Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 7:30PM (Preview)

Thursday, October 15, 2015, 7:30PM (Opening Night)

Friday, October 16, 2015, 7:30PM

Saturday, October 17, 2015, 1:30PM Family Series matinee performance: LATIN HEAT: Kids!

Saturday, October 17, 2015, 7:30PM

Sunday, October 18, 2015, 1:30PM; 7:30PM

LATIN HEAT includes five works: Bitter Sugar, Sombrerísimo!, La Ofrenda (The Offering),

Don Quixote, Act III, Pas de Deux and 5 Tangos.

LATIN HEAT

Bitter Sugar

World Premiere

Salsa takes center stage in this complex work combining dominant physicality with an astonishing flare for sexiness and humor. The work of the Italian choreographer Mauro de Candia is marked by a completely individual style. His choreographies often contain dynamic group sections and complex partner work, but these are almost always alternated by serene and poetic fragments.

His choices of music are often startling but are logical in his work. This is anSometimes his choices of music are truly startling: in Purple Fools – receiving its Dutch premiere at Introdans Ensemble for Youth during the 2013/2014 season – he effortlessly combines a Mozart aria, an over-familiar tango and a languid pop song. But De Candia can allow himself such risks, because thanks to his great musicality even the strangest music collages sound completely logical in his work.This iT unforgettable world premiere and TWB’s first presentation of work by this ascendant international choreographer.

Music: La Lupe

Choreography: Mauro de Candia

Sombrerísimo!

Company Premiere

An athletic tour de force of six men, this work features a hat as the centerpiece of the choreography. Set to the music of swirling flamenco guitar and raucous Spanish rap, Sombrerísimo makes references to the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats. This work was commissioned by New York City Center for the 10th anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival in 2013 and was first performed by Ballet Hispanico. The work made Dance Magazine’s “Best of 2013” list. Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa infuses technique from modern dance, ballet, flamenco and lyrical jazz, with rhythmic agility and stylistic flair. She works regularly within the dance field but also creates for theatre, opera and musical theatre.

Music: Banda Ionica, Titi Robin

Choreography: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

La Ofrenda (The Offering)

A tribute to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, a celebration of remembrance and prayer for the deceased, Edwaard Liang draws from classical ballet works to choreograph this spirited mingling of dead souls with a set that includes several hundred fiberglass sculptures depicting flowers, doves and skulls, the iconic symbols of the holiday. Highlights include a passionate pas de deux with the strength and vitality of ballet and Latin dance moves. Liang has built an international reputation as a choreographer, and is known for drawing much of his inspiration from music. La Ofrenda premiered in 2012, performed by The Washington Ballet.

Music: Lila Downs

Choreography: Edwaard Liang

Don Quixote, Act III, Pas de Deux

This grand pas de deux from the iconic classical ballet repertoire has a dizzying display of virtuosic technique as coquette Kitri asserts herself as both fiery and majestic to the rakish barber Basilio. Don Quixote is based on the epic masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes. This work was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa in 1869.

Music: Leon Minkus (Petipa did libretto)

Choreography: Marius Petipa

5 Tangos

This sizzling work combines ballet with the passion, sensuality and drama of the tango. 5 Tangos premiered at the Het Nationale Ballet (Amsterdam) in 1977 and was first performed by The Washington Ballet in 2014 as part of its fall program, Petite Mort. World-renowned choreographer Hans van Manen helped formulate the now commonly accepted synthesis of academic and other dance techniques. Trademarks of his style include clarity, simplicity and the extremely balanced, almost mathematical structure of his dance compositions.

Music: Astor Piazzolla

Choreography: Hans van Manen