October 10, 2005
A great deal was at stake Saturday night as Luna Negra Dance Company, Chicago's ever more impressive Latino dance ensemble, made its first appearance at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, where it was co-produced by the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.
The troupe had only a single performance in front of a sold-out house in which to demonstrate its virtuosity, its sleek professionalism and a creative spirit deeply rooted in a panoramic vision of Latin culture. It grabbed hold of that opportunity with everything it had, and then some.
Those in the audience enjoying their first exposure to the company no doubt left the theater wondering why they hadn't been watching more closely all along. Those who have followed Luna Negra since its founding in 1999 by the Cuban-born, New York-bred choreographer Eduardo Vilaro surely saw it as a cause for immense celebration. Not only is this rapidly developing company composed of sensational dancers capable of shifting from one style to another with breathtaking facility, but it supports those dancers through its meticulous attention to music, design, costuming and lighting, so that each piece on its program is a complete work of theater.
The taxing program of five works arrived under the umbrella title "Coreografos Latinos," with two of the best pieces by artistic director Vilaro.
His world premiere, "Quinceañera" ("Sweet Fifteen"), is a dance-theater gem that easily could become the company's signature piece. A sort of modern-day Latin rite of spring, it evokes both the joys and terrors of this traditional coming-of-age event for Latinas -- one in which girls let go of their dolls, step into their first pair of heels and formal gowns, and simultaneously realize that they are being primed for marriage.