LUNCH WITH SONIA
Thursday and Friday, January 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 27 at 4:00 p.m.
Welcome the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival back to the Dance Center! NYC-based Loco7 Dance Puppet Theater makes their Chicago debut with Lunch with Sonia, inspired by Federico Restrepo’s true-life experience with his Aunt Sonia, who decided to end her life with dignity after a long illness at the age of 72. The show uses puppets, live actors, music, video, and physical theatre to deal with the themes of life, love, and loss. To share the weight of this material, Loco7 will offer optional post-performance community movement reflections with audience members.
photo by Richard Termine.
About the Artist
Federico Restrepo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and began training in mime and ballet as a young boy with Priscila Welton and Miroslav Kura. His first professional theatre work was dancing with the Ballet National de Colombia in 1983, and he came to New York in 1985 to study at the Merce Cunningham School.
Since 1985, Restrepo has developed a puppetry style which incorporates design and dance. He is the founder and artistic director of Dance/Puppet Theatre Company Loco7, formerly known as Puppets and Drummers. His goal as a director has been to design the set and puppets as an extension of the dancer’s body. The spectacle is an ever-changing environment, transforming and moving through out the space. His subject matter is very much the soul of Colombia mixed with his experiences living in New York City. Restrepo’s intense love and passion for the history of the Americas and his journeys in New York are a constant source for all his work.
Restrepo has premiered, designed, performed, and directed thirteen original pieces at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company in New York City, with subsequent tours through out the world. He is a resident puppet designer, choreographer, performer and director at La MaMa ETC, as well as the Producing Director of La MaMa Puppet Festival, a bi-annual event.
photos in gallery: 1-2 — photos by Richard Termine; 3-5 — photos by Carlos Lema.
Support
Loco7 is presented in partnership with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.
