I would travel great distances to see authentic African, Indonesian and certainly, Cuban dancers; that’s the way I roll nowadays. I’m a relative latecomer, but an avid one, to authentic ethnic dance. An unusual dance offering this weekend in an equally unusual venue: Havana-based Compañia Irene Rodriguez will perform Spanish dance at Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art.
We’re going. How else can we taste the flavor of a great dance culture given our nation’s foreign policy that isolates Cuban artists?
According to the presenter, Rodriguez is among Cuba’s most prominent dancer/ choreographers, in 2012 taking first prize in the VIII Certamen Iberoamericano De Coreografía presented by Alicia Alonso for “El Crimen Fue en Granada.”
Founded in 2012, the Company has gained a reputation as one of the best purveyors of Spanish dance in Cuba, expanding on the traditional vocabulary and incorporating contemporary elements and Cuban national rhythms.
A great opportunity, as well, to peruse the galleries of MOLAA, founded in 1996 in Long Beach as the only museum in the United States dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American art. Since its inception, MOLAA has doubled in size and continues to expand its permanent collection, ranging from works by Tamayo and Matta to Cruz-Diez, Los Carpinteros and Tunga.
A beautiful program for a Sunday evening.
Compania Irene Rodriguez Spanish Dance | Museum of Latin American Art | Sunday Aug 31