MALPASO DANCE COMPANY
An Associate Company of Joyce Theater Productions
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AND CO-FOUNDER
Fernando Sáez
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
AND CO-FOUNDER
Osnel Delgado
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC
DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER
Daileidys Carrazana
BALLET MASTER
Dailys Bacallao
STAGE MANAGER
Diana Rosa Hernandez
PRODUCTION MANAGER
AND LIGHTING SUPERVISOR
Manuel Da Silva
DANCERS
Dunia Acosta
Esteban Aguilar
Osvaldo Cardero
Daileidys Carrazana
Osnel Delgado
Leonardo Dominguez
Leyna Gonzalez
Heriberto Meneses
Daniela Mirelles
Danny Rodriguez Quintana
Diego Donald Tapanes Valdes
Program
Lullaby for Insomnia (2020)
Choreography: Daileidys Carrazana
Music: Jordi Sabates
Lighting Design: Guido Gali
Costume Design: Daileidys Carrazana
Dancer: Heriberto Maneses
woman with water (2021)
Choreography: Mats Ek
Choreographic Assistant: Ana Laguna
Music: Fleshquartet
Lighting Design: Ellen Ruge
Dancers: Dunia Acosta, Osnel Delgado
woman with water was co-commissioned by The Cleveland Foundation and DANCECleveland, and La Jolla Music Society. Special creation support was provided in honor of Karen Brooks Hopkins, and also generously received from Susan Dickler and Sig van Raan. Additional creation support was provided by the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Embassy in Cuba.
Elemental (2019)
In memory of Bob Williams
Choreography: Robyn Mineko Williams
Musical Supervisor: Robby Haynes
Music:
“zabriskie after midnight.morning coyotes.long ash (goodbye), CA” by Tim Rutili (Courtesy of Dangerbird Records)
“La Comparsa” and “Noche Azul” by Ernesto Lecuona
“Perdon” by Daniela Miralles (originally performed by Pedro Vargas/Benny More)
“Hymn to a Great City” by Arvö Part, Katia, and Marielle Labeque
“Tropic of Cancer” by Panda Bear
“Summer Rain, Night Ambience” by Chris Merrill
“Acre/Evening” by Robert Haynes
“Kitchen Fan” by Robyn Williams
Lighting Design: Burke Brown
Costume Design: Branimira Ivanova
Dancers: Company
Intermission
Stillness in Bloom (2021)
Choreography: Aszure Barton
Choreographic Assistants: Jonathan Emanuell Alsberry, Daileidys Carrazana
Music: Ambrose Akinmusire
Lighting Design: Nicole Pearce
Dancers: Company
Stillness in Bloom was co-comissioned by Fall for Dance North, Toronto; Dancers’ Workshop; and Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, California State University, Northridge.
About Malpaso Dance Company
Since its establishment in 2012, Malpaso has become one of the most sought after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile. Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso is committed to working with top international choreographers while also nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography.
The company tours with 12 dancers and is led by its three original founders: resident choreographer and Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, Executive Director Fernando Sáez, and Associate Artistic Director Daileidys Carrazana.
An Associate Company of Joyce Theater Productions, Malpaso - together with The Joyce Theater - has commissioned original works from a number of prominent North American choreographers, including Ronald K. Brown (Why You Follow), Trey McIntyre (Under Fire), Aszure Barton (Indomitable Waltz; Stillness in Bloom), Tony and Emmy award winner Sonya Tayeh (Face the Torrent), and Robyn Mineko Williams (Elemental). Elemental was developed as part of a collaborative program with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and had its world premiere in 2019 at the Auditorium Theatre.
The company continues to tour works by Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, including Ocaso, 24 Hours and a Dog, and Dreaming of Lions, which are often accompanied by Grammy award winning, Cuban-American composer and pianist Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.
As part of its commitment to Cuban choreographers, Malpaso’s repertory includes works by company members Daileidys Carrazana (Lullaby for Insomnia) and Beatriz Garcia (Being (Ser)).
In recent seasons, the company has added works by three legendary choreographers: Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, and Merce Cunningham. Ek’s woman with water was learned alongside dancers from the Royal Swedish Ballet, and premiered on Malpaso in Havana in 2021. Naharin traveled to Cuba in the spring of 2018 to work one-on-one with Malpaso dancers to restage his seldom performed, 30-year-old masterwork, Tabula Rasa, while Cunningham’s Fielding Sixes was adapted for eight dancers and re-staged by Jamie Scott as part of the choreographer’s centennial celebration.
