FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Yarden Ronen pcdc@peridance.com

A Glimpse of SpainPeridance Contemporary Dance Company joins

PostClassical Ensemble for Falla's El Amor Brujo

New York, NY - October 31, 2011 - Peridance Capezio Center is excited to announce that its resident dance company, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company is joining PostClassical Ensemble for Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo as part of its Falla/Stravinsky program this December. These performances mark the DC debut of legendary gypsy cantaora Esperanza Fernandez, one of Spain’s pre-eminent flamenco artists. In its version of El Amor Brujo, PostClassical Ensemble has restored the work to include narrative, dance, and flamenco song components, inviting Peridance Artistic Director Igal Perry to set original choreography to bring the story to life. Perry’s choreography relates the story to our own times without diluting the beauty and strength of its folk origins. This world-premiere re-imagining of Falla's El Amor Brujo is sure to delight audiences with the soul and spirit of Spain. Falla/StravinskyEl Amor Brujo/ The Soldier’s TaleSaturday, December 3, 2011 @ 2:00pm and 8:00pmSunday, December 4, 2011 @ 2:00pmGeorgetown University – Gonda Theater37th & O Street, NW Washington, DCThere will be pre-concert presentations one hour before curtain time.Tickets Available on the PostClassical Ensemble website.

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Falla/Stravinsky - Additional Details El Amor Brujo by Manuel de Falla Esperanza Fernandez, cantaora Lighting and set design by Robbie Hayes Costume design by Deb Sivigny Directed and choreographed by Igal Perry, with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company PostClassical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordóñez The Soldier’s Tale by Igor StravinskyActors from Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts Directed by Anna Harwell Celenza Lighting and set design by Robbie Hayes Costume design by Deb Sivigny Choreography by Igal Perry PostClassical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordóñez Tickets: $25 ($5 with Student ID) Pre-concert presentations one hour before curtain time with Igal Perry, Angel Gil-Ordonez, and Anna Harwell Celenza, hosted by Joseph Horowitz.

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Synopsis: Choreographing El Amor Brujo, by Igal Perry

Falla’s El Amor Brujo, with a libretto by Gregorio Martinez, is a Spanish Gypsy love tale, which revolves around three main characters: Candela, a young Gypsy woman; her lover Carmelo; and the spirit of her dead husband, José, which haunts the two lovers but is ultimately exorcised by a Gypsy Ritual Fire Dance (the score’s most popular number). In my choreographic treatment of the drama, I have chosen to portray the dead husband as very much alive; his “haunting” of Candela is more literal than figurative. It is his jealousy of Candela’s love to Carmelo that keeps him from relinquishing her; yet it is Love itself -- his own love of the young woman, Lucia (here depicted as a fourth main character based on Candela’s friend in the story, as told by Martinez) - which ultimately exorcises his demons of jealousy and brings peace to all involved. Another aspect highlighted in this rendition of the story is the torment of Candela, who discloses a deep love for her ex-husband, in spite of having parted ways with him, and in spite of her tender love for Carmelo. Martinez’s El Amor Brujo is heavily based on folk themes, superstition and ritual. My treatment of the subject matter, juxtaposing Lust and Betrayal with pure Love, attempts a more universal statement. While retaining the general plot line and Flamenco movement, mine is a contemporary ballet addressing softer, more vulnerable layers of feeling in service of the ideal that, ultimately, there are stronger emotions than Lust and Jealousy. This tale of Despair and Hope is not limited to any people, culture, or time. In honoring Falla’s

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music and delving into its Flamenco sources, I discovered vast inspiration as well as a great challenge – to relate the story to our own times without diluting the beauty and strength of its folk origins. I found the means for doing so by treating the story teller -- in this case the Gypsy singer -- as a connecting link, intertwined with the characters and vocalizing the heights and depths of their emotions.

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Addtitional Information: with comments from Joseph Horowitz “Falla/Stravinsky,” a double bill featuring new, fully staged productions of Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo and Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, will be presented December 3 and 4, 2011, by PostClassical Ensemble in association with Georgetown University. The performances will take place at the university’s intimate, state-of-the art Gonda Theatre. They mark the DC debut of Esperanza Fernandez, one of Spain’s pre-eminent Flamenco artists. In addition to Esperanza Fernandez, El Amor Brujo, choreographed and directed by Igal Perry (DC debut), features eight members of his New York-based Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. The Soldier’s Tale, directed by Anna Harwell Celenza, features actors from Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts, as well as Joanna DeFelice from the Peridance Company (in the role of the Princess). Costumes for both productions are designed by Deb Savigny, sets and lighting by Robbie Hayes. Angel Gil-Ordonez, music director of PostClassical Ensemble, conducts PostClassical Ensemble onstage in both works. Joseph Horowitz, artistic director of PostClassical Ensemble, produces El Amor Brujo (which is intended to tour). Horowitz comments: “Falla’s El Amor Brujo is famous and yet incompletely known. A 25-minute orchestral suite (1916), including the popular Ritual Fire Dance and three vocal numbers, is commonly performed. The piece originated, however, as a 35-minute gitaneria gypsy entertainment (1915) with dialogue, song, and dance, supported by a small pit orchestra. This original version, intended for (and premiered by) the gypsy entertainer Pastora Imperio and her troupe, bristles with the grit and passion of flamenco. It is virtually never revived for a reason: it lacks a clean musical/dramatic trajectory, and the plot is over-complicated. When he created the 25-minute suite for full orchestra – the Amor Brujo we hear today – Falla skillfully solved these problems: the musical trajectory is acute, the plot is jettisoned. But the loss of a dance component, and of a narrative dimension, remain regrettable. The Fire Dance, for instance, originates as a potently climactic rite of exorcism; as a symphonic number, deprived of its urgent dramatic function, it risks self-trivialization. In fact, El Amor Brujo has long been condemned to “pops” status in the United States. It registers as an exotic diversion. Our new PostClassical Ensemble production retains the pithiness of the 1916 suite, but with the addition of a flamenco singer and new choreography. A major choreographer, Igal Perry, choreographs and directs. Also, we have elected to retain the original 1915 scoring for an ensemble of 18 and 22 players and place orchestra and conductor onstage. The result is a “portable” production we intend to tour, one that aims to restore the narrative power and elemental gypsy flavor of the original version, unburdened by extensive dialogue and superfluous plot detail.”

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126 E. 13th Street New York, NY 10003

212.505.0886www.peridance.com