The grandsons of the gauchos, who grew up with rock and roll and contemporary dance, have now unleashed their own dance. “Che Malambo” is a powerful ballet giving full expression to the virtuosity of Argentinean malambo and the uncommon force of its zapateados (characteristic foot stamping). Like some savage horde, hot-tempered, enigmatic, the fourteen dancers – half-man, half-horse – offer a show that is vibrant from the first to the last breath with the traditions of the pampas. They vie with each other in stamping their "zapateados", beat time and a galloping rhythm with the "bombo", a large wooden drum with a skin head. The "boleadores" spin the "ñanduceras" (South American equivalents of the lasso, long cords armed with wooden balls on the ends), in dizzying fashion.


Sources : Maison de la Danse programme

Credits



Concept, mise en scène et direction généraleGilles Brinas, assisté de Sylvie Peron chorégraphie Le vocabulaire traditionnel du malambo et les techniques personnelles de chaque danseur adaptation et composition Gilles Brinas danseurs Marcos Beierbach, Martin Ciares (champion 2008) Federico Gareis, Julio Garrido « El Cordobés » (champion 1997) Guillermo Gómez, Juan Gómez, Matias Jaime (champion 2007) Albano Jiménez, Walter Kotchanovski, Sebastian Lubo, Fabian Maza, Ruben Rodríguez, Fabian Serna, Ariel Sosa maître de balletFabian Maza lumières François-Éric Valentin régie lumière Yann Rouzic, Pierre Daubigny costumes Heyoka réalisés dans les ateliers Fran Yard (Buenos Aires)
Ont contribué à la réalisation du spectacle Nydia Viola, Cristian Vatimo et Fernando Mattoso du Ballet Folklorico Nacional Argentin et Antonio Leiva, Carlos Mathus, César Mathus du Teatro Empire de Buenos Aires organisation générale Brigitte & Béatrice Gruber/Cultures du Monde tour managerStéphanie Ribo
Réalisation vidéo Charles Picq date du document vidéo 2007 productionMaison de la Danse 

Durée de l'œuvre 1h20

The dancer and choreographer Gilles Brinas has danced for Lyon Opéra Ballet, (under the direction of Vittorio Biagi and Miklo Sparemblek), Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century, La Scala in Milan, the Grands Ballets de France and for the companies of Robert Hossein, Peter Gross and Anne Béranger. In 1979 he created the Ballet DEA and won the prize for humour at the Bagnolet contest. Then in 1990 he became a laureate of the Charles Oulmont Foundation. In 2002 he created a tango show, “Bar Unión” with Sylvie Peron for the Biennale de la Danse. Like a good many who fall under tango's spell, Gilles Brinas fell in love with malambo. The primitive rhythms, the wild stamping, the superbly assertive masculine vitality, the technical prowess and skill required were a revelation to him, unique and quite different from the many shows he had seen thus far. Events took their course, then one fine day Gilles Brinas, resolved and determined to know more about this dance, took off for Buenos Aires. His first stay proved fruitless. Eventually, he met the choreographer Gustavo Molajolli, ex- dancer at the Teatro Colón, and through him met the director of the famous National Ballet, Nydia Viola. With the participation of some of the company's dancers (Nydia Viola, Cristian Vatimo and Fernando Matoso, who was responsible for choreographing the steps), Gilles Brinas embarked on the creation of a suite of tableaux. He then engaged dancers brought in from Formosa, Tucumán, Córdoba, Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires to form his own company Che Malambo.

Source: Maison de la Danse show program

More information

chemalambolive.com