love to death

Love to Death is the meeting of two Chilean artists: a Mapuche singer and songwriter —Elisa Avendaño Curaqueo— and a contemporary flamenco dancer —Natalia García-Huidobro.

Both weave their voices and bodies in a ceremony in which they present their personal stories: two lives that reflect, in turn, the history of Chile and the search for the future. This new creation by renowned Samoan artist Lemi Ponifasio together with MAU Mapuche, the company he formed in Chile in 2015, touches on topics such as the reality of the Mapuche people, the relationship between people and nature, “being a woman” and power relations, while asking questions about identity and destiny.

This is the third time in Chile for Ponifasio, who returns to Santiago a Mil after presenting Birds with skymirrors, in 2013; I am Mapuche, in 2015, and MAU Mapuche Performance Ceremony, in 2016.

She is a Mapuche artist from the Manuel Chavarría community in the commune of Lautaro, La Araucanía Region. He has dedicated his life to the practice and teaching of Mapuzungun, traditional Mapuche medicine and the composition-performance of traditional Mapuche music, with a compilation work that has become a true medium for transmitting stories. For this work, she has been invited to different countries in America and Europe to participate in exhibitions and meetings related to Mapuche culture.

Artistic file
Direction: Lemi Ponifasio | Cast: Elisa Avendaño, Natalia García-Huidobro | Choreographies: Lemi Ponifasio and Natalia García-Huidobro | Music and sound: Elisa Avendaño Curaqueo and Lemi Ponifasio | Co-production: Teatro a Mil Foundation.

THIS WORK IS PRESENTED AT GAM IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE XXVII EDITION OF THE SANTIAGO A MIL FESTIVAL 2020