Katharsis Morphé, the latest creation by choreographer George Céspedes, one of the essential names in Cuban contemporary dance, is being forged in the halls of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba.

The work, which will premiere in the company's upcoming season directed by Miguel Iglesias, scheduled for September, returns to one of the creator's thematic obsessions: national identity, its fractures, its reinterpretations, its constant transformation in the face of the challenges of the present.

Far from formulating a closed discourse, Katharsis Morphé focuses on questions, on deep enquiring. Although it explores dances and sounds characteristic of Cuban culture—with a spectacular imprint that can seduce any audience—the piece transcends mere folkloric interpretation or theatrical appeal: it contains a critical, sharp look at the complexity of the current context, at the tensions that define the here and now.

As is often the case in Céspedes's work, the performance is not an end in itself, but a vehicle for thought.

Those who have followed the choreographer's career in Danza Contemporánea de Cuba will identify in this piece the weight of a consolidated poetic approach. This is clearly evident in the choreographic structure, where corps de ballet formations alternate with smaller groups, in which canons and unisons acquire pyrotechnic intensity.

But beyond the virtuoso stage architecture, there’s a determined conceptual search.

The staging process not only demands high physical preparation—common in Céspedes's work—but also an emotional and intellectual involvement that allows the dancers to authentically inhabit the symbolic universe of the creation. There is still much work ahead.

Katharsis Morphé will be the highlight of the next season of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba. In a time that calls for depth and questioning, dance will emerge here as a territory of catharsis and transformation. We will be eagerly looking forward.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSi Translation Staff