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The reinvention of traditional dances from a contemporary perspective is the path taken by some dancers and choreographers in what is known as neofolk. As part of his commitment to the ongoing training of the Ballet Nacional de España’s dancers, director Rubén Olmo has invited Manuel Segovia, Miguel Ángel Berna, and Jon Maya to give three choreography workshops during the month of November.
The three creators have developed acclaimed careers expanding the boundaries of the choreographic language of traditional dance as a tool for creating new proposals. “I want the dancers to deepen their knowledge of folklore, one of the Spanish dance styles included in the repertoire of the Ballet Nacional de España, and to explore new trends with choreographers specialized in this style”, says Rubén Olmo.
The final session of each workshop will be streamed live on the Spanish National Ballet’s social media channels on November 5th, 19th, and 26th. This activity, entitled #BNEenMovimientoPerpetuo, was launched in July 2020 as a way of bringing dance and the dancers’ work in the rehearsal studios closer to the public, following the postponement of the scheduled performances until September. The workshops, led by Manuel Reyes, Belén López, and Marcos Morau of La Veronal, focused on flamenco and contemporary dance.
In this second edition, Manuel Segovia, co-director of Ibérica de Danza and winner of the National Dance Award for creation in 2001, will open the cycle of choreography workshops, this time focused on folklore and traditional dances. He will offer a contemporary vision of Spanish dance and, in particular, of stylized folklore, a discipline that coexists in his career with escuela bolera and flamenco.
The workshop, in which the dancers of the Ballet Nacional de España will take part from November 3rd to 5th, will be based on the rhythms of the baile charro. Drawing on the choreographic structure of the Suite del Rebollar, Manuel Segovia will develop a newly created piece with an authorial choreographic language based on traditional dance and its personal reinterpretation.
According to the choreographer, the aim is to generate another reality for our traditional dance: an imaginary folklore or neofolk, which also provides us with an open-source emotional space, free from borders and stereotyped limitations. “I want the dancers to become aware of the importance of traditional dance, its capacity for renewal and projection in the construction of new choreographies, and the possibilities it offers to performers and creators connected to Spanish stage dance.”
The vision of folklore held by Miguel Ángel Berna, director of the company Danza Viva, is also highly eclectic, due to the influence of the wide variety of disciplines he masters, from classical and contemporary dance to flamenco. The dancer and choreographer will revisit the traditional steps of the Aragonese jota and develop the technique of the middle-finger castanet as pillars for working on the choreography La templanza, first prize winner at the Spanish Dance and Flamenco Choreography Competition in 2000.
“My intention is to reflect on how to adapt traditional dances to the society we live in, turning them into a choreographic instrument capable of tackling major works and bringing them to the stage. I believe a choreographic evolution of traditional dance is necessary, beyond the repertoires of folklore groups, so that it can position itself on the international dance scene, just as flamenco has done.”
Jon Maya, founder of the company Kukai Dantza and winner of the 2017 National Dance Award, will be responsible for closing these choreography workshops from November 24th to 26th, with his contemporary approach based on the interaction of traditional Basque dance with other artistic disciplines and dance styles.
He will be accompanied by sound artist and composer Xabier Erkizia and playwright Ximun Fuchs. Together with them and the dancers, he will work on the concept of the source through movement, sound, and dramaturgy. “I would like us all to be accomplices in this laboratory, where we will not work on a technique, but rather embark on a search”, says the Basque creator.
Choreography workshops in streaming
#BNEenMovimientoPerpetuo
November 5th, 2021
2:15 p.m.
Manuel Segovia, Ibérica de Danza
November 19th, 2021
2:15 p.m.
Miguel Ángel Berna
November 26th, 2021
2:15 p.m.
Jon Maya, Kukai Dantza
