BODYTRAFFIC: Bolero by Fernando Hernando Magadan

In pursuit of the most challenging, original, and diverse choreography in the field, Los Angeles based BODYTRAFFIC has made waves from coast to coast with its far-reaching appeal. Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett leads a masterful troupe, all nimble interpreters of each choreographers’ distinct vision. With The Act of Becoming, based on Ravel’s iconic Bolero, Spanish choreographer Fernando Hernando Magadan sets this reimagining of the goliath orchestral work on a company known for its bold, enigmatic presentation. This new work is commissioned in part by the Vilar Performing Arts Center.

PC: Jordyn Joan BODYTRAFFIC by Guzman Rosado

Program:

Blue Until June

CHOREOGRAPHY: Trey McIntyre

MUSIC: Etta James

LIGHTING DESIGN: Clifton Taylor

COSTUME and SET DESIGN: Sandra Woodall

PERFORMERS: Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Tiare Keeno, Ty Morrison, Joan Rodriguez, Jordyn Santiago

PREMIERE: This work originally premiered on The Washington Ballet on October 11, 2000

Los Angeles native and soul-singing icon Etta James sets the stage for Blue Until June. Her far-reaching career stands as a symbol of perseverance despite political and personal turmoil, while her rich and reverberatory vocals implore us to immerse ourselves in the seemingly unattainable in order to find our home in love.

– PAUSE –

Bloquea’o

CHOREOGRAPHY: Joan Rodriguez

ORIGINAL MUSIC: Pedro Osuna

FEATURING: SUUVI (cello), Ricky Matute (percussion)

ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS: Luis Conte (percussion)

ENGINEERING: Noah Hubbell

VIDEOGRAPHER: Erick Wayne

LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael Jarett

COSTUME DESIGN: Márion Talán de la Rosa

PERFORMERS: Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Alana Jones, Tiare Keeno, Ty Morrison, Joan Rodriguez, Guzmán Rosado, Jordyn Santiago

PREMIERE: The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills, CA, 2023

Using the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis as its backdrop, Bloquea’o calls on and admires the persistence of the human spirit to create a home when it is taken away. Rodriguez’s synthesis of Folklorico and contemporary influences epitomizes what it means to carry home with you wherever you go. Osuna’s original music is a dichotomic composition of both disruption and harmony, blending traditional Cuban rhythms, Yoruba chants, historical phone calls and broadcasts, and sounds of La Habana streets. Throughout the piece, sweeping connections encourage us to lead with love in our continuous quest for humanity.

The musical composition was made possible in part by a co-commission from Festival Napa Valley.  Thank you to Sheila del Bosque and Luis Conte for their invaluable musical guidance.

– INTERMISSION –

The Act of Becoming

CHOREOGRAPHY: Fernando Hernando Magadan

MUSIC: Boléro, Maurice Ravel – Andre Riéu & Johann Strauss Orchestra

ADDITIONAL MUSIC and SOUND EDITING: Ben Waters

LIGHTING DESIGN: Michael Jarett

COSTUME DESIGN: Angela Manke

PERFORMERS: Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Alana Jones, Tiare Keeno, Ty Morrison, Joan Rodriguez, Guzmán Rosado, Jordyn Santiago

An energetic homage to Ravel’s iconic Boléro, Magadan’s choreography tells a story of the journey of transformations. The work serves as a reminder that powerful artistic expressions can awaken something within us that may lay dormant, activating the courage to continue the search for home in our ever-changing selves.

This work was made possible in part by a co-commission from the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, CO.

Danke Schoen (Excerpt from Rooster)

CHOREOGRAPHER: Barak Marshall

MUSIC: Wayne Newton

COSTUME DESIGN: Maor Zabar

LIGHTING DESIGN: Felice Ross

PERFORMERS: Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Alana Jones, Tiare Keeno, Ty Morrison, Joan Rodriguez, Guzmán Rosado, Jordyn Santiago

PREMIERE: This work was originally created for Barak Marshall Dance Theatre Company and premiered at The Israeli Opera, Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2009

“Loosely based on I. L. Peretz’s short story Bontsha the Silent, Rooster follows one hapless young man through a night of fitful dreams. The characters are captivating, the movement is terse, individual, urgent, as though this village were mysteriously compelled to go through certain rituals.  Moments of lightness—as in Bontsha getting hoisted into the air and lying there comfortably with pillow, or a man huffing and puffing to produce an egg from his mouth—helped make this an enchanting work as did the presence of the great Margalit Oved, who threaded through this dreamlike piece, offering Bontsha a music box or emitting a shrill lullaby. Rooster is a sad/funny/moving piece of dance-theater.”  – Dance Magazine

Rooster was commissioned by the Suzanne Dellal Centre and the Israeli Opera. This production was also made possible with the support of the Israeli Ministry of Culture, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Exposure Festival, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Exchange International Grant and through the generous support of Ruth and Dr. Boaz Barak and Mr. Martin Peretz.