Cuba is synonymous with dance.There is always an excuse to dance when you are in Cuba -Carnivals, street festivals, nightclubs and vibrant spontaneous gatherings. There can be nothing more joyous than enjoying an evening of electrifying dance, live singing and music by a group that comes straight from the heart of Havana. Sitting in a packed auditorium in the city of London, in a miserable wet evening, Ballet Revolucion transported its audience to warmer and livelier climes. Ballet Revolucion is a Cuba based company of young talented dancers trained at Cuba’s top conservatoires and they are back at the Peacock theatre after a highly successful run last year.
Ballet Revolucion presents a spectacular evening of highly energetic and dynamic dance performance accompanied by an ensemble of very talented live musicians and singers. The dance technique used is a very clever amalgam of ballet, contemporary dance and modern hip hop set against soundtracks of live popular hits by artistes such as Enrique, Shakira, Santana Ricky Martin, Beyonce and Prince under the direction of Osmar Salazar Hernandez
The dancers are handpicked from amongst the best young performers of the country. They have their roots deep in the Latin American and Spanish dance styles. The finish of their movements and their raw energy deliver an adrenaline high to the audience. The cast of twenty one dancers all very fit, athletic, maintaining perfect shape, performing with intense passion and unbelievable athleticism speak of the unrivalled dancing talent in Cuba.The choreographers Aaron Cash and Roclan Chavez have done a splendid job in bringing out the essence of Cuban dance, though you can’t help feel the show’s internationalization to suit a global audience.
The musicians are adorable. Besides liking a performance, the audience can occasionally fall in love with the performers’ personalities. It’s the musicians’ and singers’ joyous demeanour on stage that made the audience join their hands to their beat when they played between the dance numbers. Each one of them were great performers with a special mention to Payhner Lasserie Echegoy on the drums. His short solo piece drew the audience together to a roaring applaud. He started off low, gradually picking up, reaching a point where Rayhner had a duel with his drums. Ending in his glorious victory throwing one arm in the air beating perhaps an invisible drum which he imagined in his frenzy.
Ballet Revolucion is a show worth seeing for its incredible dancers and great music. The music is pop, though sometimes veering into authentic Latino beats. It is in those moments that the show really comes alive, and a develops its own identity.
Protima Chatterjee
