Press Release: SW - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui - m¡longa - UK Premiere

[Jan McNulty]

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui - m¡longa

UK Premiere

 

Wednesday 6 - Sunday 10 November 2013   

Performances: Weds - Sat at 7.30pm, Sun 4pm

Tickets: £12 - £38

Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

Celebrated contemporary dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui explores the origins of tango in m¡longa, a new Sadler’s Wells production which opens at the Théâtre du Jorat, Switzerland on 23 May and tours Europe before receiving its UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells from 6 - 10 November 2013.

 

Taking the idea of milonga (social dances held in intimate late night bars in Buenos Aires) as its starting point, Cherkaoui draws on traditional influences and adds a contemporary twist. This is the first time an international large-scale production about tango is directed by a non-Argentine artist, offering exciting opportunities to explore the traditional dance from another cultural perspective.

 

Deeply rooted in Argentinean culture, tango has fascinated and captivated the world with its sexuality, power and beauty. It is this unique appeal that has drawn Cherkaoui to create m¡longa. He says, "What attracts me most about tango is the
eternal embrace of the dancers. When a tango couple dances, we sense the hypnotic dialogue between two bodies connecting intuitively, merging into one. If there is such a thing as my style of dance, it is rooted in touch, in physical contact - and that is inherent in tango."

 

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist. Internationally renowned for his ground-breaking and critically revered productions with artists includingAkram Khan and Maria Pagès, and for his award winning works such as Sutra and Babel, he
has created more than 20 productions and is widely acknowledged as one of Europe’s most exciting choreographers. Cherkaoui has
worked in film as well as on stage. He choreographed the recent film Anna Karenina, directed by Joe Wright. Cherkaoui and his company, Eastman, recently received the title of European Cultural Ambassador 2013 from the European Commission.

 

m¡longa features new music from Argentinean composer Fernando Marzan and Cherkaoui’s long term collaborator Szymon Brzóska, video and set design by Eugenio Szwarcer, costumes by renowned fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen, lighting
by Adam Carrée and sound by Gaston Briski. Tango expert Nelida Rodriguez de Aure is a consultant for the production. m¡longa is performed by a cast of 10 tango dancers from Buenos Aires, two contemporary dancers and a tango band of five musicians.

 

m¡longa is a Sadler’s Wells production, co-produced with Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne; Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps; Théâtre du Jorat, Mėzières; deSingel, Antwerp; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; Les Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon; Movimentos Festwochen der Autostadt in Wolfsburg; Festspielhaus St Pölten; Fondazione Musica per Roma; and Eastman.

 

There will be a free post-show tango class for ticket holders on Thursday 7 November.