Dance theatre, ensemble to present historical performance

In an eclectic work of dance, music and theater, the Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre and The Core Ensemble will blend Salvadoran history and culture in tonight's performance of El Mozote.

The work, to be performed at 8 p.m. today in Eisenhower Auditorium, was inspired by the 1981 massacre of more than 200 Salvadoran peasants by Salvadoran soldiers. The massacre was one of many violent events that transpired as a result of El Salvador's civil war.

The performance, co-commissioned by Penn State's Center for the Performing Arts, incorporates true accounts of the massacre at El Mozote from the story of one of its survivors, Rufina Amaya. Through a narrator based on Amaya, the work presents traditions of Salvadoran peasant life in both Spanish and English.

In addition to the bilingual narration of the piece, the performance will blend different musical styles from El Salvador. Osvaldo Golijov and Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, the composers of El Mozote's musical score, incorporated both European medieval and renaissance music and native Latin American styles to create a statement on Salvadoran culture. The composers employed the diverse musical styles to demonstrate the simultaneous influence of two distinct cultures in Salvadoran tradition.

The work of choreographer Pascal Rioult complements El Mozote's unique musical score. In his design for the show, Rioult merged mythological and folklore traditions of El Salvador within the dance sequences of his company. The choreographer, a native of France, danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company before working as a choreographer for the company in 1989 and then starting his own dance company.

Tickets are available at the Eisenhower Box Office. General admission is $22, student tickets are $18 and tickets for those 12 and younger are $12.

--by Cory Shindel