Dance to death

In 2015, the director Alberto Velasco presented Danzad malditos, a play that recreated on stage one of those contests that became common in the United States during the Great Depression, in which penniless couples battled it out desperately to try to win a little prize-money. Now, Velasco explores this theme in greater depth and brings together unemployed actors and dancers to perform a dance piece that, rather than merely reproducing those competitions, pays tribute to the so-called “losers”, those drop out along the way and fail to achieve their goal. He focuses here particularly on the world of dance and acting, professions as wonderful as they are hard and cruel. Scarcely twenty per cent find work, and they all have to hope to be chosen by casting directors, becoming mere spectators to their own triumph or defeat. Velasco’s work takes the form of a site-specific piece based on Horace McCoy’s novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? which director Sydney Pollack turned into the film of the same title (premiered in Spanish with the title of Danzad, danzad, malditos in 1969). The piece is converted into a choreographic work by actors and dancers who have not worked for some time, and are therefore full of unique creative energy and in the best possible condition to tell a story like this one.

Production: La Caldera, Centre de Creació de Dansa i Arts Escèniques.

Direcció: Alberto Velasco ; Interpretació: Anna Briansó, Alba Aloy, Alejandro Bordanove, Armand Villén, Berta Graells, Carmen Gómez, Coral Ortega, Montse Rodríguez, Marc Joy, Miquel Bonet, Raquel Molano, Sònia Barba, Shanice Stanislaus i Tamara Ndong; Textos: Sònia Barba ; Coreografia: Alberto Velasco i intèrprets ; Vestuari: Sara Sánchez de la Morena; Disseny d'il·luminació: Lídia Ayala i Carles Borràs ; Disseny de so: Raúl Beldarrain; Disseny de vídeo: Tristán Pérez-Martín ; Realització audiovisual: Rebeca Sánchez López ; Coordinació: Carles Mallol, Montse Colomé i Jordi Vidal ; Producció executiva: Raquel Ortega; Adjunt de producció: Raül Perales ; Col·laboració: Associació Kiakahart, Antonio Moreno, Miquel Ruiz i Fernanda Ortiz; Agraïments: Unai Cardoner, "scar Dasi, €ngels Gómez i Jordi Bulbena;