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follow: Danza Contemporanea de Cuba Contemporary dance is a relatively recent development in Cuba, beginning in 1959 when Ramiro Guerra founded the Conjunto Nacional de Danza Moderna (National Modern Dance Group). Guerra, who had danced with Martha Graham's company in New York, moulded the Conjunto's repertoire into a uniquely Cuban blend of modern American theatre, Afro-Caribbean dance styles and classical European ballet. The company's name eventually changed to Danza Contemporanea de Cuba. Today it counts 60 dancers drawn from the Escuela Nacional de Arte, Cuba's national art school. A number of dancers from Danza Contemporanea de Cuba have gone on to form their own smaller, experimental companies after dancing with the company. Currently under the direction of Miguel Iglesias, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba is severely restricted with regards to its available budget and resources, but has nevertheless managed to undergo a small number of tours in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, and counts more than 70 works inits repertoire. A gallery dedicated to the so-called ‘Young British Artists’ focuses on their early performative exploits including ephemera from Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas’s shop in Bethnal Green where they created and sold their work. Renowned pieces such as Gavin Turk’s Pop 1993 also feature, as does selected works representing Damien Hirst’s recent Sotheby’s auction, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever. Tate Modern will also restage Hirst’s performance originally shown at Cologne’s ‘Unfair’ art fair in 1992. Identical twins will sit beneath two identical spot paintings for the duration of Pop Life: Art in a Material World. Tate Modern is appealing for identical twins to take part in this performance. The exhibition is organized by Tate Modern and is co-curated by Jack Bankowsky, Artforum’s Editor at Large, Alison M. Gingeras, Chief Curator of the François Pinault Collection and Catherine Wood, Tate Modern Curator of Contemporary Art and Performance, assisted by Nicholas Cullinan, Curator, International Modern Art, Tate Modern.
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World famous, but rarely seen outside of Cuba, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba celebrates its 50th anniversary with its first ever UK tour throughout February and March 2010. Cuba today produces some of the world?s finest contemporaryand ballet dancers who perform around the globe, settingstandards of excellence both as teachers and as performers. Leading the field is Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, whose 21 dancers bring the heat and passion of Cuba to the stage with a mix of contemporary dance fused with Afro-Caribbean and Spanish styles. Danza Contemporanea de Cuba tours to eight UK venues with a triple bill that features the UK premiere of Casi-Casa, by leading Swedish choreographer Mats Ek; Folia by former Dutch NationalBallet choreographer Jan Linkens, and Mambo 3XXI by DanzaContemporanea de Cuba Principal George Cespédes.
***************************** · UK Tour Details: 23-24 Feb
Newcastle Theatre Royal Programme A 26-27 Feb Snape
Maltings, Suffolk Programme B 2-3 Mar Brighton
Dome Programme A 5-6 Mar Nottingham
Playhouse Programme A 9-10 Mar Wycombe
Swan Programme A 12-13 Mar Hall for
Cornwall, Truro Programme A 16-17 Mar Bromley
Churchill Programme A
There will be a post-show Q&A
after each First Night |
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| editor, February 2010 |
