Malevo is set to come to Emporia bringing Argentine dance to the stage Feb. 23. The group was formed by Matias Jaime (center) and received a golden buzzer in America’s Got Talent season 11, now they are on a U.S. tour to 12 different states." />
Courtesy of Malevo
Malevo is set to come to Emporia bringing Argentine dance to the stage Feb. 23. The group was formed by Matias Jaime (center) and received a golden buzzer in America’s Got Talent season 11, now they are on a U.S. tour to 12 different states.
From a standing ovation on America’s Got Talent: All-Stars to the Emporia stage, Malevo will bring Argentinian dance to Kansas’s doorstep.
Malevo will perform at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Granada Theatre as part of their U.S. tour featuring 12 states. The show is free for all Emporia State students, $25 general admission and $12.50 for youth general admission.
“For them to make us one of their spots is like huge, huge for Emporia,” said Dawn Young, executive director of the Emporia Arts Council (EAC). “I don’t know if people really understand the significance of it.”
Malevo was formed by dancer, director and choreographer Matias Jaime and uses Malambo, a skillful, strong and energetic traditional Argentine dance, as its “main resource” but pushes the style “beyond its own limits with a modern, avant-garde and transgressive vision,” according to Malevo’s official website.
The website also states that the dance induces high adrenaline for a “totally innovative visual and sensory experience” through the use of movement, drums and boleadoras – a throwing weapon made of leather cords with weight on the ends traditionally used to capture animals, according to encyclopedia.com.
Amy Gonzales, marketing and member service coordinator for EAC, said the group has already gained substantial interest in the community, she speculates due to their appearances on TV.
In 2016, Malevo first made an appearance on America’s Got Talent and received a golden buzzer from George Lopez, ultimately making it to the semi-finals before getting eliminated. That year was the show’s 11th season and featured the season winner Grace VanderWaal. This year, they returned to the Got Talent stage for the All-Star series, where the best-of-the-best acts over the years come to perform.
Their performances on both Got Talent and All-Stars led to Young choosing them as an act to come to Emporia.
“We did iLuminate about four years ago, and they were another America’s Got Talent,” Young said. “We actually sold out at Albert Taylor Hall, 1200 seats, so I’m hoping that this will be just as exciting.”
General admission tickets to the show can be found on the EAC official website or at their physical location at 815 Commercial St. ESU students can claim their free general admission tickets by simply going into the physical location and asking the front desk (right by the door).