Contemporary dance and theater are combined in the show “Muerte Por Plástico” (“Death by Plastic”) in which two companies, Contemporary Dance Theater of Asheville and Odori Desu Arte Contemporáneo will perform.
The shows are 9 p.m. today and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mayab Casa de Cultura.
The Asheville Contemporary Dance Theater is led by Susan Collard and Giles Collard, who for several years have connected with artists in Yucatan. They have participated at the Festival of Dance Oc-Ohtic for over a decade.
Last year they could not be part of the festival due to commitments in the United States, so decided instead to make this presentation.
The Yucatecan company Odori Desu Arte Contemporáneo is directed by Roger Pech Sansores, whom Susan has known since Roger was student at the state Center of Fine Arts.
The work has political and social overtones, addressing plastic pollution, and public policies that fail to combat it.
Costumes and props will reflect a world awash in toxic, synthetic material. Giles created giant bubbles, inside which the performers dance and create a sense of suffocation, in a metaphor of the damage that plastics are inflicting on the planet.
The participating dancers are Sharon Cooper, Elizabeth Huntley and Sara Derting, who affirm in a story in Diario de Yucatan that they like to come to Mérida, not only because of what they have been able to learn about the city and the state, but because they feel the audience is very receptive.
The piece presented by Roger Pech is a solo that addresses the issue of HIV, based on real testimony. The piece was awarded a prize after it presented at an art festival in Asheville.
In it, it recreates the reaction of people when they learn they have HIV, as well as the disinformation that circulates on the subject.
The entrance price is 100 pesos per person. Tickets can be purchased at 999-501-9675 or at the door.
