The Music Center Offstage Presents Malpaso Dance Company

The Music Center's virtual platform offering newly curated programming, The Music Center Offstage, will present the latest installment of its Digital Dance Experience on Sunday, May 17, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., with an exclusive two-part INSIDE LOOK showcasing the artistry of Cuba's contemporary sensation, Malpaso Dance Company. Students and their families will also be treated to a digital performance featuring the company on Friday, May 15, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. Both presentations can be seen at musiccenter.org. The Music Center's Digital Dance Experience, INSIDE LOOK and digital student performance are programmed by TMC Arts and are supported by the Glorya Kaufman Foundation.

"The arts have no boundaries or borders, and neither does our desire to experience its joy, which is why we are very pleased to highlight the flair and vivacity of Malpaso Dance Company on The Music Center Offstage," said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO, The Music Center. "This INSIDE LOOK will not only highlight the company's athleticism and artistry, but also explore how its collaborative approach to working with highly renowned International Artists has led to the creation of powerful, audience-pleasing choreography. Additionally, we are thrilled to offer students the chance to witness the company's work and explore both the culture of Cuba and the creative process."

Sunday's event, INSIDE LOOK: Malpaso Dance Company beginning at 2:00 p.m., will feature a behind-the-scenes exploration of the artistic and cultural connection between Cuban and American artists, articulated by company founders Osnel Delgado, artistic director; Fernando Sáez, executive director; and Daileidys Carrazana; and interspersed with video clips from the ensemble's performances. The program continues with an interview with award-winning American choreographers Ronald K. Brown and Sonya Tayeh, who will discuss their artistic collaborations with Malpaso Dance Company, concluding with an exclusive streamed performance of Tayeh's Face the Torrent; this piece was commissioned by The Music Center, which also hosted its world premiere in 2017. Choreographed for eight dancers, Face the Torrent showcases Malpaso's range of dance skills, theatricality and raw emotions. In the piece, Tayeh, an Emmy Award nominee for her choreography for So You Think You Can Dance, confronts the underlying angst inherent in facing adversity and tragedy and interprets these emotions through a fusion of classic and contemporary dance. The streamed performance of Face the Torrent will also be available on-demand on musiccenter.org for a limited time following this online event. INSIDE LOOK is made possible with support from the Glorya Kaufman Foundation and Center Dance Arts.

In line with The Music Center's commitment to arts learning for all ages, Friday's digital student performance will begin at 11:00 a.m. with an introduction by Malpaso's three founders, followed by a 20-minute suite performance by the company of 24 Hours and a Dog. Geared for middle and high school students tuning in from Los Angeles, Compton, El Rancho and Lynwood school districts among others, the company will discuss how visual storytelling, self-expression, Cuban culture and diverse perspectives can be communicated through dance, movement and music. A Q&A will follow the performance, led by Sáez with his fellow company founders and dancers. Filled with jazzy and youthful energy, 24 Hours and a Dog features choreography by Delgado for 10 dancers with music by GRAMMY Award winner Arturo O'Farrill. The Malpaso Dance Company special student event is made possible with support from the Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Center Dance Arts, Anita Mann Kohl and Allen Kohl and U.S. Bank.

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