Kickstarter

ALICUANTA: signifying a quantity or part that does not fit into its larger whole evenly or equally.

ALICUANTA is a staged song cycle set to the work of Mexican poet Francisco Serrano. Co-composed by vocalist Gitanjali Jain Serrano and pianist David Ryshpan, the hour-long suite is scored for voice, piano, electronics, double bass, drums, cajón, and string quartet. The show explores the lineage of General Francisco Roque Serrano (1889-1927), an influential yet mysterious figure of the Mexican Revolution, through music, dance, theatre, visual arts and projections.

The premiere of ALICUANTA in its fully staged form will take place Friday, November 2, 2012 (the Day of the Dead), at Gesù in Montreal. The production will feature lighting and set design by Toronto's Laird Macdonald, projections created by Mexican visual artist Pablo Serrano Dakán, and Toronto-based dancer Danny Wild in the role of the General.

While the show draws from their experiences as performers, composers and improvisers, the scope of ALICUANTA is unlike anything Gitanjali and David have previously undertaken. It is for this reason that we are asking for your support through Kickstarter - to ensure that the premiere of ALICUANTA will be an unforgettable multimedia experience.

In return for your generous financial support, we have many gifts to give you (with full details at your right), including:
- tickets to the premiere;
- fully orchestrated scores of the music (in both PDF and printed and bound formats);
- various levels of printed acknowledgement;
- original artwork by Pablo Serrano Dakán;
- private concert and five-course Mexican meal in the location of your choice (Montreal and area);
- sponsor a performer: any of the performers will be credited as appearing courtesy of YOU! Only one sponsor per performer, on a first-come, first-sponsored basis.

The performers of ALICUANTA: Gitanjali Jain Serrano (voice); David Ryshpan (piano/electronics); Sebastien Pellerin (double bass); Mark Nelson (drums); Claudio Palomares (cajón); Steph Park (violin); Lilian Belknap (viola); Amahl Arulanandam (cello); Danny Wild (dance/choreography).

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $154 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country. ALICUANTA wishes to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for its financial support.