Zorongo Flamenco’s ‘Garden of Names’ takes the stage in April

Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre (3012 Minnehaha Ave.) with Joe Chvala’s Flying Foot Forum and a cast of internationally renowned guest dancers, singers and musicians will present “Garden of Names” in April at The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts.

Photo right: "Garden of Names" takes the stage on Apr. 6-8 and Apr. 13-15 at The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts. The performance is a remembrance of the Desaparecidos (the disappeared) in Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976-83. (Photo provided)

Performances are scheduled at Cowles (528 Hennepin Ave.) for Fri. and Sat., Apr. 6-7 and Apr. 13-14 at 8pm, with Sunday matinees on Apr. 8 and Apr. 15 at 2pm. Tickets are $30 and are available online at www.thecowlescenter.org or by calling the box office at 612-206-3600. Groups of 10 or more receive a 20% discount by calling the box office.

Born out of a collaboration between Zorongo’s founder and artistic director Susana di Palma and Chvala in 1991, Garden of Names revolves around Argentina’s Desaparecidos (the disappeared)—the thousands of activists, students, journalists and others killed during a period of state terrorism during the 1970s. Based on Lawrence Thornton’s award-winning novel Imagining Argentina, Garden of Names centers on artists’ vivid imaginations as a tool for survival. From stories of Desaparecidos, names blossom forth in a “garden” of remembering.

“The Garden of Names is this beautiful place where the artist goes to remember those who have disappeared—to speak their names and tell their stories,” explains di Palma.

“By remembering those who are gone, they are present here with us.”

Focusing on political repression and responsibility, di Palma has been exploring a remount of the evening-length piece for several years, presenting an excerpt from the work, titled Las Madres, in 2017 at The Cowles Center.

“During this period Argentina underwent a great struggle, which brought about a new sense of political awareness. It also inspired a women’s movement, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) which has continued to the present day,” says di Palma. “I think we’re again in a time of examining the world around us and deciding what we, as citizens, must do, so it felt like an important time to retell this story.”

The international artistic team, led by di Palma, includes the Zorongo company and guest artists: Jeanne d’Arc Casas (dancer, Puerto Rico); Manuel Gutierrez Cabello (dancer, Los Angeles/France); José Moreno (dancer/percussionist, New York); Edwin Aparicio (dancer, Washington D.C.); Juanito Pascual (composer/guitarist, Los Angeles); José Cortés Fernández (singer, France); La Conja (singer, New York); and Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum.