Malevo, the all-male dance company from Argentina, will perform in Israel from September 12 – 18, 2024. Performances will take place at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Theater, Kiryat Motzkin Theatre, Haifa Auditorium, and the Herzliya Performing Arts Center.
Performing to live music, the company’s contemporary interpretation of the traditional gaucho folk dance Malambo merges it with other dance genres, percussion, and a masculine physicality for an impressive show. Director, choreographer and dancer Matías Jaime, who has created choreography for flamenco dance companies as well as singer Ricky Martin, founded the company in 2012.
The gauchos are a folk symbol in Argentina, cowboys who demonstrate their talents not only on horseback, but in the competitive folk-dance form known as Malambo. Traditionally the Malambo is performed by two men, who compete against one another, flaunting their skills, each in turn, in complex leg movements that include zapateados (stomping) and cepillados (brushing). Although in the past Malambo did not have formal, set steps, in contemporary dance troupes such as Malevo, the dance is choreographed.
Yet another characteristic of Malambo is the use of percussion in the dance, as does Malevo, with the use of traditional instruments such as the bombo legüero and the boleadoras. The bombo legüero is a drum made out of a hollowed tree trunk and covered with animal skin. One of the distinctive attributes of the drum is that the animal’s fur is left on the skin, resulting in a deep sound. The boleadora is a weapon made of weights attached to cords, that is used in a manner similar to a lasso to catch horses – in the dance it becomes a percussion instrument.
Thrilling audiences and judges, Malevo made it to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent in 2016, and since then have been touring internationally to great acclaim.
Performances:
Israeli Opera – Thursday, September 12th at 20:00; Friday, September 13th at 13:00; Saturday, September 14th at 17:00. Tickets are available online: https://2207.kupat.co.il/show/malevo
Jerusalem Theater – Sunday, September 15th at 20:30. Tickets are available online: https://2207.kupat.co.il/show/malevo
Kiryat Motzkin Theater – Monday, September 16th at 20:30. Tickets are available online: https://bit.ly/MALEVO_prd
Haifa Auditorium – Tuesday, September 17th at 20:30. Tickets are available online: https://bit.ly/MALEVO_prd
Herzliya Performing Arts Center – Wednesday, September 18th at 20:30. Tickets are available online: https://bit.ly/3wVVlZw
