Silvana Estrada: MARCHITA
January 12-14, 6pm and 9:30pm
Silvana Estrada is a Mexican multi-instrumentalist musician who recently won the Latin GRAMMY Award for “Best New Artist.” Their work holds soft vulnerability and fierce fortitude in a delicate balance.
Incorporating acapella, cuatro-accompanied music, and subtle choreography, her piece MARCHITA (“withered” in Spanish) explores the many stages of love from overwhelming joy to loss and reconstruction of oneself after a relationship ends. The audience is guided on a journey of these many states of being throughout her 45-minute sung-through performance. She is supported sonically, and at times physically, by the three members of the K’ay Ha’ Quartet (“Water Chant” in Mayan).
MARCHITA feels simultaneously like a beautiful, haunting dream and a soft, supporting embrace. The audience is carried comfortably by the clear and effortless vocals of Estrada through the hazy air and billowing fabric of the piece. The delicate choreography by Clara Pampyn matched with the stunning lighting design by Amanda K. Ringger gently supports the piece and its effective simplicity.
MARCHITA is an aching yet familiar journey for those who have ever found themselves in love. Estrada’s songs reflect upon her time with her lover–the memories made together, the joys of intimacy–and her time forgetting, or attempting to forget her lover despite their memory residing within the fibers of her withering soul and body.
MARCHITA is a simple and stunning piece that brings to life a beautiful album of music. To listen to the album is one thing, but to experience it live and with the sonically informed movement that Estrada and her team have created is transcendent.
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