DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs, in partnership with Vancouver International Flamenco Festival (VIFF), present the Vancouver premiere of Compañía Rocío Molina’s fearless work Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo), on stage April 1–4, 2020 at 8pm and April 5, 2020 at 2pm at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W Hastings). Choreographed by Spain’s ‘enfant terrible of Flamenco’ Rocío Molina and choreographer Elena Córdoba, with co-artistic direction by Carlos Marquerie, Fallen from Heaven is a radical celebration of womanhood and its many nuanced gender roles. Performed to live musical accompaniment, the daring work infuses flamenco’s fiery passion with a contemporary feminist aesthetic, revolutionizing the traditional dance form for a new generation.
Fallen from Heaven, created in 2016 when Molina was an associate artist with the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, is her irreverent exploration of the multifaceted feminine archetype. As she journeys through multiple incarnations of woman — from virtuous beauty to bondage-clad toreador to bloodied supernatural being — she transforms flamenco’s sensual dance form into an explosive and immersive theatrical experience. Lauded by The Guardian as a “fiercely provocative work,” Fallen from Heaven earned Molina an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2018.
The performance begins in hushed silence, with Molina dressed in a floor-length white dress adorned with cascading ruffles. She boldly defies flamenco’s conventions, as she slowly sinks to the floor and begins sensually writhing on stage. An undercurrent of intense rage is tempered by moments of eccentric exhibitionism and intimate tenderness. Molina expertly fuses flamenco’s technical precision and foot-stamping intensity with an avant-garde, contemporary narrative.
A classically trained flamenco dancer and 2010 recipient of Spain’s National Dance Prize, Molina is world renowned for her “go-for-broke daring as artist and entertainer” (The Times, UK). Performing since the age of three, she graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid at age 17 and embarked on an international career as a dancer and choreographer. Molina has graced some of the world’s most esteemed stages — the Barbican Centre in London, the New York City Centre, the Esplanade in Singapore — and reinvigorated Spain’s traditional flamenco form with her progressive style. The artist was the subject of the 2018 documentary Impulso by French filmmaker Emilio Belmonte, which explores her use of impulsos — improvisational dances performed in public places, often in collaboration with her impromptu audience — to guide her creation and development of new dance works.
DanceHouse presents Compañía Rocío Molina’s Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo)
Dates: April 1–4, 2020 at 8pm & April 5, 2020 at 2pm
Post-Show Talk on April 2, 2020 after Performance
Host: Rosario Ancer (Vancouver International Flamenco Festival) Guest: Rocío Molina
Ticket Prices: From $35
Address: Vancouver Playhouse 600 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC
Box Office: dancehouse.ca/tickets/single-tickets/ or call 604.801.6225
Website:dancehouse.ca
Photo: Compañía Rocío Molina by Simone Fratini
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