Rigo Saura

Jun 14

he/him

Rigo Laura | Partner Artist in Residence 2023 | Photo Credit: Sharvani Killarni

Rigo Saura creates dance that explores the chaos/order dichotomy. Originally from Havana, Cuba, where he graduated from the National School of Modern and Contemporary Dance,he embraces the growing new directions in dancemaking, especially the collective process and the expanding role of artist curator as a mediator between a performance and its viewer. His framework for making movement is reliant on different people and embodied disciplines, and derives from a long held interest in how to transport new aesthetics practices, important cultural knowledges, and agendas for social change across and beyond the dance sphere.

The Fellowship Project

As Rigo transitions to a Fellow Artist in Residence, HCL will be supporting the continued development of his Research Lab series. This innovative initiative, informed by Rigo’s seasoned experiences as a facilitator, strives to be a haven for artistic movers driven by curiosity and a passion for uninhibited self-expression.

Research Lab: Searching Material & Improvisation is not just a series of sessions, but is envisioned as a doorway to unlocking the full spectrum of one’s artistic potential. Through exploration, collaboration, and expert guidance, participants embark on a transformative experience that transcends the conventional boundaries of movement, paving the way for a deeper connection with oneself and fellow artists.

The second iteration of this research lab builds on the initial drop-in workshops offered 2023. The 2024 Research Lab follows a thoughtfully crafted four-step structure, ensuring a comprehensive and enriching experience for participants. The journey unfolds through a structured Warm-up, setting the stage for physical and mental preparedness. This segues seamlessly into the Improvisation phase, where spontaneity takes center stage. The Creation step invites participants to mold their experiences into tangible artistic expressions, while the final Presentation step provides a platform for sharing and communal celebration.

The Partner Artist In Residency Project

Rigo Saura performing at the HCL Fall Aperitivo | Photo by Mikey Mosher

Chicago Dancemakers Forum

HCL supported Rigo in the development and presentation of a “research lab” as a kind of counter-residency. The premise was an invitation for dancers from different backgrounds and training to take class together, led by Rigo.

The objective was to open participants to look at the ways in which the temporary collective body might momentarily interrupt the established order that typically regulates a studio class, and through this intervention reconfigure the nexus of relations that order the space and is used in composing a dance. This research lab at HCL was experimental and open to anyone seeking new subjective positions which fall outside of codes and hierarchies that otherwise often govern the making of dance.

About the Artist

Rigo Saura is a 2023 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Finalist. He is a former soloist dancer of Danza Contemporánea of Cuba and soloist dancer of the classic cast in the National Ballet of Ecuador. He was Resident Choreographer in Ecuador’s Urban Ballet and Composition Master in the Metropolitan School of Art. Since moving to Chicago, he has been part of Ruth Page Center of the Arts and guest artist/instructor for the Professional Program at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Chicago DanceWorks , Thodos Dances, Visceral Dance Chicago, Theater and Performance Studies for the University of Chicago at the Reva and David Logan Center of the Arts, The Latin School Dance Program, Common Dance Conservatory, Chicago DanceCrash and Ruth Page Civic Ballet. Currently, he is a dancer, teacher, and resident choreographer at Hedwig Dances. He is winner of a L.A. Contemporary Choreography Lab and Chicago DanceMakers Forum Production Residency, and a 2022 guest choreographer at Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. He is currently a Links Hall Co-Mission Artist.