DeNada's Mariposa: a Queer Tragedy Inspired by Madame Butterfly, to Tour Internationally in 2024/25
DeNada Dance Theatre’s Mariposa: a Queer Tragedy Inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, will once again open its wings and tour across England and the Canary Islands in autumn 2024 / spring 2025. Funded by Arts Council England, and produced by Spin Arts, choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra’s queer Caribbean adaptation of the operatic classic will tour to over twelve venues, dancing a moving story about the sacrifices we are ready to make for love.
Mariposa (‘butterfly’ in Spanish) transports Puccini’s orientalist libretto from Japan to a distant Caribbean port, to a dockland world of troubled sailors, faded showgirls, hopeful rent boys and santería spirits. In a tropical storm of repressed desires, a local rent boy and a foreign sailor fall ominously in love in this operatic dance drama that asks what are we ready to sacrifice to be loved and accepted. Mariposa is danced to an original score (inspired by Caribbean sounds and Puccini’s opera) by award-winning Spanish composer Luis Miguel Cobo; with libretto by French-Indian poet Karthika Nair; designs by Ryan Laight and lighting by Barnaby Booth.
Harry Alexander as Mariposa, and Jaivant Patel as Madame Gertrudis, in Carlos Pons Guerra’s Mariposa. Photo by Emma Kauldhar
Premiered and piloted in 2021 to great audience and press reaction (★★★★ FINANCIAL TIMES), Mariposa will now embark on an extensive tour and audience development programme. With a focus on representing LGBTQIA+ minorities, and exploring the history of colonialism and queerness, DeNada’s outreach programme will offer exciting and innovative opportunities for local communities, artists and audiences to engage with the production and its themes alongside the tour.
A complete tour schedule will be announced soon, as will several opportunities to join the DeNada team on this exciting new project.
Choeographer Carlos Pons Guerra said:
“I am extremely thankful to Arts Council England, our producers Spin Arts, our partners and the amazing artistic team I got to make Mariposa with for making this tour of Mariposa possible. I am very aware of the difficult times dance touring is experiencing, so it feels very special—and perhaps more important than ever— to be able to tell the story of queer minorities in so many theatres, Mariposa is a high drama that took many (and I mean many!) years to make, and in that time, I believe the production has gained valuable knowledge about the obstacles we face, and the sacrifices we still have to make, when we identify as LGBTQIA+. It feels very special to be able to represent my community in this way, and I hope that we entertain and move many audiences as we do so.
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You can read more about Mariposa here:
Mariposa was originally commissioned by Birmingham Dance Hub. We would like to thank the partners of our 2024-25 tour for their invaluable support: FABRIC, The Cervantes Institute, the British Council, the Consulate General for Spain in Manchester, Barnsley Civic and the Pérez Galdós Theatre.