Centro Danza Matadero, part of Madrid's cultural, tourism and sports department, will host 'Inestable' by Lali Ayguadé Company on 24 and 25 October. This contemporary dance performance reflects on how the digital universe, social media, and the quest for validation shape the way we present ourselves and interact with others.
'Inestable' is a co-production involving Lali Ayguadé Company, Centro Danza Matadero, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Dansa Metropolitana, and Fabra i Coats – Fàbrica de Creació de Barcelona. Recognised internationally for her powerful and emotionally charged choreographic language, Ayguadé offers a critical and poetic perspective on the tension between the image we project in the virtual realm and the everyday reality that often remains hidden.
The piece initiates a dialogue between the visible and the invisible, questioning the mechanisms behind identity construction in society. Seven performers assert the body as a territory of truth against the artificial construction of digital images, using dance as a tool to reflect on contemporary social challenges.
“With this new piece, I speak of identity in a broader social sense; a notion imposed on individuals by established societal norms. I also want to address the human aspiration to conform, the desire to belong to a group, and to integrate into a collective identity,” Ayguadé explains.
The staging contrasts two clearly defined spaces: the real world and the virtual world. The digital universe is depicted as a bright, clean, high-definition window, where light and visual effects create multiple attractive yet superficial and deceptive realities. In contrast, the everyday space appears disordered and imperfect, filled with elements that highlight human fragility.
This duality is also present in the musical composition, which builds on the tension between traditional music, linked to the land and essential identity, and an experimental dimension where technology alters the voice in real-time through distortion, filtering, and transformation processes.
About Lali Ayguadé
Lali Ayguadé, born in Barcelona in 1980, is a dancer and choreographer who has collaborated with notable companies such as Akram Khan Company, Hofesh Schechter, Roberto Olivan, and Baró d’Evel. Since 2013, she has directed her own company, creating site-specific works and street performances, as well as long-duration pieces like 'Kokoro', 'iU an Mi', 'Hidden', and 'Runa', which blend reality and imagination, merging theatricality with dance.
Ayguadé has also directed works for other companies, including Tanz Bielefeld in Germany, Korean National Contemporary Dance Company, and Bhodi Project in Salzburg. Her work has garnered significant accolades, including nominations for Outstanding Dancer at the Critics’ Awards in London in 2010 and Best Dancer at the Critics’ Awards in Barcelona in 2016. 'iU an Mi' was nominated for the 2018 Premis Butaca, while 'Hidden' won Best Choreography at the 2021 Premis Butaca and received awards for Best Choreography and Best Male Performer (Lisard Tranis) at the 2022 Premis Dansacat. 'Runa' won the 2023 Premios Max for Best Choreography and Best Female Performer (Lali Ayguadé), and was also nominated for Best Male Performer (Lisard Tranis).
