Blanca Li and Maria Alexandrova “Goddesses & Demonesses”

Blanca Li is a Spanish choreographer and filmmaker from Granada, Spain. Her works range from Flamenco to classical Ballet to Hip-Hop.

Li is pure energy. She is trained in Flamenco, Modern dance, and Gymnastics. She would probably be the personal trainer from hell, but a damn good one.

I always loved Daft Punk’s Around the World video. It seemed very Michele Gondry. Turns out Li was the choreographer. Knowing that, you can see La Movida Madrileña, the Spanish cultural explosion of the late 1970s in the work. That puts Li in the context of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (who she has worked with) and fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

Watch Li and Michele Gondry preparing for Daft Punk’s Around the World videoLi works in fashion too. She has done work for houses like Jean Paul Gaultier, Stella McCartney, and Hermés.

Colombian photographer Ruben Afanador brings Granada to a New York City rooftopTo learn more about the artist, visit www.blancali.com

Blanca Li in NYC

“Goddesses & Demonesses” is at New York City Center, Thursday-Saturday, March 30 – April 1, 2017.

Goddesses & Demonesses? Well a Spanish dancer must know something about that. The show celebrates womankind from the ancient stories to now. As a mirror, Li brings Bolshoi Principal ballerina Maria Alexandrova.

The two women don’t speak the same language, but they share the language of the body, of dance. Sometimes that works better than words.

The two express themselves with some serious dress-up in clothes by Azzedine Alaïa and Jean Paul Gaultier. In that New York way, you are what you wear.

The show premiered at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in December 2015. Li has also presented at the Paris National Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and BAM.

For tickets, visit www.NYCityCenter.org

The photo of Ms. Alexandrova and Ms. Li by Vincent Pontent is courtesy of New York City Center