Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company brings energetic Afro-Caribbean to JH
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — From the sun-splashed beaches of Havana to the snow-capped peaks of Jackson Hole, one of Cuba’s most revered dance companies will join Dancers’ Workshop for a week of instruction, creation, and celebration.
Since its establishment in 2012, Malpaso Dance Company has become one of the most globally-recognized and respected Cuban dance companies.
The group’s identity and intensely-energetic creative process spring from the confluence of two important influences: the revered, lengthy history of traditional choreography and the rich authenticity springing from generations of movement and rhythm in the Afro-Caribbean world.
Malpaso’s time in residence at the local dance nonprofit will conclude with two performances in early May that promise to be nothing short of dazzling.
Touring with 11 dancers, and led by its original three founders—resident choreographer and artistic director Osnel Delgado, executive director Fernando Sáez, and dancer and co-founder Daileidys Carrazana—Malpaso emphasizes a collaborative creative process. The group has commissioned original works from a variety of prominent North American choreographers, including award-winning Canadian Aszure Barton, one of whose compelling works will be performed during their visit to Jackson Hole.
Friendships, partnerships paused by COVID
Malpaso originally visited Dancers’ Workshop in 2018, prior to the pandemic.
“This piece is strongly connected to the drama of the pandemic and the way human beings in general—dancers or artists in particular—were exposed to an extreme circumstance,” Sáez said. “It is an immense pleasure to come back for the third time to Jackson Hole, to be part of the family of Dancers’ Workshop. It is always rewarding and amazing to come back to places that you love and to meet people you care about.”
DW artistic director Babs Case said, “When the pandemic hit, we all felt a sense of disappointment. We had been working on something truly inspiring, special, and cross-cultural with the amazing Malpaso and the constellation of international choreographers with whom they’d been collaborating. If anything, it makes their return to Jackson Hole truly triumphant.”
When the group touches down in Jackson Hole in the first week of May, they will leap into teaching classes and connecting with dancers of all ages in Jackson Hole during their week in residence at the local nonprofit. On the evening of May 7 and the afternoon of May 8, Malpaso will perform a diversity of pieces from their internationally-inspired repertoire.
Tickets for performances Saturday, May 7 at 7pm, and Sunday, May 8 at 2pm, are available online for $10 per individual or $25 per family of any size. Sunday afterparty dance in the lobby by SteadyJake DJ.
