The Joyce Theater to Welcome Malpaso Dance Company, 3/3-8

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Linda Shelton Executive Director, proudly presents the return engagement of Malpaso Dance Company from March 3 - 8. Following the Cuban company's successful U.S. debut at The Joyce last spring, Malpaso's ten dancers will present two New York premieres by artistic director Osnel Delgado and choreographer Trey McIntyre. Tickets range in price from $10-$59 ($26-$37 for Joyce Theater members), and can be purchased through JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

Malpaso Dance Company, founded in 2012 by Fernando Saez and former members of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Osnel Delgado and Daileidys Carrazana Gonzalez, will perform a program of two New York premieres. Despedida, inspired by Jorge Luis Borge's poem of the same name, is choreographed by Artistic Director Osnel Delgado and set to an original score by Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American composer Arturo O'Farrill, who, along with the Afro Cuban Jazz Ensemble, will perform the music live. Blending dance styles from contemporary ballet to capoeira, Despedida showcases the virtuosity and strength of the troupe's dancers. Under Fire, created by acclaimed American choreographer Trey McIntyre, is an intimate and poetic portrait of renewal after destruction set to music by Grandma Kelsey, an Idaho-based singer/songwriter. With costumes by Reid Bartelme and lighting by Al Crawford, Under Fire was commissioned by The Joyce Theater specifically for Malpaso Dance Company and received its world premiere at the Marti Theater in Cuba in January 2015.

With this upcoming presentation of Malpaso, The Joyce is advancing its 13-year history of involvement with Cuba and its thriving dance community. Through a people-to-people license, Joyce staff members and supporters have traveled to Cuba since 2001, helping to bridge the gap through cultural and artistic exchange. Building on the relationships, understanding, and expertise gained through its travels and special projects, The Joyce is pleased to provide a prominent platform for Malpaso to reach audiences in the United States.

Trey McIntyre trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy. In 1989, McIntyre was appointed Choreographic Apprentice to Houston Ballet, a position created especially for him, and in 1995 he became the company's Choreographic Associate. McIntyre has worked for twenty-four years as a freelance choreographer, producing close to one hundred pieces during the span of his career so far. In 2005, McIntyre founded his dance company, Trey McIntyre Project, which first appeared at the Vail International Dance Festival. The company was initially a summer touring company, but its national and international success led McIntyre to establish the company year-round as of 2008, based in Boise, Idaho. TMP has been featured in The New York Times, Dance Magazine, and on PBS's "The NewsHour," and has earned coast-to-coast acclaim from the likes of Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, People Magazine, and more. McIntyre is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Choo San Goh Award for Choreography and a Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Society of Arts and Letters, as well as two grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts. His works have been performed by companies such as Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Osnel Delgado graduated as dancer and professor from the National Dance School in 2003. He was a member of Danza Contemporanea de Cuba (DCC) from 2003 to 2011. Delgado has received major Cuban awards including the Premio a Mejor Coreografia del Concurso Solamente Solos (Award for Best Solo Choreography), el Premio Ramiro Guerra (Ramiro Guerra Prize), as well as a Special Mention award at the VII Iberomerican "Alicia Alonso" Choreography competition in Madrid. Delgado has worked with choreographers such as Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvanstrom, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando, and George Cespedes, among others, and has created works for DCC, Rakatan and Ebony. He serves as professor of dance at the National Dance School in Havana, Cuba.