Co-presented by the MCA and Luna Negra Dance Theater
“A bravura explosion of ensemble speed and technique——an impressive spectacle.” —Chicago Tribune
“All the essential artistic elements appear to be in perfect alignment… immensely accomplished.” —Chicago Sun Times
Get ready to experience the extraordinary dancers of Luna Negra as they return to the MCA’s intimate stage setting for this annual festival of new works. Three Latino choreographers from Spain, Cuba, and Chicago debut. Harnessing the speed and power of this young company with world-premiere pieces are Basque choreographer Iker Gomez, known for absurdist dance-theater-video multimedia works blending humor and drama, and Cuban choreographer Alexis Fernandez, renowned for his highly athletic, acrobatic and nuanced pieces of dance. Luna Negra company member and 2013 Joyce Award winner Eduardo Zuñiga screens a multimedia dance and video piece he choreographed and directed around an outdoor art sculpture in Grant Park.
Iker Gomez is a Spanish choreographer and videographer whose work has been seen on stages, museums, and festivals across Europe and South America. His pieces combine dance, live music, theater, and video sprinkled with a generous dose of humor. Gomez’s company, Iker Gomez: TEATRO FISIC (Physical Theater) has been selected three times by the National Dance Circuit of the Alternative Theatre Network as an example of a company that produces highly relevant, contemporary stage production. As a teacher, Gomez conducts classes, lectures, seminars and workshops at national centers across Europe in dance and video. He has received numerous creative grants to research and develop new work.
Alexis Fernandez was born in Cuba and graduated from the Nacional School of Arts in La Habana. He has danced with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Grupo Pulsar (Brazil), Danza Retazos (Cuba), Experimentadanza (Spain), Memory Wax (Sweden), La Intrusa (Spain) and Centro Coreográfico Galego (Spain). Founder of the company Entremans (Spain) and La Macana (Spain) in 2009, Fernandez has choreographed and performed in dance festivals in Cuba, South America, and across Europe.
Eduardo Zuñiga, Luna Negra company member, is a recipient of the 2013 Joyce Awards, a prestigious honor that commissions new work from artists of color. Zuñiga uses the commission to choreograph and direct AGORA, a multimedia dance and video piece created around sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Agora installation in Grant Park. This outdoor work is performed 16 times over a three-day period this spring, with Zuniga documenting the experience for a dance film that premiers at the Luna Nueva Festival.
About the artists
Since its inception in 1999, Luna Negra Dance Theater has established itself as a significant and vital component of Chicago’s arts and cultural community. Founded by Cuban-born dancer and choreographer Eduardo Vilaro, Luna Negra celebrates the richness and diversity of Latino culture through the creation of works by contemporary Latino choreographers and through intensive, hands-on education programs that encourage discovery and exploration of personal and community identity. Under the leadership of award-winning Artistic Director Gustavo Sansano, Luna Negra is comprised of nine full company members, including Renée Adams, Christian Broomhall, Christopher Bordenave, Nigel Campbell, Mónica Cervantes, Kyra Jean Green, Filipa Peraltinha, Kirsten Shelton and Eduardo Zuñiga.
More info about Luna Negra
Artists Up Close
First Night Postshow Talk
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Peter Taub, Director of Performance Programs, leads a discussion with the artists and audience in the theater, after the performance.
Funding
Generous support for Luna Neuva Festival is provided by Pamela Crutchfield, and David Herro and Jay Franke.