March 2019 Final Layout

PERFORMING ARTS
Ballet Hispanico arrives at Diana Wortham
April 9-10
What does it mean to be caught between two
cultures? Ballet Hispánico choreographer
Michelle Manzanales knows the feeling.
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BY STAFF REPORTS • DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE
“My parents are Mexican,
and I grew up in
America — I was born in
America,” she said. “I’ve
always felt suspended in
between those two very
distinct cultures. And I’m
trying, as a choreographer,
to stand in that place in the
middle and be confident.”
In her work, “Con Brazos
Abiertos,” Manzanales
explores this dual-cultured
existence, intertwining the iconic Mexican
symbols of her childhood, folkloric details and a
distinctly contemporary voice in dance — all set
to music that ranges from Julio Iglesias to rock
en español.
And Manzanales’s “Con Brazos Abiertos”
isn’t the only Ballet Hispánico piece coming to
downtown Asheville’s Diana Wortham Theatre
on Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10.
America’s premier Latino dance organization for
more than 48 years, Ballet Hispánico’s Asheville
performances will also
include Annabelle Lopez
Ochoa’s ode to flamenco,
“Línea Recta,” and Tania
Pérez-Salas’ 3. “Catorce
Dieciséis,” inspired by the
circular movement of life.
Fusing Latin dance with
classical and contemporary
techniques, Ballet Hispánico
brings these three highly
Linea Recta acclaimed works to Asheville
for a cultural residency that
spans multiple traditions and generations.
Lopez Ochoa is one of today’s most
sought-after choreographers, and her work,
“Línea Recta,” is a powerful and resonant work
that explores an intriguing aspect of flamenco
dance: the conspicuous absence of physical
partnering. While maintaining the integrity and
hallmark passion of the genre, Lopez Ochoa
imagines an original and explosive language of
motion through partnership, set to flamenco
guitar performed by Eric Vaarzon Morel.
“In flamenco,” said company dancer Melissa
Fernandez, “there’s always a battle going on,
and there’s always this tension. But yet there’s
never any physical touch.”
In “Línea Recta,” though, Lopez Ochoa introduces
flamenco to the tactile sense.
“I called it ‘Línea Recta’ because it’s an
expression used in French — that when you
go right to your goal, you say, ‘Línea recta,’”
Lopez Ochoa said. “I feel that, in flamenco, it’s
not right to the goal. The theme of how males
and females communicate is very indirect, and
8 |RAPIDRIVERMAGAZINE.COM | RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE | VOL. 22, NO. 07 — MARCH 2019
‘Ballet’ continued on page 15