CONSTELLATIONS | Joan Miró’s surrealism meets dancers on stage

Spanish dance company Aracaladanza is taking to Macau Cultural Center’s stage this weekend, presenting a show inspired by famed Spanish painter Joan Miró. “Constellations” is set to play with people’s imaginations, so one shouldn’t expect a concrete storyline. Instead, performers strive to make those in the audience create their own story, as if they are dreaming.
Artistic director and choreographer, Enrique Cabrera, told reporters yesterday that “Constellations” is part of a performance trilogy inspired by famous painters, such as Belgian René Magritte and Joan Miró.
“Aracaladanza never tells a traditional story. It’s like being in a dream, and the surrealism of their paintings resembles the way we dance at Aracaladanza. So Joan Miró was perfect,” Cabrerasaid.
They aim to bring Miró’s paintings, as well as his wild imagination, alive on stage. The performance is aimed at children, but obviously their parents as well.
Enrique Cabrera stressed that watching “Constellations” is like going into a dream, as sometimes dreams have a definite story, and on others occasions they might just be a collection of images that might not even be related.
Although only five performers will be on stage, Enrique Cabrera suggested that Aracaladanza’s show makes it look like there are more dancers performing. “We will have five dancers but sometimes they seem like they are 10 or 12, because [the choreography] creates the illusion that you see more people behind them,” he added.
“Constellations,” however, is not only about dance. Enrique Cabrera and tour manager, Javier Torres, revealed that the show also incorporates music by Spanish composers, video projections, and stenographic elements.
“Constellations is not only a dance performance, but a show where music, lighting and projections become crucial. It’s a show where you can see all artistic forms [come together],” they stressed.
Dancers are at the service of the elements onstage, Cabrera said. “If I had to dance with a glass, my moves would have to be different as if I were to dance with a sofa,” he said.
Having to hold both children and adults’ attention on the show, the company are particularly interested in playing with the audience’s imagination, rather than working on any kind of pedagogical message. “There’s no pedagogical approach [in our performance], it’s just about bringing imagination alive.  I treat children as if they were adults, someone who can sit down and enjoy the show,” said Cabrera.
The artistic director of Aracaladanza sees himself as “a coordinator of ideas” rather than a choreographer. Born in Argentina but living in Spain since 1989, he is the company’s driving force, finding great inspiration in working for young audiences and their parents, the Macau Cultural Center said in a press release.
Aracaladanza was founded in 1995 and received the Spanish National Theatre Award in 2010.
The company is known for turning contemporary dance into something children might relate to, just as if they were seeing a circus show or an animated movie.
“Constellations” also refers to a series of 23 paintings on paper produced by Miró, one of Spain’s greatest surrealist painters.
He was inspired by surrealism’s engagement with psychology and poetic play with form. Along with his fellow Spaniard Salvador Dalí, he became one of the pioneers of Surrealism.
“Constellations” will be performed tomorrow and Sunday at the Macau Cultural Center (CCM), with two sessions available on both days at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. There are still tickets available for Sunday.

Catarina Pinto