Manipulo with TALVEZ from Ecuador and Somerville Artists

Manipulo transforms the stage into a living Japanese garden. Instead of raked sand and still stones, audiences find tables, dancers, and loose stones waiting to be placed. As audience members move the stones — arranging them, testing their weight, deciding where they belong — the dancers respond in kind, and the sound of stone meeting table is captured by contact microphones and turned into live music. The pace, the shape of the space, and the relationships between performers all shift depending on what the audience chooses to do. No two performances unfold the same way twice.

Manipulo is created by TALVEZ, a contemporary dance company based in Quito, Ecuador, under the direction of Marcela Correa. This fall, TALVEZ tours to Somerville to restage the piece with local dancers and musicians, culminating in two performances at SomArt @ the Hive.

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