THE ARISTOCRAT by Julio Hong

Fusion: Traditional – Contemporary – Ballet

Immigrating to a new country, to grow new roots, we are willing to go so far as to change our behaviour to integrate. But to transform ourselves, do we walk the line between progress and loss? The Afro-Cuban post-modern choreography, The Aristocrat, is a social commentary that explodes misconceptions that first generation immigrants might have about integration, like a need to adopt a different identity.

The title, The Aristocrat, alludes to the dreams of grandeur motivating migrants to move to affluent places. The conversation is between a male solo dancer, 3 drummers and a cellist through orisha dances, ballet and contemporary movement that explore themes of self acceptance, personal development, and grounding in ancestral heritage.

Rhythm is an elemental force that acts to guide, support, inspire or cause conflict. She propels conversation between dancer and musician:  in harmony, and in dissonance.  Throughout the performance the audience encounters satire, irony and humour to accentuate the transformation.

The creation plays with time and space, where time becomes hope and space becomes surroundings. The piece tests assumptions of refinement, colonization and integration and where beauty and tension lie.