RECENT NEWS

It has been two years since Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, now 33, was named artistic director of Luna Negra Dance Theater, one of Chicago’s preeminent Latin-infused ensembles. It can be tricky to replace a founding director (Eduardo Vilaro now heads Ballet Hispanico), but Sansano knew exactly how he wanted to reshape the company, and arrived with many of his initiatives already approved. Born in San Fulgencio, Spain, this former dancer sees Luna Negra in international terms, with Latin culture as a multifaceted global phenomenon. Before coming to Chicago, he performed with several Spanish companies and Nederlands Dans Theater II; co-founded TITOYA Dance Project in Valencia, Spain; and worked as a freelance choreographer in Europe. He has brought outstanding new dancers from Spain, Chile, Italy, the United States and elsewhere into the company. And in addition to his own work (particularly Toda Una Vida, a ferocious duet inspired by his parents’ marriage), he quickly impressed with his gift for crafting mixed-rep programs of works by dancemakers with Latin roots and a sophisticated sense of design. The man has a vision—one that will be on view March 24 at Chicago’s Harris Theater, when CARMEN.maquia, his Picasso-inspired contemporary take on the Spanish gypsy, has its world premiere.