DanceHouse opens its 2023-2024 season with the Canadian premiere of Compañía Rocío Molina’s Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo). It marks the first time the Vancouver dance presenter will present a flamenco artist in its 16-year history.
We are thrilled that DanceHouse’s flamenco debut will launch our 2023/24 season with the fearless and inimitable Rocío Molina. – Jim Smith
Choreographed by Spain’s ‘enfant terrible of flamenco’ Rocío Molina, with co-artistic direction by Carlos Marquerie, Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo) is a celebration of womanhood and it’s contradicting gender roles.
Performed by Molina to original live musical accompaniment, the work “infuses flamenco’s fiery passion with absurdity, wit, and a bold feminist aesthetic, revolutionizing the traditional dance form for a new generation.”
Created in 2016 when Molina was an associate artist with Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, Fallen from Heaven both embraces and challenges the notions of feminine archetypes. As she explores opposing incarnations of womanhood, from virtuous beauty to bondage-clad toreador to bloodied avenging angel, Molina transforms flamenco’s sensual dance form into an explosive avant-garde theatrical experience.
“This is a very special premiere for DanceHouse as it will mark the first time in our 16-year history that we have presented a flamenco artist,” says Jim Smith, artistic and executive director of DanceHouse. “We are thrilled that DanceHouse’s flamenco debut will launch our 2023/24 season with the fearless and inimitable Rocío Molina. Her rebellious punk energy and impeccable technique take flamenco to a transcendent new level. It’s a must-see experience for any arts lover.”
The work features original music by Eduardo Trassierra, a classically trained flamenco guitarist, composer, and dancer from Spain. Rooted in flamenco’s signature rhythmic percussion and vocals, blasts of post-rock electric bass punctuate the musical score, mirroring Molina’s inventive choreography. Trassierra is joined on stage by musicians Kiko Peña, José Manuel Ramos “Oruco”, and Pablo Martín Jones.
DanceHouse, in association with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, present Compañía Rocío Molina’s Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo) from September 27-30. Visit dancehouse.ca for more information.