North American Premiere From Luis Bravo CUMPARSITA Comes to Harris Center

From Luis Bravo, the Tony-nominated creator of Forever Tango - "an Argentinian-tasting menu of music, moves, mystery and mucho sensuality" (New York Daily News) - comes this new production. The Argentinean musicians, true masters of the bandoneon, join some of the finest Tango dancers in the world to tell the story of the art of Tango. Born in Buenos Aires in the late 1800's, it was popularized in the brothels as a dance of loneliness, passion and lust. Now an art form known around the world, few stage it with the theatrical flair of Bravo. It's the perfect evening of dance for Valentine's Day.

Cumparsita comes to Folsom for three shows: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 7:30 pm, and on Valentine's Day Thursday, February 14 at 2 and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $38-$68; Premium $72; Special Table Seating $78. Students with ID $19-$36. A 15% discount for Thursday matinee single tickets is available. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 12 noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Cumparsita brings together three key creatives from the ever-successful Forever Tango franchise. Joining Mr. Bravo for this all-new Folsom premiere are his longtime Forever Tango associates Fernando Marzan (Musical Director) and Karina Piazza (Dancer and Choreographer). The Tony Award-winning Forever Tango is a milestone in bringing tango to broader American audiences, "combining exacting precision with what looks convincingly like spontaneous sensuality... the duos are consistently impressive, each of them displaying subtle distinctions in style and execution, in choreography attributed to the dancers themselves" (Hollywood Reporter).

An avid performer of Argentinean music, Mr. Bravo - who, in addition to Forever Tango, is the creator and director Malambo and now Cumparsita - has built his work around the tension between two distinctly Argentinian art forms.

The first, the malambo, was born in the early 17th century in the Pampas grasslands of Argentina, and originated as a tournament of gaucho (or cowboy) skills, danced solely by men. Rhythmic, unruly and characterized by virtuoso foot work, malambo dancing incorporates a unique style of heel tapping, and cepillada or grazing the floor with the sole of the foot. It forms part of folkloric dance, born of daily activities in small rural communities, influenced by nature and the landscape.

In sharp contrast, the tango took root in a culture created by European immigrants converging on Buenos Aires during the late nineteenth century. Urban and nocturnal, it was popularized in the brothels as a dance of loneliness, passion and lust.

Both dances are native to Argentina, but have come to represent the clash between the pre-existing and the colonizing immigrant cultures. Folklore remains the most American component, and brings to the fore the first encounter between the colonized and the colonizer. The first confrontation, the submission and subsequent deep resentments were exacerbated by the growth of Buenos Aires and the enormous migratory European flow. For these reasons and others, folklore and tango stand in opposition.

In creating Cumparista, Mr. Bravo has chosen to put the classic conflict opposing the culture of the land with that of the city on the stage, and chose the music of Dimitri Shostakovich (representing the product of his erudite and academic education) as neutral ground for the final clash between the culture of the native and that of the European immigrant. From his masterful hand, came this body of work - three beautiful productions so Argentine in origin, yet universal in appeal.

Mr. Bravo was awarded by Maestro Gian Carlo Menotti with the Spoleto Festival's coveted Simpatia Prize for Forever Tango when it closed the Italian Festival. He received a special distinction with Ruben Blades and Marc Anthony from ACE as the three most successful Latin Artists on Broadway.

The renowned "Fernando Marzan's Quintet" has performed with major symphonies and the most respected Tango productions; Music Director Marzan is acknowledged as one of the leading forces in the tango scene for the past three decades. Performing in the most prestigious theatres and concert halls in the world - from the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow, Russia) to the Sydney Opera House (Australia) to the Walter Kerr Theatre (New York, US); from Tango Buenos Aires to Tango Romance (Japan, 2010) and so many more - he has been the pianist for the Broadway and London runs of Forever Tango for almost two decades.

His studio work consists of more than 100 recordings, including the soundtracks of the film Evita starring Madonna, The Impostors starring Oliver Platt and Stanley Tucci, and the music of Forever Tango.

Choreographer and dancer Karina Piazza began her very successful career began when she appeared in the acclaimed show Luis Bravo's Forever Tango at Theater on Square in San Francisco and subsequently she was part of the original cast that opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where the production run for 14 successful months.

Since then and until 2001 she completed six years of a non-stop tours with the show, dancing all around the world. In between all her international touring she choreographs many shows in Argentina and performs at the prestigious tango houses El Viejo Almacén and Taconeando.

Great Shows. Up Close. In Folsom!

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.

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