Arts Performing Arts

Wortham Center Presents Malevo

Malevo. Photo by Fabian Uset

Malevo, an all-male troupe that specializes in the traditional Argentine folk dance Malambo, performs at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts’ Diana Wortham Theatre on Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4, at 8 p.m. Modernizing the folk dance originally performed by the gauchos of La Pampa, Malevo takes Malambo to another level for a visual and sensory experience that’s both elegant and wild.

“When planning for the Wortham’s 22/23 season, we recognized that, after a long period of stress, people were ready to escape and to be entertained,” says the Wortham Center’s managing director Rae Geoffrey. “Malevo immediately rose to the top as a new touring act full of excitement, passion and skill that could transport audience members for a few hours.”

The dance company’s founding artistic director, choreographer and dancer Matías Jaime created Malevo in 2015. Though the traditional Argentine dance of virility and skill is his main resource, he takes Malambo beyond its own limits with a modern, avant-garde and transgressive vision. Performances feature drums, boleadoras and zapateo and provide spectators with an adrenaline-filled visual and sensory experience.

“For Malevo and me, the most important thing about the show is the opportunity to spread our culture and express ourselves as artists,” says Jaime. “We seek to enrich the audience not only with energy and dynamic moments but also by sharing the feeling, the passion.”

The company achieved worldwide recognition after its successful participation as a semi-finalist in the television program America’s Got Talent. Malevo received the Marca Pais distinction as a cultural ambassador of Argentina. The company has toured worldwide, with performances in Las Vegas, New York, Dubai, Paris, Cairo, St. Petersburg and Montreal as well as special performances with Latin pop star Ricky Martin, Cirque du Soleil and a year-long residency at Universal Studios Japan.

“It is our goal always to leave a mark on those who come to the theater, to touch their souls and to feel a connection with our art,” says Jaime.

A Master Class led by members of Malevo takes place Saturday, March 4, at 11 a.m. at Henry LaBrun Studio. Participants will learn foundational Malambo steps and choreography and have an opportunity to engage with the company’s art and artists.

The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit WorthamArts.org or call 828.257.4530.

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