Malpaso Dance Company has shared its work with audiences around the United States, including such prestigious venues as The Joyce Theater, The Kennedy Center, Music Center, American Dance Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow, and around the world at the International Summer Festival Kampnagel in Hamburg, Germany, and the Belgrade Dance Festival. The company is looking forward to making its debut in Paris at the Champs-Elysees Theater in March 2022.
For more information please visit malpasodance.com
Bios
MALPASO DANCE COMPANY Since its establishment in 2012, Malpaso Dance Company has become one of the most sought after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile. Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso is committed to working with top international choreographers while also nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography. The company tours with 12 dancers and is led by its original three founders: resident choreographer and Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, Executive Director Fernando Sáez, and dancer and co-founder Daileidys Carrazana. An Associate Company of Joyce Theater Productions, Malpaso — together with The Joyce Theater— has commissioned original works from a number of prominent international choreographers, including Ronald K. Brown (Why You Follow), Trey McIntyre (Under Fire), Aszure Barton (Indomitable Waltz; Stillness in Bloom), Robyn Mineko Williams (Elemental), and Tony and Emmy award winning Sonya Tayeh (Face the Torrent), and has licensed works by Mats Ek (woman with water), Ohad Naharin (Tabula Rasa), and Merce Cunningham (Fielding Sixes). For more information, please visit malpasodance.com
FERNANDO SÁEZ (Founder and Executive Director) graduated from the School of Performing Arts at the Superior Institute of Arts (ISA) in Havana in 1988. He is also a founder and actor of Estudio Teatral de Santa Clara, was the head of the sociocultural development project in Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio from 1993 to 1997, and has served on the staff of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba since 1998. He is also a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
DAILEIDYS CARRAZANA (Founder, Associate Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer, Lullaby for Insomnia) graduated from the National Ballet School in Havana in 2003. She was a member of Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011, before founding Malpaso with Osnel Delgado Wambrug. Daile has worked with choreographers such as Mats Ek, Jan Linkens, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz and Isidro Rolando, among others.
OSNEL DELGADO (Founder, Artistic Director and Dancer) danced with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011, before founding Malpaso. He has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvarnström, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando and George Cespedes, among others. Delgado has created works for DCC, Rakatan and Ebony Dance of Cuba. Delgado is a 2003 graduate of the National Dance School of Havana, where he is also a professor of dance studies.
DUNIA ACOSTA (Dancer) graduated from the Regional Dance School Manuel Munoz Cedeno in Bayamo in 2009. She was a member of Danza Libre de Guantanamo from 2010 to 2013 before joining Malpaso.
ESTEBAN AGUILAR (Dancer) Before joining Malpaso in February 2016, Esteban studied dance at ISA (Superior Institute of Arts)'s Faculty of Dance and was a member of Danza Fragmentada Company (2002-2014). He has worked with choreographers like Aszure Barton and Osnel Delgado.
OSVALDO CARDERO (Dancer) graduated in 2017 from the Professional School of Art in Guantánamo City. Member of CoDanza Dance Company from 2017 to December of 2019. He joined Malpaso on April 1st,2020.
LEONARDO DOMINGUEZ (Dancer) graduated in 2016 as a dancer from the Professional Arts School Regino Boti in Guantánamo. He was a member of CoDanza Dance Company from 2016 to 2018 and worked as a dance teacher at the Elementary Dance School Raúl Gómez García in Holguín from 2017 to 2018. He joined Malpaso in September 2018.
LEYNA GONZALEZ (Dancer) graduated from the National School of Arts in 2016. Dancer of Contemporary Dance of Cuba from 2012 to December 2020. She joined Malpaso in February 2021. She has worked with choreographers such as Anabel Lopez Ochoa, Billy Cowie, Theo Clinkard among others.
HERIBERTO MENESES (Dancer) graduated from the Vocational Art School Alfonso Pérez Isaac in his home region Matanzas in 2012 and the National Dance School in Havana, he joined Danza Contemporánea de Cuba in 2016. He had worked with choreographers such as Angels Margari, Anabel Lopez Ochoa, Billy Cowie, Miguel Altunaga, among many others. He joined Malpaso in 2020.
DANIELA MIRALLES (Dancer) graduated in 2018 from the National School of Arts in Havana as a dancer and dance teacher. She joined Malpaso Dance Company in June 2017.
