Impressions from choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa on the creation of her new work

Posted March 19, 2009 11:56 AM in Artist Voices, Process of Creation

It’s been nine days since Luna Negra Dance Theater dancers and I have started to work on the creation of Nube Blanco (White cloud). I guess I can say we finished the piece yesterday right before the Company took off on a small tour to Asheville. I’ve been surprised and amazed by the dancers’ energy, dedication and extreme speed in learning steps. The yearning for learning and making it work as a group is tremendous and reminds me of my old days as a dancer with Djazzex, a modern-jazz company of the same size as Luna Negra. Therefore I’ve been feeling very much at ease around the dancers as if I had come back to my old company.

Nube Blanco is set on music by Maria Dolores Pradera, my mother’s favourite singer. I grew up with her songs from a very young age but at the time I did not understand the lyrics because I was raised in French. I always promised myself that when I’d stop dancing I would finally learn Spanish and I did. So now I understand what the songs are about and I also understand why my mother was in love with this powerful music.

I used the flamenco zapateado as a red thread in the piece. I’ve taken seven years of flamenco dance in school and performed a couple of flamenco pieces. I love playing with rhythms using the flamenco basics and mixing them with modern dance and even hip-hop movements. The piece is a fusion of different styles like I am a cocktail made of a Colombian father and a Belgian mother, stirred with a zest of humor. I like a hard working energy in the studio but I always leave space for laughter! It enables me to discover the personalities of the dancers because without their colourful presence the piece would not be what it is now!

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa