Repertory
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Sangre & Arena (Blood & Sand)
(2012)
42 mins - 3 dancers
"Sangre y Arena" (Blood and Sand) is a visceral piece of dance-theater that reconnects with the primal impulses that underlie ritual, juxtaposing intellect and instinct.In this interdisciplinary, multimedia production with projections, paints, water, and masks, Lenzu rediscovers ceremony and heritage.
In our fast-paced society, where technological "connectedness" too often replaces real interpersonal connection, "Sangre y Arena" calls for a return to ritual. In a move away from the purely spectacular and presentational side of dance, Lenzu reconnects choreographically with the primal impulses of art and creation.
The Grass is Always Greener
(2010)
48 minutes - 5 dancers
Immigration. Roots. Discrimination. Memory.
Conceived and directed by Argentinean choreographer Anabella Lenzu with photographic projections created by Todd Carroll, “The Grass is Always Greener…” is a gripping, polemical piece of dance theater that hashes the personal, practical, and political struggles of immigrants to the United States. The piece moves in between the turn of the twentieth century, during the great waves of immigration at Ellis Island, and modern day. In a non-linear approach, the work weaves in scenes from our current conflict on US immigration policy, bringing the contemporary debate into sharp relief against historical, forgotten experiences.
The Corral
(2009)
50 mins - 6 dancers
Community. Chaos. Revolt “The Corral” is a piece that explores the themes of homeland and patriotism. As a native Argentinean and a foreigner on United States soil, I often ask myself: which country is my “home”—the country where I was born or the country that nourishes me (financially/culturally) now?
More specifically, “The Corral” processes the experience I had with “El Corralito”—the 2001 social-political uprising in Argentina when the government froze all bank accounts, essentially robbing the entire nation overnight. The word “Corralito” translates to corral, a holding pen for farm animals. This is where I will incorporate symbolism from George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, and Gabriela Mistral’s poetry. These references will mix with the physical theatre and movement to explore different perspectives and investigate how governments trap citizens and create stereotypical characters.
There is meaning disguised behind images of a knife, a pair of high heels, a red river, an open hand, or an embrace. For me, the question of "society" and personal identity are interwoven, and the work I want to develop centers around the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of that relationship. It tells the story of one specific country, but the message is global. The pages of history in any country are written with the same words: anger, power, joy, fear and hope.
The Garden
(2008)
45 minutes - 5 dancers
The Garden, a visceral multi-media collaboration inspired by The Palazzo Real in Caserta, Italy.The Garden features original music by Geoff Gersh and photography by Todd Carroll.
The Garden unmasks and transforms the conventional image of a garden, commonly seen as a tranquil space in which to commune with Nature. The overlapping collage of images and movement simultaneously entertain extreme contrasts of sentiment, synchronicity, and order, unveiling Mother Nature’s capacity to destroy, form, and grow beyond our wildest imaginations. The beauty of decay and death, the freedom in disorder all manifest through the filter of contemporary dance.
Disguise
(2007)
30 minutes - 9 dancers
Organizing layers of character driven drama and breaking apart quotidian social gestures,
I explored the struggle for personal identity in the face of an increasingly politicized and superficial global society. My movement vocabulary is a window through which I see under the make-up and below the mask of one’s public identity. On stage, I painted characters in a mural of living emotions, and the specific characters from my home-land of Argentina became familiar portraits: the soccer fans, the Tango dancers, the homeless “cartoneros,” the luxurious high society, the disappeared, the protestors marching in demonstrations & the immigrants. For me, the question of “society” and personal identity are interwoven, and the work centers around the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of that society. It is the story of one country, which can be any country. No matter what country, the pages of history are written with the same words: anger, power, joy, fear and hope.
Amen
"So Be It"
(2006)
30 minutes - 4 dancers
Amen, a deconstruction of the ritual and ceremony of Catholic mass. Illuminating the mysterious nature of spiritual performance, explores what it means to simultaneously believe and to fight belief.
Entroterra
(2004)
50 mins - 4 dancers
A journey that transports you to the heart of the magical south of Italy, where the rhythms, rituals and typical Italian dances (tammurriatas, pizzicas and taratellas) are rephrased through modern dance to reveal the map of the soul of a woman in four distinct stages of her life. The sacred and the profane, the cotidian and the eternal. The search for harmony with the cosmos.
The Exploration Behind Entroterra:
While living in Italy for 2 years, I unearthed my Italian roots as a daughter of Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina in 1952. Dance -but more specifically the traditional dances of small villages- helped me better understand their soul, the social framework and mentality of the people. Through my scholarly research and active participation, I had the chance to rediscover myself as a person and reconsider my function as a choreographer. Entroterra is my testament to the places and the manner in which people live; revealing layers of reality even to myself, proposing these questions to the public, raising awareness and rousing opinions! The Tammurriata, Pizzica and the Tarantella have revealed to me another Italy: that of the South, guardian of memories and traditions both sacred and the profane. It is dance that unites man with the Divine. Dance forms a union between the body, mind and spirit.
Ilusiones de Percantas
(2003)
45 minutes - 2 to 6 dancers - 1 musician
Ilusiones de Percantas is an intimate, humorous and grotesque work where music, theatre and dance fuse. The archetypal characters described in the Tango lyrics such as Margot (the prostitute), Pipistrella (the low-class housewife), Palomita Blanca (the young tease), La Viuda (the widow), Los Mareados (the drunkards) and La Solterona (the Spinster) among others come to life through the rhythms of various Tangos, Milongas and Waltzes. The dance unfolds life stories in the old cafes in Buenos Aries where memories come into being. “Ilusiones de Percantas” transports the audience to the Argentina of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.
Che, Tango
(2001)
45 minutes - one woman show
Tango opens a wound in the heart where passion, loneliness, nostalgia, anger, impotence and anxiety come out. Che, Tango wrestles with the ideas of waiting, exploration and introspection and explodes with expressions of crying, laughing and trembling. Through real and fantastic characters, Lenzu’s contemporary dance tells a personal vision of Argentina.
"Che Tango is a story of where I came from and where I am going, in order to understand who I am,” says Lenzu. One woman searching for her identity. It is an intimate discussion with the public as one would talk to a friend. This one-woman show was premiered in New York in 2001, and performed in 2002-2004 in Italy, London and Argentina.