The new Auditorio de Tenerife resident company, Lava, started work last week. This new Tenerife Danza project is made up of six dancers and is part of the Tenerife 2030 strategy, fostered by the Island Cabildo. Tenerife-born Daniel Abreu, who was awarded the Premio Nacional de Danza 2014, is in charge of the artistic direction.

The Island Director for Culture and Education of Cabildo, José Luis Rivero, paid a visit to Auditorio de Tenerife, where he talked to Daniel Abreu and the Lava dancers: Carmen Fumero, Julián Lazzaro, Emiliana Battista, Javier García Arozarena, Virginia Martín Mateos and Samuel Déniz Falcón.

Rivero highlights “we’re very excited to start this new project, we have great expectations” adding that “setting up Lava reaffirms the long-standing support given to dance by the Cabildo and Auditorio de Tenerife”. “The idea is to position Lava as a leading national and international company, with young choreographers of international scope who can bring to us the new discourses of dance”.

Daniel Abreu admits he is very excited about the project “which is part of Tenerife Danza, and has a more creative line; I’m happy to have been given the chance to direct it”. After the first working sessions, “I’m very happy to see how involved in the project the team at Auditorio Tenerife is, how they take care of it both artistically and creatively; I believe we’ve chosen a spectacular team of performers”.

Abreu points out that “we’ve had an initial contact with the whole team and they have a wonderful level of professionalism, are very eager and talented; with time we’ll shape the group and make it solid.”

Daniel Abreu reminds us that Lava is premiering a two-piece programme in the Festival de Tenerife. One of the pieces is with La intrusa company, which was awarded the Premio Nacional de Danza 2015; the other one is with Fernando Magadán, who is currently the director of Nederlands Dans Theater. “We’re starting with this double programme, I’m very happy and looking forward to it; I’ve always wanted creations to be very original, made specifically for our dancers”.

Abreu takes the opportunity to point out the high level of dance in the Canaries; “At this stage, it’s unquestionable; the Canaries are a source of nationally and internationally renowned dancers and creators, so it makes sense that half of the dancers at Lava are Canarian”.

The dancers will undergo a high-performance physical training through classes on classical technique and will also practise contemporary languages thanks to the different guest choreographers and masters to suit the repertoire being performed.