Tour and Casting Announced for DeNada's Mariposa: a Queer Tragedy Inspired by Puccini's Madame Butterfly
Under the flickering neon lights of a distant Caribbean port, a local rent boy and a foreign sailor fall ominously in love - and a young man is asked to sacrifice his gender in exchange for love and a better life…
DeNada Dance Theatre— Corey Annand and Harry Alexander in Mariposa. Photo by Emma Kauldhar
Mariposa (‘butterfly’ in Spanish) is choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra’s queer reimagining of Puccini’s seminal opera, Madame Butterfly. An operatic dance drama, it transports Puccini’s Orientalist libretto to post-revolution Cuba, to a dockland world of faded showgirls, hopeful rent boys, troubled sailors and divine queer spirits. Engulfed in a tropical storm of repressed desires, the production is a passionate and deeply moving exploration of what we are ready to sacrifice in order to be loved and accepted.
DeNada Dance Theatre— Jaivant Patel and Harry Alexander in Mariposa. Photo by Emma Kauldhar
Nicknamed ‘the Pedro Almodovar of dance’ by the BBC, Carlos Pons Guerra is one of the UK’s leading voices in contemporary queer dance. With a truly distinctive style, theatricality and aesthetic, his work explores gender, cultural and sexual identity. Carlos’ work often stems from his personal experience and his desire to put LGBTQ+ narratives on the dance stage, stylishly staged in ways that evoke his Hispanic/Latinx cultural heritage.
Created in 2021, Mariposa revisits the problematic gender and colonialist aspects of Madame Butterfly and asks how iconic operas and narratives like this can remain relevant today.
Mariposa is set to an original score by three-time winner of the Spanish MAX Awards for the Performing Arts, Luis Miguel Cobo, which takes its inspiration from Caribbean sounds as well as Puccini. The libretto is by French-Indian writer Karthika Nair (whose feminist, award-winning poetic retelling of the Mahabharata, Until the Lions, was adapted for dance by Akram Khan). Costume and set designs are by 2023 Olivier Award Nominee Ryan Dawson Laight and lighting is by Guerra’s long-time collaborator Barnaby Booth.
An exceptional and diverse cast will bring this story to life. The title role of Mariposa will be shared by Harry Alexander (National Dance Award winner, ‘Best Emerging Artist’ 2017 and dancer with Jules Cunningham and Michael Clark Company, amongst others) and Yos Clark, multidisciplinary dance artist recent credits include Vivienne Westwood and Roksanda. Dan Baines (formerly with BalletBoyz) will dance Preston, the sailor and Holly Saw (Mathew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands) will play Kate,. Bjorn Aslund ((Java Dance Theatre) joins the company in the role of Pepe / Ochún, while Elle Francis-Wood (Northern Ballet and Leipzig Ballet) and Jaivant Patel (Jaivant Patel Dance) will share the role of Madame Gertrudis, the brothel owner.
TOUR DATES
Lancaster: 8 Oct / The Dukes Lancaster / 01524 598500
Poole: 15 Oct / The Lighthouse Poole / 01202 280000
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: 15—16 Nov / Teatro Pérez Galdós
Southampton: 22-23 Nov / MAST Southampton / 023 8071 1811
Nottingham: 26 Nov / Lakeside Arts / 0115 846 7777
Harrogate: 14 Feb / Harrogate Theatre / 01423 502116
London: 25—26 Feb / The Place / 020 7121 1100
Leeds: 14—15 March / Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre / 0113 220 8008
Wolverhampton: 21 March / Wolverhampton Arena / 01902 321321