A memorable Night of Sant Joan in the Cloister of La Nau with a feminist performance

UV Dance Group in the Cloister of La Nau Photo: Eduardo Alapont.

The event was a huge success: the cloister was at full capacity and the performance by the UV Dance Group, directed by choreographer Christine Cloux, offered one of the university’s most memorable Nits de Sant Joan. The ingredients were: contemporary dance, live music and the lighting, which came together to create a feminist performance entitled ‘Fuller meets Sorolla’.

The performers of the UV Dance Group, an all-female group of 12 dancers and a guitarist, paid tribute to the dancer Loïe Fuller (Illinois, 22 January 1862 – Paris, 21 January 1928) in an excellent performance.

The North American dancer was a contemporary of Joaquín Sorolla, born a year after her, and they were both fascinated by the effect of light, which they expressed in his painting and in her dance. If Sorolla was the painter of light, Loïe Fuller was undoubtedly the dancer of light, captivating great writers and painters such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Rodin. On the night of 23 June, she also captivated the audience at La Nau of the Universitat de València.

The magic of a premiere, the magic of the audience and the magical night of Sant Joan merged in a performance based on an excellent dialogue between Sorolla and Fuller, with the light, music and, above all, the dancers, who flowed like strong, uninhibited and empowered women through their choreographies, accompanied by live guitar music. Contemporary dance flowed in a play of bodies that sometimes turned into flamenco and sometimes recovered the essence of Valencian folklore. There was a strong female presence. They sometimes wore trousers and hats, to express with their bodies that they can do anything. There was even techno music at the end of the performance, which ended a spectacle of tradition and modernity to welcome the summer solstice.

The performance was directed by the dancer Chistine Cloux, teacher of the UV Dance Group. Cloux is currently nominated for the Max Awards and has a great career with 40 years of experience. She has also won, in many editions, the Valencian Government’s Performing Arts Award for Best Dancer and Best Dance Show, among other prizes.

Performers:

UV Dance Group: Alba Santos, Natalia Pérez, Paula Masià, Blanca Montagud, Sara Such, Andrea Izquierdo, Sara Tur, Aroa Centelles, Lucía Huguet, Eva Bertomeu, Berta Miragall and Emma Navarro. Guitarist: Helena Feenstra.

Stage, lighting and wardrobe: Christine Cloux.

Acknowledgements: Institut Valencià de Cultura.

Images: