HERMAN CORNEJO: ANIMA ANIMAL

Joyce Theater
Feb. 18 – 23

Over the years, the remarkable ballet dancer Herman Cornejo has amassed an enormous following. After 25 years as a principal dancer at ABT, Cornjo arrives at the Joyce Theater with an evening length work that reflects his passionate ties to Argentina’s cultural and artistic ide tity.

Anima Animal is inspired by Caaporá, the last project Vaslav Nijinsky took an interest in before his death. In 1917, while in Buenos Aires, Nijinsky began developing the ballet, which was based on the Guarani legend of the Urutaú bird. He collaborated with Igor Stravinsky on the concept, but illness prevented him from ever completing it, leaving behind an unfinished fragment of dance history. More than a century later, Cornejo revives this lost vision with Anima Animal—a contemporary, interdisciplinary work that fuses ballet, folklore, and Argentine tradition.

To bring this vision to life, Cornejo has collaborated exclusively with artists from his hometown of Buenos Aires. Featuring choreography by Anabella Tuliano, an original score by DJ UJI and Noelia Escalzo, and performances by contemporary dance company Grupo Cadabra—who will be making their U.S. debut—Anima Animal seamlessly blends classical and contemporary movement with Argentina’s rich artistic heritage.

C. Ipiotis