De Brujas y Fantasmas (Original Soundtrack for Kianí del Valle Solo Dance Performance)

Conceived by director, choreographer and dancer Kianí del Valle alongside iconic producer Ziúr 'De Brujas y Fantasmas' pairs del Valle's energetic performance with Ziúr's fittingly phantasmal score. Translated to "Of Witches and Ghosts", the project is rooted in the witch's role within Latin American and European cultures, the ingrained symbolism that has historically provoked both fear and intrigue, often simultaneously. Del Valle isolates two core influences: the mythological figure of La Llorona, whose mournful cries are said to lead listeners to misfortune and sometimes death; and the legendary Mexican shaman and poet María Sabina, whose ritualistic use of entheogenic mushrooms helped her break down the barrier between the physical world and the spirit realm. Looking at the work of "New German Dance" pioneer Mary Wigman, del Valle traces echoes of Sabina's philosophy, reinterpreting original choreography from Wigman's 1926 performance 'The Witch Dance / Hexentanz’ and inviting the audience to reconsider what they think they know about marginalized women.