CLEVELAND (January 29, 2016) – Malpaso: A Cuban Dance Company brings the flair of Havana to the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The performance, which features live music by Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and a commissioned work by choreographer Ronald K. Brown, is part of DANCECleveland’s stunning 60 th anniversary season.
"DANCECleveland is thrilled to present the first Cuban company in our history," said Executive Director Pam Young. "Malpaso is a rising star in the contemporary dance world."
Tickets, starting at $25, can be purchased at www.dancecleveland.org, by calling 216-241-6000, or at the Playhouse Square ticket office, 1501 Euclid Avenue.
Co-founded in 2013 in Havana by Osnel Delgado, who serves as artistic director, choreographer and dancer in the company, Malpaso: A Cuban Dance Project collaborates with top international choreographers while nurturing new voices in the art form. The Ohio Theatre program includes two works by Delgado: Ocaso, a duet featuring music by Kronos Quartet, and 24 Hours and a Dog, with an original score performed live by Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble. The third work on the program, Why You Follow, is a commissioned piece by Ronald K. Brown.
The young company, which is touring throughout the U.S., has 10 dancers including former members of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba . Osnel Delgado has received major Cuban awards including the Premio a Mejor Coreografia del Concurso Solamente Solos (Award for Best Solo Choreography), and a Special Mention award at the VII Iberomerican “Alicia Alonso” Choreography competition in Madrid. He was a member of Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011 before founding Malpaso. Delgado's work expresses the passion and uncertainties that define Cuban life and are embodied in the country's rich dance tradition.
“[Malpaso dancers] have the pristine technique but none of the rigidity that comes with that kind of training . . . They’re both humble and sparklingly present.” – Siobahn Burke, The New York Times
For more information on Malpaso: A Cuban Dance Project, visit: www.malpasodance.com/#1
Fernando Saez is the co-founder and executive director of Malpaso: A Cuban Dance Project. He graduated from the School of Performing Arts at the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana in 1988. He is the founder and an actor with the Estudio de Santa Clara.
He served as the head of the sociocultural development project in Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio from 1993 to 1997. He is a member of the board of directors of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, where he has also been a staff member since 1998.