A powerhouse of all-male performers, Argentinian dance company, Che Malambo thrills audiences with spectacular fast-paced zapateo or footwork inspired by the rhythm of galloping horses and performed with the machismo of the South American cowboy or ‘gaucho’. Che Malambo’s performances are fired up with wild drumming on large, traditional bombos. Demonstrating both agility and strength, the daring choreography features virtuosic whirling of boleadoras, a throwing weapon made of long cords weighted with stones.
Dating from the early seventeenth century, malambo is a folkloric stepdance with roots in the competitive gaucho duelling traditions that evolved during long nights by the campfire on the old cattle trails of Las Pampas, fertile grasslands in the broad Atlantic coastal areas of southeastern South America. The malambo style involves striking the floor rhythmically with the boot or bare foot including toes, heels, soles and sides. It is punctuated with fast, skipping steps and high kicks, while the upper body remains upright in an impressive macho stance. The arresting footwork characteristic of flamenco, a dance style which developed in the nineteenth century about three hundred years after malambo and is now universally loved and admired, bears some of malambo’s most iconic elements.
Che Malambo performs in the Americas and abroad, with a recent, highly successful world tour covering thirty-two cities. The company comes to ROHM with a brilliant new production created by renowned French choreographer, Gilles Brinas, a production that was described last year by the distinguished London critic, Graham Watts, as “potentially mind-blowing”.
The phenomenal Argentinian Che Malambo dancers, musicians and boleadoras artists will perform on two consecutive evenings – Thursday the 19th and Friday the 20th of December at 7:00 pm. For further information and booking, please consult the ROHM website at rohmuscat.org.om
