★★★★ Thirty-three years of experience are behind these presentations by the National Folkloric Ballet, founded by Norma Viola and Santiago Ayala. Although there is no name assuming the management of the company (that position will be competitive soon), it is evident that currently the wise hands of Analía Domizzi (choreographic assistant) and Raúl Marego (artistic programmer) fulfill this function leading the cast for a path where tradition and contemporary dialogue fluently.
This exchange of styles leads, for example, to the fact that in the two central works of this program the dancers wear their bare feet and use a language that has a lot to do with stylized folklore. A language that speaks and challenges the man and woman of today, and that opens the game to areas that escape the cut of the gaucho and the countrywoman to display the dance at any time and place.
The first segment was occupied by the revival of “Cuatro estaciones Vitale’s”, released in December 2022, on the music of the famous Argentine musician. He opened the work ‘Spring Equinox’, with the recognizable style of Vitale, followed by ‘Zamba de verano’, presided over by an impressive human pyramid, with a notorious exaltation of the female figure. A more vertiginous zamba provided a musical base for ‘Autumn Dichotomy’, culminating in a powerful ‘Invierno en acción’, where the women intertwined their delicate firmness with a barely suggested male malambo competition. The permanent search and the intermittent encounter were the guiding thread of this effective choreography by Alexis Mirenda and Jorge Vázquez, which allowed everyone to shine.
A company classic, the “National Pericón”, brought a burst of color and joy to the costumes with a fervent performance by the dancers; while “Huellas” proposed a more intimate duet, which Agustina Vigil and Alexis Bogado interpreted with passion.
For the finale, the company offered “Cuando sale el sol” with the live participation of Los Núñez (Juan DANZA Núñez on bandoneon, Marcos Núñez on guitar and Diego Wainer on double bass). With roots in the chamamé and the coastal spirit, a minimal plot line and all the strength of the cast and the stupendous couple made up of Cándida Mazzacote and Adrián Verges, the work closed a celebratory evening of a reunion with the depths of our roots, revisited for a current look.
