Besame Mucho

"I sought a simple idea, simple to expose, simple to communicate, attractive and propitious by its clarity that would darken with the thick line of a caricature. I wanted to be in opposition. For that, a common ground had to be found for everyone, something that all experiments could take off from and thereby examine once more the extraordinary relationship that exists between dance and music and also map out a parable of the adventurous human adaptability. I wanted to fortify myself with a beautiful song that would caress the hypothesis of a space of irreducible sweetness, hermetically sealed off from the wave of exponential catastrophes coming from world news."

Michel Kelemenis

Further exploring the symbolic and dramatic virtues of a kiss, Michel Kelemenis created Besame (...) which builds upon themes of unrequited desire, lovely frustration and solitude. In conjunction with the popular and well-known song Besame Mucho, from which the program gets its title, the dance oscillates between compulsion and refusal, at times at one with the music, at times in contradiction with the simple yet eternal message it communicates. The numerous versions of this musical hit are arranged, disarranged and orchestrated as the collector-musician Jean-Jacques Palix saw fit.

The (very) colorful imprint of the Spanish costume designer from Madrid, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, creates an environment of sweet joy for the 6 dancers that the choreographer bathes in a delicious and obsessive refrain.