embers

Considered one of the most brilliant figures of European contemporary dance, the French Leïla Ka directs this creation for the Chilean National Ballet: an invitation to experience an emotional and physical journey, where the duality of vulnerability and strength, sadness and vitality, is present.

Brasas takes popular references and musical pieces that are part of the collective imagination, alluding through them to different celebrations and spaces. Far from using them ironically, what they seek is to remove prejudices and return to them the emotion that has transformed them into universal melodies: "If those songs reached so many people, it is for a reason. I am not interested in denying what is popular, but rather embracing it and making it dialogue with contemporary dance," comments director Leïla Ka.

On stage, a swarm of bodies pulsate to the rhythm of post-rave techno. As Santi Teatro&Danza tells it: "In that initial trance, individualities dissolve in a landscape of confetti, streamers and festive costumes, where each body surrenders to a mass that celebrates and resists at the same time. Then, the initial energy gives way to a radical change. Fatigue bursts in as a metaphor for a society saturated with ephemeral celebrations, worn down by wars, social injustices and inequalities. This fatigue finds an unexpected counterpoint in popular songs Latin American, like those of Myriam Hernández. There, bodies are recognized in duos, trios and small groups: intimate and fragile relationships that emerge as islands of humanity in the midst of exhaustion."

Leïla Ka has developed her own language where she seeks honest dance that is not afraid to show fragility. According to the creator, Brasas "can be described as a great disembodied party", where "you dance even though the world is burning. The body celebrates, while the face, the gestures, reveal the sadness or lack of meaning of that party."

In this way, the montage evokes a collective state of mind between hopelessness and resistance, in a contradiction that it considers a reflection of current times. “I am interested in that paradox, because dance can speak from there,” concludes Ka.

The Chilean National Ballet (BANCH) is the first professional contemporary dance company in Chile, founded in 1945 and dependent on the University of Chile, recognized for its high artistic level, its focus on modern and contemporary dance, and for being a key cultural reference in the country, with a history of more than 80 years creating and presenting works by prominent national and international choreographers.

Director: Leïla Ka | Choreography Assistant: Jane Fournier | Lighting Design: Nicolás Jofré | Costumes: Carolina Vergara | Company: Chilean National Ballet (Banch)