★★★★★ That the San Martín Ballet has added this work to its repertoire is great news. Mauro Bigonzetti is not only one of the most interesting European choreographers at the moment, but ‘Cantata’ is a work that looks splendid in this vital, diverse, malleable company.
It is not the first time that Bigonzetti has interacted with Argentine dancers: let us remember his ‘Sinfonía en trelazada’ staged for Julio Bocca’s Argentine Ballet in the 1990s, and a revival for the Colón Ballet in 2015. However, the choreographer’s identification with our own idiosyncrasy was never as strong as on this occasion.
“Cantata” surprises with a choral beginning to ‘bocca chiusa’ performed by the cast. Then, always ‘a cappella’, they will sing a lullaby in dialect, with baby crying included, where the girls are rocked by their partners. The raw voices of the dancers refer to popular, visceral, frank expression, which is the constant that runs through the entire work. From there, a whirlwind of images rescues the depths of a colorful and passionate Italy, in a visual and dynamic artillery that rushes over the public and challenges it.
Bigonzetti manipulates a simple and complex choreographic language at the same time. Simple, because there are basic elements in her choreography, ‘a terre’, typical of popular dances; but with an explicit complexity in the unusual elevations of the dancers on the backs of the boys, for example, or in the intricate sequences of short steps, or in the risky jumps stopped in the air by another dancer. In any case, it is an absolutely musical ballet, inextricably linked to the melancholy emanating from the sounds of Grupo Assurd and the voices of Enza Pagliara, Enza Prestia and Cristina Vetrone, also an admirable accordionist. And here we stop for a moment to thank the rescue of the rich heritage contained in this ancestral music, which towards the middle of the work turns the atmosphere towards festive debauchery.
Without rest, throughout the short hour that ‘Cantata’ lasts, a series of small-town vignettes can be seen where there is no shortage of characters like the clumsy townsman and a sensual duo of women (powerful Carolina Capriati and Daniela López). A separate paragraph deserves the performance of Antonella Zanutto, who recently joined the company, lending her mask and impressive technique to a dark and intense character. The entire San Martín company enjoys and enthusiastically embarks on this dance journey that connects us with our own origins. A work to see more than once.
At the Teatro Coliseo, within the Italia XXI Cycle, in co-production with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Upcoming performances: from March 19 in the Martín Coronado Hall of the San Martín Theater, Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m., until Sunday, April 24.
