Nearly two years ago, while Diego Salterini was teaching in Brazil, he was taking a car ride with two younger friends when a song by Tears for Fears came on the radio.
In spite of the age difference, all three had the same reaction 鈥� spontaneous "car dancing."
It was a "Eureka!" moment for Salterini, co-artistic director of Dance NOW! Miami, who says he had been flirting with the idea of pop music for concert dance for a while.
This weekend marks the world premiere of Salterini's Pop 鈥� set to some music hits from the 1980s and 90s.
Salterini says there were so many songs to choose from that he took a scientific approach to whittling down the list.
"I selected 10 of my favorite songs. And then I asked all my GenX friends to give 10 of their favorite songs from the '80s and '90s," he says. "Then I kind of Venn-diagrammed it, and see where we overlapped."
The piece explores themes of love, yearning and loss, not only through dance but via video images invoking the spirit of those two decades.
They include Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator, President Ronald Reagan imploring Mr. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" and dire news reports on the AIDS crisis.
And although it includes music that most GenXers grew up with, Salterini says Pop is a dance piece that other generations can easily relate to.
"When we were 20 鈥� in the '80s, or in the 2000's or in the '60s 鈥� we all lived through similar journeys," he said.
Dance NOW! Miami's Program III also includes a restaging by Daniel Lewis of his Open Book, and a revival of Tethered by the company's co-artistic director, Hannah Baumgarten.
IF YOU GO
Dance NOW! Miami
Program III
Featuring the world premiere of Pop
Broward
Friday, May 17, 2024
8:00 PM
Broward Center for the Performing Arts,
Amaturo Theater,
201 SW 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale
Aventura
Saturday, May 18, 2024
8:00 PM
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188th St, Aventura
