The NOCCA Institute & the New Orleans Ballet Association present
Malpaso Dance Company
March 11-13 in NOCCA’s Freda Lupin Memorial Hall
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The NOCCA Institute and the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) present Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company for three performances in NOCCA’s Freda Lupin Memorial Hall on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12 at 8pm and Sunday, March 13 at 2pm.
The Havana-based company burst onto the American dance scene with a brilliant debut at New York’s Joyce Theater in 2014, delighting audiences with refreshing, passionate works that highlight the country’s rich dance and music traditions. Known for extraordinary skill and pristine technique, the highly-trained ensemble of 10 dancers is an independent company bringing Cuban contemporary dance into the 21st century.
Collaborating with international choreographers and Cuban dancemakers, Malpaso brings a must-see program of dances by Artistic Director Osnel Delgado and celebrated American choreographers Ronald K. Brown and Trey McIntyre. Tickets are on sale now and selling fast. Tickets are $50 and are available online at NOBAdance.com, by calling 504-522-0996, or in-person at NOBA’s Box Office, 935 Gravier Street, Suite 800. Discounted tickets for students are also available.
Founded in 2012 by Delgado, company dancer Dailedys Carrazana and Executive Director Fernando Saéz, Malpaso is comprised of artists from Cuba’s finest dance schools and companies, including Danza Contemporanea de Cuba. The program features Delgados’ “24 hours and a Dog”, the company’s U.S. premiere of Trey McIntyre’s sensitive and beautiful “Bad Winter” and Ronald K. Brown’s rousing Afro-Cuban flavored “Porque Sigues” (“Why You Follow”).
In the Community
From March 7-11, Malpaso will conduct a series of residency activities, including master classes and choreographic workshops for NORDC/NOBA Center for Dance and NOCCA’s pre-professional students, in addition to students at other partner institutions.
Malpaso Dance Company’s hotel accommodations are provided by Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and the company is welcomed by Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana. The residency and outreach are made possible by the Chevron Master Artist Series of the NORDC/NOBA Center for Dance.
About The Program
Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Osnel Delgados’ “24 Hours and a Dog” creates a language of thematic and very physical abstractions that reflect the tempo of the dancers’ pedestrian experience in their beloved Havana. A dog, an invisible yet omnipresent character, visits the stage with the dancers as an allegory of a fickle and unpredictable city life. The work was created in 2014 as a direct response to the theatricality and evocative power of Grammy-award winning jazz composer Arturo O’Farrill, who wrote and recorded an original overture for the piece of the same title.
Internationally renowned choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s “Porque Sigues” (“Why You Follow”) is a rousing exploration of the rhythmic pace of Afro-Cuba. The work blossoms from a sensual darkness into a rollicking poly-rhythmic house party; the movement develops from dawn to enlightenment. “Porque Sigues” is divided into four short movements: Open Heart, Commitment, The Path, and Faithfully Forward and is set to music by Zap Mama, Gordheaven & Juliano, The Allenko Brotherhood, and The Heavy Quarterz. To be able to lead, we must first learn to follow— the beat of our hearts, the tides of time, and the call of the drum.
The centerpiece of the program is the company’s U.S. premiere of “Bad Winter” by celebrated choreographer Trey McIntyre. An autobiographical work inspired by events happening in McIntyre’s personal life at the time it was created, the dance opens with a punchy, defiant solo set to Arthur Tracy’s Depression-era recording of “Pennies From Heaven” that is followed by an intimate duet set to songs by The Cinematic Orchestra.
As the founding artistic director of the highly successful Trey McIntyre Project (TMP), McIntyre has a special relationship with NOBA and New Orleans audiences. Two critically acclaimed works, “Ma Maison” (2008) and “The Sweeter End” (2011), were commissioned by NOBA, featured Preservation Hall Jazz Band and premiered in New Orleans with the band live as part of NOBA’s Main Stage Series. McIntyre is currently working on a documentary film about the making of both works. As a Chevron Master Artist, McIntrye has been in residence and set works on the NORDC/NOBA Center for Dance students.
About the Choreographers
Osnel Delgado (Choreographer, “24 Hours and a Dog”) is founder, artistic director, and performer with Malpaso Dance Company based in Havana, Cuba. Before founding Malpaso in 2012 with Dailedys Carrazana and Fernando Saéz, Delgado danced with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba (DCC) from 2003-2011. He has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvanstrom, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando, and George Cespedes, among others. He has created works for DCC, Rakatan, and Ebony Dance of Cuba. He was named the 2014 McKnight International Artist by the Northrop and McKnight Artistic Fellowship, which brought him to Minneapolis, Minnesota to develop a new work for Zenon Dance Company. He is a 2003 graduate of the National Dance School of Havana, where he is now a professor of dance studies.
Ronald K. Brown (Choreographer, “Porque Sigues” [“Why you Follow”]) has been making dances since the second grade, growing up in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. He studied extensively with Mary Anthony, whose technique included a combination of Martha Graham and Hanya Holm dance techniques. Brown performed as a dancer with Jennifer Muller/The Works. Muller, Bebe Miller, and Maguy Marin were very influential in his work. His dances derive from his interpretation of the human condition and refer to numerous cultural sources including history, tradition, modern and urban dance movement and dance forms from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Brown has choreographed for and set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Def Dance Jam Workshop, Ballet Hispanico and Philadanco. His theater credits include Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns and the Tony Award-winning revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess starring Audra McDonald.
Trey McIntyre (Choreographer, “Bad Winter”) was born in Wichita, Kansas, and trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy. At Houston Ballet, he was appointed choreographic apprentice in 1989 and then, in 1995, he became the company’s choreographic associate. He has created more than 100 works for companies, including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Pennsylvania Ballet. In 2005, he founded the Trey McIntyre Project. McIntyre’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Dance Magazine, PBS News Hour, People Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, and many others. He is also a filmmaker and photographer, currently working on a documentary and collection of photos, while continuing to work with companies all over the world.
About Us
The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) is a tuition-free arts conservatory for high school students and an agency of the State of Louisiana. The NOCCA Institute, a non-profit organization, provides support and advocacy for NOCCA. The Institute offers access to excellence in the arts for students, faculty, and the community-at-large.
NOBA is the Central Gulf region’s premiere presenting and service organization dedicated solely to the art of dance. NOBA’s dynamic Main Stage season annually features a diverse array of world-class companies and artists. Each year NOBA provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 30,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, NOBA’s nationally recognized award-winning education programs provide the youth of our community access to quality arts programs with over 5,500 free dance classes and workshops annually at ten sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area.
NOBA is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the NEA, a Federal agency; a Community Arts Grant made possible by the City of New Orleans and administered by the Arts Council New Orleans (ACNO); and a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered through ACNO.