audience to be engaged, and that was the main take away from this dynamic performance. With a solid foundation intact, this company can take on high caliber choreography and a diverse mix of voices. The future will be enthusiastically anticipated from Malpaso Dance Company.
