BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) premieres its enchanting, mesmerizing diverse Out & About series program, BALAM Festival: Live Cultural Dance & Music, in New York City. BALAM, a professional, non-profit dance company, debuts the new program at La Nacional: Spanish Benevolent Society, located at West 14th Street, New York, New York, on Wednesday, October 6 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST. The program is FREE and open to the public.
BALAM, a New York City-based company, offers a vision of contemporary cultural dance by combining ballet, modern and diverse cultural dance styles from around the world and historic periods. The company's eclectic artists come together in this premiere for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with guest musicians Lisa Terry of Parthenia Viol Consort and Ryan Closs of 4&20 Strings and the Lute Society of America New York Chapter. Guest host Inma Heredia returns from Seville, Spain to introduce the program virtually.
"After more than a year and half apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BALAM Dance Theatre is reuniting, as an artistic family, to rejoice and celebrate through live cultural dance and music presented by diverse experts in a one-time only event open and free to the public. These highly skilled dancers and musicians and our charismatic virtual host Inma Heredia come together to create an enchanting, imaginative, and fun show that celebrates performing in person before a live audience," said artistic director Carlos Fittante.
The program of duets and solos spotlights a range of music and dance forms and movements from Indonesia, Japan, Spain and Scotland. These works are featured:
• Oleg Tambulilingan (Love Dance of the Bumblebees duet), a playful traditional Balinese dance, is performed to Keybar gamelan music. Nani Devi, BALAM's Resident Balinese Artist, and Fittante will perform this scintillating courtship duet.
• Rama-Sita, a Balinese duet from BALAM's fusion Ramayana ballet, features the company's principal ballerina, Robin Gilbert, dancing with Fittante.
• Kumasaka, a Japanese Noh warrior dance solo, will be performed by Toshinori Hamada, BALAM's Principal Dancer and Japanese dance and theatre expert, for the first time live in New York City. Kumasaka, named after an actual historical person from 12th century Japan, was a bandit slain by a young Ushiwaka, who later was known as General Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The dance retells the moment of the fierce battle between these two characters.
• The company continues its magical journey around the world on the stage with the charming 'Scottish Tunes' by Francesco Barsanti (1742), a Baroque music suite written by the Italian composer, while living in England and Scotland. Guest musician Lisa Terry plays on gamba, with Ryan Closs performing on theorbo.
• El Bosque (The Forest), a Baroque duet danced to the 'Toccata Arpeggiata' for theorbo by Giovanni Kaspberger (1604), is performed live by Ryan Closs. Dancer Yumiko Niimi debuts in this role with Fittante. As seen in the Balinese Oleg Tambulilingan, this piece anthropomorphizes nature and its creatures, which ultimately find each other through love.
• La Madrileña, a late 19th century Spanish Escuela Bolera duet, will be performed by BALAM's Spanish dance expert Barbara Romero and Fittante. Romero is featured in this stunning piece in a new costume inspired by the portrait of the Bailaora, Josefa Vargas by Antonio Maria Esquivel, circa 1840.
• Panaderos de la Flamenco, an Andalusian Spanish Escuela Bolera duet, ends the program with Romero and Fittante whirling around each other, as they boisterously play the castanets.
This program is made possible with partial support from the New York City Artist Corps.
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