PRESS REVIEW
What is most striking in his choreographic language it’s the subtle mastery of mixing academic language with more contemporary dynamics. We especially appreciate his sense of humor, his sense of comedy. Mauro is able to explain difficult topics as the relationship of couples in a light way and for a large audience.
Francesca Orlanda, DANSE - May, 2012
Astonishing, bold, immensely theatrical. It was impossible not to laugh at the audacity and endless invention of the piece. All 10 dancers were insanely good.
John Schneider, Express Milwaukee - Feb 23, 2012
Smart, sophisticated and visually striking, Purple Fools demonstrated what the best contemporary ballet might be. A performance encouraging the audience to embrace challenging choreography and themes while transforming traditional ballet techniques. de Candia’s work presented conceptually brilliant and technically innovative ballet that delighted the audience.
Peggy Sue Dunigan, Postscript Performing Arts - Feb 20, 2012
de Candia’s 27 minutes of madness, premiered Thursday at the Pabst Theater, stands at the top of my list of Weird Things I’ve Seen at the Milwaukee Ballet over the last 30 years. It’s also on my Best-Of list. de Candia inverts traditional vocabulary of ballet relentlessly, and the dancers often snap into their contorted positions without preparation. Tough, grotesque stuff, but the dancers negotiate it skillfully and with a manic intensity that makes it at once breathtaking and hilarious. De Candia shines a light on the odd nature of the whole theatrical enterprise, the strangeness of it, by inverting and exaggerating all manner of theatrical conventions.
Tom Strini, ThirdCoastDigest - Feb 17, 2012
An audacious and rollicking closer that was a clear audience favorite. His “encore” for the MB was even more outrageous, a pointed and often silly satire that was part “Addams Family,” part Fellini, and part Pina Bausch burlesque. It shows signs of a relentless imagination that isn’t afraid to barbecue some sacred cows. And in the ballet world, that’s not a bad thing.
Paul Kosidowski, Inside Milwaukee - Feb 17, 2012
Elegance and foolishness were juxtaposed throughout the work. The piece elicited chuckles early on, which gradually turned to hearty guffaws and a standing ovation.
Eliane Schmidt, Journal Sentinel - Feb 17, 2012