DANNY RODRIGUEZ QUINTANA: Graduated from the Benny Moré Vocational School of Art in Cienfuegos, Cuba on 2011. Graduated from the National School of Dance in Havana, Cuba on 2016. She joined Danza Contemporánea de Cuba (DCC) on 2016. She received workshops and danced works by renowned national and international teachers and choreographers such as: Billy Cowie, Lea Elizabeth Anderson, George Céspedes, Theo Clinkard, Fleur Dankin, Anabel López Ochoa, Isael Mata, Miguel Altunaga. As a member of DCC she extensively performed and toured in Cuba and abroad. She joined Malpaso Dance Company on January 2022.
DIEGO DONALD TAPANES VALDES: Graduated from the National Ballet School in 2018. As student he was awarded in several international contests. He was a member of the Cuban National Ballet from 2018 to 2022 as a principal dancer. With this company he performed and toured nationally and abroad. He has danced works by choreographers such as Alicia Alonso, Gemma Bond, Alexei Ratmansky, Ely Regina, Ricardo Amarante and Ben Stevenson, among others. He joined Malpaso Dance Company on June 2022.
DAILYS BACALLAO (Ballet Master) graduated from the National Ballet School in 2007, and the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana as a ballet teacher in 2015. She was a dancer of Matanza's city contemporary dance company Danza Espiral from 2008 to 2014. She was a professor at the National Ballet School and is currentlya teacher at the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana.
Artist and choreographer ASZURE BARTON (Choreographer, Indomitable Waltz) has collaborated with celebrated dancers and companies including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Misty Copeland, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, and Teatro alla Scala, among many others. She is a Bessie Award Honoree and has received numerous honors including the prestigious Arts & Letters Award, joining the ranks of Oscar Peterson, Karen Kain, and Margaret Atwood. She was the first Martha Duffy resident artist at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and is an official ambassador of contemporary dance in Canada. She is the founder of Aszure Barton & Artists, an inter-disciplinary international dance project.
ROBYN MINEKO WILLIAMS (Choreographer, Elemental) danced for River North Dance Chicago and was a member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for twelve seasons. She began making her own work via Hubbard Street’s Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop and has since created multiple premieres for Hubbard Street including The Art of Falling with Second City and two full-length works for children, Harold and the Purple Crayon and Mariko’s Magical Mix. She has been commissioned by Pacific Northwest Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, and more, and has had her work presented at venues such as the Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival, and MCA Chicago. She was one of 2014 Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and is a four-time Princess Grace Foundation–USA grant recipient. In 2016, Williams was selected as Chicago’s Best Choreographer. She was named as one of NewCity’s Players: 50 People Who Really Perform for Chicago in 2016 and 2018. Her site-sensitive performance series, Undercover Episodes, currently tours the US. Visit RobynMinekoWilliams.com for more information.
DIANA ROSA HERNANDEZ (Stage Manager) graduated from the National School of Arts with a degree in acting in 2008. She is a member of Teatro Espontáneo de La Habana and Mefisto Teatro. Hernandez worked in the HavanaBama collaboration between the University of Alabama and Cuba. She joined Malpaso in March 2014.
MANUEL DA SILVA (Production Manager + Lighting Supervisor) was born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in South Florida where he developed a passion for theatre and the arts at a young age. Manuel attended The University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he received his BFA in Lighting Design and Technology. Now an NYC based lighting designer, Manuel has gotten the chance to work with several Off-Broadway theatre companies, including designing the world premiere of La Tía Julia y el Escribidor at El Repertorio Español. Manuel has also had the opportunity to display his work at the Gilbert Hemsley Lighting Portfolio Review and the National Design Showcase East.
JOYCE THEATER PRODUCTIONS (JTP) is the in-house producing entity for The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., formed to create original work for The Joyce’s stage and for worldwide touring. The initiative provides dance artists who have little or no formal management or infrastructure the means to create productions of the highest standards of excellence. The program also includes the Associate Company model, offering sustained producing, fiscal and/or administrative management to companies that may require short or longer term support. Originally founded in partnership with Sunny Artist Management, Inc. (SAM) in 2014, JTP has since supported projects with Daniil Simkin, Wendy Whelan/Brian Brooks, Arthur Pita/James Whiteside, Maria Kochetkova, Caleb Teicher, Alexei Ratmansky, Molissa Fenley, and L.A. Dance Project, and maintains and ongoing relationship with Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company.
Ann & David Lawrence
