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| CHE MALAMBO IN MALAYSIA |
Held and launch at Nu Sentral Mall, Kuala Lumpur on the 31st August 2017, by YAB Dato' Sri Najib Tun Hj Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The launch was kick off with a vibrant showcase featuring the street dances from Malaysia and other ASEAN countries, including Joget Zapin by ASWARA, and Che Malambo, a 12-men dance sensation from Argentina.
CHE MALAMBO IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
They were first discovered by MATTHEW BLEDSHOE (General Manager from IMG Artists in the USA) 6 years ago when a friend shared Che Malambo's youtube video link. It was a pleasant surprise for Mr. Bledshoe as Che Malambo's style was and still is truly one of a kind. So great was their impression on Mr. Bledshoe that Gilles Brinas (Founder & Artistic Director of Che Malambo) was to take the first flight to the United States of America. The rest is history as their fame continues to grow internationally.
GILLES BRINAS, a French dancer and choreographer first saw the malambo in 1972 during a short vignette of the folk version at Lido in Paris. Fascinated by this style of dance, Gilles Brinas was and wanted to create an art form of similar specimen. The intense passion made him redefine and refine the art form for several years before Che Malambo was finally founded in 2005. He bought a plane ticket to Buenos Aires, and started to recruit dancers who had talent and potential in performing the rhythmic piece comprised of drums and zapateos.
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| GAUDI BUILDING, BUENOS AIRES |
Gilles Brinas took this to be a sign to strive and within 2 days, a dance teacher assisted him in assembling Che Malambo from a group of highly talented individuals.
Gilles, made changes to the arrangement, steps and costumes. Gone were the original costumes and restricted movements. He made his version of Malambo one of theatrical art where he infused ballet elements into the original Malambo to make it an excitingly incredible dance show of precision and passion.
Che Malambo started their debut show in Paris later that year after they were founded. 12 years later, many of the original members are still with the company with an age range of 42 to 19 years old.
In this season alone, they have performed 35 shows - 25 in the United States, 2 in Asia (1st in Macau and 2nd is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and soon they will be touring Europe for 1 month.
Che Malambo was introduced first on 31st August 2017, with rhythm from the drums and energetic entrance with very impressive foot work. Performed by 12 gauchos, the all-male dance company is directed by French Choreographer and former ballet dancer, Gilles Brinas.
Solely danced only by men, the Malambo began in the 17th Century as a competitive duel between 2 gauchos challenging skills of agility, strength, and dexterity. The Zapateo is their fast paced footwork, inspired by the rhythm of galloping horses in their native Argentina.
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| CHE MALAMBO IN REHEARSAL |
Like every good story, the show started slow with a call of challenge between the gauchos which picked up pace, and finally it was a gathering of gauchos - each portraying high energy levels in every step and movement which hiked up the adrenaline of their audience.
Verdict: CHE MALAMBO stormed into memories of those who has watched them and will stay in their dreams forever.
For information, please visit:-
Manager / Agent for Che Malambo: mbledshoe@imgartists.com
Tour Marketing / Publicity: http://www.cmajormarketing.com/
WHAT IS MALAMBO?
Malambo is a dance and music of the gaucho, which is the Argentine cowboy. Imagine this man on horse back, not a gender issue but originally it's an all male dance because it was the cowboys. The very reason why there is no females in the show. The energy that Gilles is looking for are particularly very masculine. The gauchos is on horse back all the time, very nomadic and lonely life. and whenever they get together with other gauchos these was develop as expressing themselves but also in a way challenging each other. It's like a dual competition between 2 gauchos, the competitiveness is the fast footwork, how they stand and they try to intimidate the other. it's not aggresive and disrepect way its just very proud and strong.
Malambo is not taught in school to learn but it's taught in the family by family members, from as young as it gets. It's a folk dance pass on from generation to generations.
There is even a National Festivity of Malambo which has been going on for the last 38 years. Malambo is a way of allowing men to express themselves. No dance partners.
Malambo unique features will be in the firm strikes of the feet movement. Originally it was dance in a barefoot skin type socks, and when the spanish came to Argentina, the boots was use then. The drums is from West Africa, and commonly known to be used as a communication tools, a kind of a morse code, is made from a hollow tree trunk and fury goat skin, with the fur on it, it makes a rounded sound. And if one notice the stance of high knee in Malambo it is also a part that came from Ireland. Boleadoras is a hunting tool, a lasso with a breaded string with a stone at the end.
Malambo may evolved as era passes by but it is a culture that do not evolve or change even after hundreds of years passed by. It is a culture that the Argentines are proud of and they cherished it by teaching small ones to remember that these is a part of their roots. Those are history that will remind us who we were and what one should be proud of.
Hope to see Che Malambo again in the next trip down here.
There is even a National Festivity of Malambo which has been going on for the last 38 years. Malambo is a way of allowing men to express themselves. No dance partners.
Hope to see Che Malambo again in the next trip down here.