Chi Chi Bunichi is a theatrical palimpsest that uses dying languages, songs and mis-remembered memories to create an evocative, fluctuating work that blurs the edges of theatre, dance and gig.   

Ladino is a dying language surviving in song form - romansas and cantigas. This Judea-Hispanic language journeyed from Spain to the Ottoman Empire, to the Balkans and Morocco – a nomadic oral form that has survived for 500 years.

Chi Chi Bunichi has taken its inspiration from this itinerant form of song; and in particular two recordings of the same song unearthed by a granddaughter. One is of her grandmother singing in her kitchen, and the second, is of her great grandfather recorded 40 years earlier.

In their voices one can trace a journey from Sarajevo to Jerusalem – this has been the impulse to create live, contemporary narratives that takes us from London to Famagusta, via Dhekeliya and Dalston.

Chi Chi Bunichi has played at venues such as 291 Gallery as part of DASH, Siobhan Davies Studios, CSSD, Oxford House and Radio Gargarin at Notting Hill Arts Club.

"A beguiling mix of sound and movement, in an atmosphere of such warmth and affection it's hard not to feel upbeat and moved"
The Londonist (read full review by clicking here)

Further information about Ladino:

a useful database with romancas and canticas and translations:

http://dbs-win.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sefarad-scripts/StartAuswahl.pl

some links about ladino:

http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Spanish-Ladino/

http://home.earthlink.net/~benven/dictionary.htm

http://www.sephardicstudies.org/quickladino.html

The development of this piece has been kindly supported by ACE, the RVH and CSSD