MALPASO DANCE COMPANY choreography by Osnel Delgado, Ronald K. Brown and Trey McIntyre. At the Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre (207 Queens Quay West). Runs to June 26 as part of Luminato Festival. 8 pm. $29-$85.50. See listing. luminatofestival.com. Rating: NNNN
For those who feel contemporary dance doesnt always have enough, well, dance, I have a suggestion. Catch one of the two remaining performances of Cubas Malpaso Dance Company at Luminato.
Buzz about the three-year-old company is growing as they take their first steps off the island they recently toured the U.S. as a kind of vanguard to the coming end of American sanctions against Cuba, and the Toronto dates mark their Canadian debut. All of the acclaim is justified.
Wednesdays (June 24) opening night program featured the ensemble work 24 hours and a dog, choreographed by company co-founder and performer Osnel Delgado. Inspired by the daily life of dancers in Havana, the work is a non-stop barrage of fluid movement, supported by admirable technique and an easy musicality.
Jazz composer Arturo OFarrill and an eight-piece ensemble play brilliantly and live, tucked away in a corner of the Fleck Dance Theatre. Though built around the conceit of an invisible dog (which does spark some interesting choreographic details), the work is really about rhythm, everyday and otherwise.
Delgado anchors the performance with his remarkable extensions and a gently powerful presence, but this is a company of virtuosos. In quick succession, my eye was drawn by all of them as solo, duet and group moments arrived and dissolved. Admittedly, my attention returned again and again to co-founder Daileidys Carrazana Gonzalez, a bald-headed powerhouse of grace and precision.
Sharing the program is American choreographer Ronald K. Browns Porque Sigues (Why You Follow). Created for the company in 2014, the piece explores its deep Afro-Cuban connections.
This manifests an earthy and exuberant mash-up of street, African, Latin and contemporary vocabularies to music by Zap Mama, among others. Its testament to the versatility of these ballet-trained artists that they are able to embrace an entirely different physical ethos, one that pulses down and up from the ground and uses swinging arms to build breath-taking force and momentum.
As the theatre begins to vibrate with accumulated energy, you get the feeling that they could dance just about any genre with jaw-dropping style. Which makes their unique expression of Cuban culture in all its profound and complex glory all the more special.
Repertoire for the remaining performances of Malpaso at Luminato will feature Trey McIntyres Under Fire and Despedida by Osnel Delgado, in addition to 24 hours and a dog.
