Luna Negra was founded in 1999 by Eduardo Vilaro (now the director of Ballet Hispanico), and was based in Chicago until its demise in 2013. Under the leadership of Gustavo Ramírez Sansano starting in 2009, the company specialized in commissioning and presenting contemporary dances by acclaimed Latino choreographers. Brazilian dancemaker Fernando Melo has extensive credits throughout Europe and is the co-founder of the Rumpus Room Dance Company. His program note for Bate says that it was inspired by the spirit of Brazilian soap operas and the masculine world of Samba, where men express not only their love and devotion to women, but also their troubles and melancholy.
Read More
