May 16, 2018 | Theatre,

Astragales: Where Have They Been?

It’s been five years since Belgian choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey blew Boston audiences away with Kiss & Cry, a unique performance that incorporated hand nano-dancing and miniature sets. ArtsEmerson is thrilled to welcome back their contemporary dance company, Astragales, and their phenomenal, new show Cold Blood. Although it has been a while since the city of Boston has witnessed the magic of nano-dancing, Astragales have been busy touring the world with a number of different shows. Here’s a look at what they’ve been up to in the last five years:

After their performance in Boston, Astragales took Kiss & Cry around the world, traveling throughout South America (Mexico, Chile, and Argentina) before heading to Seoul, South Korea in March 2014. The show was a massive success in Korea, as the company performedKiss & Cry for over a month. De Mey and her partner, notable filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael (Mr. Nobody), received widespread praise for the show from people all over the country, including from actor Yoo Ji-Tae (Old Boy) who also provided the narration for the Korean performances. After Korea, the company traveled back to North America for performances throughout Canada, then off to Australia and Europe. In September of 2015, Astragales gave their 250th performance of Kiss & Cry in Turin, Italy, after the show was seen by more than 100,000 audience members across thirty countries and in eight different languages.

There is no question that Astragales is a force to be reckoned with in the theater world; their new popularity and success led to an inspired De Mey creating a new show entitled Memories: Lost in Oblivion (2015). This incredibly personal show, starring De Mey herself, explored the “fragility of the spirit” and the “sensitivity of memory loss” and was performed in De Mey’s home country of Belgium until 2016. During the run of Memories, De Mey and Van Dormael began developing Cold Blood, which has been described as a “fabulous journey to the heart.” This latest show, which has been performed in French, English, Dutch, Greek, German, and Italian, celebrated their 100th performance in September 2017.

Astragales has also recently introduced another new show, Amor, which debuted at the Brussels National Theatre in October 2017. Like Memories, this show is performed only by De Mey and is inspired by the work of Lewis Caroll, taking the audience into a imaginary and poetic journey. Amor will begin its international tour later this year and into 2019.

While ArtsEmerson is lucky enough to welcome Astragales back to Boston this month, the rest of the world will be able to see the magnificent Cold Blood in Quebec and throughout Europe later this year. In addition, the company will begin touring Kiss & Cry once again, with performances beginning in Germany this September. Although Astragales is traveling all over the globe, this upcoming ArtsEmerson performance of Cold Blood may be your only chance to see this show in the United States! Don’t miss this incredible show running from May 30 – June 3 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater.

 

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Cold Blood runs in the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre MAY 30 – JUN 3, 2018. Get tickets!