Ballet Revolución
Photography by Sven Creutzmann Featuring 17 dancers from some of the elite dance companies in Cuba, the simultaneously sizzling hot and super-cool performers in Ballet Revolución explode onto the stage in a sensational display of dance. There is an obvious classical ballet base on show, but the dancers perform beyond their comfort zones in a fusion of ballet, modern/contemporary, breakdancing, hip-hop and Latin-American ballroom (tango, salsa etc) styles.
It’s a joyous blend of genres choreographed by two different masters (Australian Aaron Cash (ex-Tap Dogs) and Cuba’s Roclan Gonzalez Chavez) brought to us by producers Mark Brady and Jon Lee. The dancers’ African, Spanish and Indigenous ancestry is blended with a ballet technique that has been developed in Cuba through decades of involvement with the Russians (also think of Alicia Alonso and Carlos Acosta). The dancers are superbly fluid, with huge fabulous soft jumps, (especially from the men) amazing elevation, ballon and batterie and lots of showy turns.
It is a plotless work that showcases amazing dancing in various styles in a series of short snippets. There are occasional flashes of short solos, but this is blended with lots of ensemble work and some Macmillan or Murphy-like sculptural, athletic pas de deux (sometimes up to pas de six) that featured some extremely difficult acrobatic lifts and partnering. At times there was a ballet class feel (with the men in particular flying in their jetes, cabrioles etc) but this was contrasted a split second later with distinctive tiny solos.
There is a crowd-pleasing varying range of moods. A hot and sultry short tango scene is contrasted with a segment danced in the second half to Cee Lo Green’s current popular single where a gang of men in nerdy glasses attempt to impress and seduce a delicious young woman (the elfin, raven-haired and amazing Liannett Rodriguez Gonzalez. Watch out for her eye-catching performance in the first half in a hot pink jacket); elsewhere there is a feel of Twyla Tharp’s 2002 musical, Movin’ Out, and some spectacular breakdancing.
Pointe work is included for the women, yet sometimes it seems heavy handed and unnecessary.
Particular mention must be made of Juan Carlos Hernandez Osma who has an incredible solo to ‘Purple Rain’ in the second half, and who performs brilliantly throughout.
The costumes range from plain black rehearsal outfits in the Balanchine style to red tutus and colourful sexy streetwear ( and a mix in between).
The infectious musical rhythms of, among others, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Santana, Usher, Ricky Martin, Beyoncé and Chris Brown, had us all bopping along in our seats. The amazing band led by Osmar Salazar Hernandez was sensational; the singers (Kristen Hosein and Weston Foster) and the drummer and trumpeter were also outstanding.
‘Ballet with attitude’ indeed, performed with incredible energy and passion that had the audience hysterically screaming at the end demanding encores, and the ushers dancing in the aisles.
Rating: Four stars
Ballet Revolución
Produced by Mark Brady and Jon Lee
Choreographers Aaron Cash and Roclan Gonzalez Chavez Running time: Two hours (approx) including interval
Perth, Regal Theatre: July 1 – 17
Sydney, State Theatre July: 19 – 24
Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre: July 26 – 29
Bendigo, The Capital: July 31
Melbourne, The State Theatre, The Arts Centre: August 2 – 7
Brisbane, QPAC: August 10 – 12
Port Macquarie Glasshouse: August 17
Mackay Entertainment Performing Arts Centre: August 27
Redland Performing Arts Centre: September 1
http://www.balletrevolucion.com.au/australia/home
It’s a joyous blend of genres choreographed by two different masters (Australian Aaron Cash (ex-Tap Dogs) and Cuba’s Roclan Gonzalez Chavez) brought to us by producers Mark Brady and Jon Lee. The dancers’ African, Spanish and Indigenous ancestry is blended with a ballet technique that has been developed in Cuba through decades of involvement with the Russians (also think of Alicia Alonso and Carlos Acosta). The dancers are superbly fluid, with huge fabulous soft jumps, (especially from the men) amazing elevation, ballon and batterie and lots of showy turns.
It is a plotless work that showcases amazing dancing in various styles in a series of short snippets. There are occasional flashes of short solos, but this is blended with lots of ensemble work and some Macmillan or Murphy-like sculptural, athletic pas de deux (sometimes up to pas de six) that featured some extremely difficult acrobatic lifts and partnering. At times there was a ballet class feel (with the men in particular flying in their jetes, cabrioles etc) but this was contrasted a split second later with distinctive tiny solos.
There is a crowd-pleasing varying range of moods. A hot and sultry short tango scene is contrasted with a segment danced in the second half to Cee Lo Green’s current popular single where a gang of men in nerdy glasses attempt to impress and seduce a delicious young woman (the elfin, raven-haired and amazing Liannett Rodriguez Gonzalez. Watch out for her eye-catching performance in the first half in a hot pink jacket); elsewhere there is a feel of Twyla Tharp’s 2002 musical, Movin’ Out, and some spectacular breakdancing.
Pointe work is included for the women, yet sometimes it seems heavy handed and unnecessary.
Particular mention must be made of Juan Carlos Hernandez Osma who has an incredible solo to ‘Purple Rain’ in the second half, and who performs brilliantly throughout.
The costumes range from plain black rehearsal outfits in the Balanchine style to red tutus and colourful sexy streetwear ( and a mix in between).
The infectious musical rhythms of, among others, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Santana, Usher, Ricky Martin, Beyoncé and Chris Brown, had us all bopping along in our seats. The amazing band led by Osmar Salazar Hernandez was sensational; the singers (Kristen Hosein and Weston Foster) and the drummer and trumpeter were also outstanding.
‘Ballet with attitude’ indeed, performed with incredible energy and passion that had the audience hysterically screaming at the end demanding encores, and the ushers dancing in the aisles.
Rating: Four stars
Ballet Revolución
Produced by Mark Brady and Jon Lee
Choreographers Aaron Cash and Roclan Gonzalez Chavez Running time: Two hours (approx) including interval
Perth, Regal Theatre: July 1 – 17
Sydney, State Theatre July: 19 – 24
Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre: July 26 – 29
Bendigo, The Capital: July 31
Melbourne, The State Theatre, The Arts Centre: August 2 – 7
Brisbane, QPAC: August 10 – 12
Port Macquarie Glasshouse: August 17
Mackay Entertainment Performing Arts Centre: August 27
Redland Performing Arts Centre: September 1
http://www.balletrevolucion.com.au/australia/home
