Choreographer Fernando Hernando Magadan was once a national champion gymnast in his native Spain. So, it’s no surprise that his original works demand a great deal of athleticism from his dancers.
“I love physicality,” Hernando Magadan tells Pancouver over Zoom. “I love fast movements and I love putting the body on its physical edge.”
He also places a premium on performers who can tap into their emotions as they dance.
“It’s not only about the physical act,” he emphasizes. “It’s also about how they channel their emotional palate through the physicality.”
This is apparent to anyone who watches the trailer (below) for Hernando Magadan’s newest creation, Statera, which comes from the Latin word for “balance”. Ariana Barr, Juan Duarte, Alexis Fletcher, Will Jessup, Sophia Makarenko, Brenna Metzmeier, and Justin Rapaport demonstrate supreme strength and artistry to the crackling urgency of Ben Waters’s original composition.
“Ben did fantastic work,” Hernando Magadan declares. “We have a lot of layers throughout the piece and a lot of different musical structures that invite different feelings.”
Hernando Magadan also gives a shoutout to Belle Spirale Dance Projects co-directors Fletcher and Sylvain Senez for gathering such talented dancers for his first Canadian commission outside of Ballet BC, where he is one of the 24/25 choreographers. Chutzphah! Plus Spring Edition will present the world premiere of Statera in the Universus double bill on Friday (March 21) and Saturday (March 22) at the Vancouver Playhouse. In the same program, Belle Spirale Dance Projects will present its world premiere of Everything and Nothing, which Fletcher choreographed.
Kids inspire Hernando Magadan
When it comes to the motivation behind Statera, Hernando Magadan immediately mentions his two children, aged three and nine months. He acknowledges that becoming a father has forced him to confront issues that will affect them for years to come.
“Statera is inspired by those unsettling feelings that many of us experience when we think about the increasing and ongoing deterioration of the global environment,” Hernando Magadan reveals. “This is a way for me to deal with those feelings, with the hopes that we all find a way to connect and move forward into this uncertain future.”
It’s not the first time that he has used a Latin title for one of his dance works. He admits that he likes the sound of the word, Statera, but he also likes what it represents. While the state of the planet is distressing, Hernando Magadan also wants to convey hope in this piece. And he strived to tap into a sense of vulnerability and humanity.
For example, when a dancer stretches a hand toward the skies, it’s a reminder of how his own vulnerable children have each learned to fling their arm upward to demonstrate their curiosity about the world around them. All this energy on-stage is reinforced by Victoria Hunter Bell’s dramatic lighting, which forms a dialogue with the music.
“She created this environment where the lights are pulsing,” Hernando Magadan says. “The lights carry the environment of the music. It’s very dynamic.”
From Spain to Vancouver via NDT
Hernando Magadan spent 15 years as a performer with the highly regarded Nederlands Dans Theater. He has worked with several star choreographers, including the longtime artistic director, Jiří Kylián. According to Hernando Magadan, NDT taught him the importance of “aiming for something that goes beyond the mundane”. And this is what he sought as artistic leader of the prestigious junior troupe, NDT2, from 2018 to 2021.
Even though Hernando Magadan spent years honing his dance career in the Netherlands, he’s still a Spaniard in his heart. This raises a question whether he has injected a little bit of Spain in Statera.
Hernando Magadan chuckles as he concedes that his choreography is fiery. He then mentions that he appreciates how one symbol of Spain—its flamenco dancers—connect so emotionally with their audiences.
“I love to see this in a contemporary dance performer as well,” the choreographer comments. “So, it’s not something conscious like, ‘Oh, I’m going to give it a Spanish flavour there.’ But probably, it just comes within the packet.”
Watch the trailer (above) for the Universus double bill.
Chutzphah! Plus Spring Edition will present two new dance works in partnership with the Vancouver International Dance Festival and New Works at 8 p.m. on Friday (March 21) and Saturday (March 22) at the Vancouver Playhouse. The Universus double bill includes Fernando Hernando Magadan’s Statera and Belle Spirale Dance Projects co-directors Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez’s Everything and Nothing. For information and tickets for these world premieres, visit chutzpahfestival.com or bellespirale.ca.
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