LA VERONAL | SIENA

Marcos Morau has restored Spanish dance to its rightful place at centre stage: each work by his company, La Veronal, is greeted with astonishment and delight, and Siena promises to be no exception.

La movida may be just a distant memory in Barcelona, but La Veronal (which is based in that city) continues to defy convention with works that interweave performance and ballet, modernity and history. Marcus Morau is a master of surprise, and Siena bears his unmistakable stamp. On a hyper-realistic museum gallery set, a woman is lost in contemplation of a painting. A man watches her; the audience observes them both. The piece explores issues of art and representation, the human body and its projections; on stage, the choreography alternates between tight, cohesive ensembles and miniatures in motion. Morau traces a line from Titian’s Venus of Urbino to the films of David Lynch. A labyrinth of emotions in dance that propel the viewer beyond the mirror, Siena is a painting brought to life.