Modern dance choreographer Igal Perry brings his new work El Amor Brujo to New York in a preview for his company’s upcoming season.
A dancer with the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company.
El Amor Brujo, set to the rich score by Manuel de Falla with a libretto by Gregorio Martinez, revolves around a Spanish gypsy love triangle; a young Gypsy woman, Candela, her lover, Carmelo, and the spirit of her dead husband, José, which haunts the two, but is ultimately exorcised by a ritual fire dance. El Amor Brujo literally means Love, the Magician.
Perry, who is Israeli, explains his choreographic vision in Richard Cameron’s article in the examiner.com. “In my choreographic treatment of the drama, I have chosen to portray the dead husband as very much alive,” Perry says. “José’s ‘haunting’ of Candela is more literal than figurative. It is his jealousy of Candela’s love to Carmelo that keeps him from relinquishing her; yet it is love itself — his own love of the young woman, Lucia (depicted as a fourth main character as told by Martinez) which ultimately exorcises his demons of jealousy and brings peace to all involved. Another aspect highlighted in this rendition is the torment of Candela, who discloses a deep love for her ex-husband, in spite of having parted ways with him, and in spite of her tender love for Carmelo.
“My treatment of the subject matter, juxtaposing lust and betrayal with pure love, attempts a more universal statement. While retaining the general plot line and Flamenco movement, mine is a contemporary ballet addressing softer, more vulnerable layers of feeling in service of the ideal that, ultimately, there are stronger emotions than lust and jealousy. This tale of despair and hope is not limited to any people, culture, or time. In honoring Falla’s music and delving into its Flamenco sources, I discovered vast inspiration as well as a great challenge to relate the story to our own times without diluting the beauty and strength of its folk origins. I found the means for doing so by treating the story teller in this case the Gypsy singer as a connecting link, intertwined with the characters and vocalizing the heights and depths of their emotions.”
The Peridance Contemporary Dance Company.
The work will be featured in a preview performance on Jan. 21 in New York, giving audiences a glimpse of what’s ahead for Perry’s troupe, the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company’s New York season in May. The preview show also features Perry’s Constructs for 4, originally created for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and a new work by lyrical jazz choreographer Kristin Sudeikis.