Hanover Stuff

After a somewhat vague talk by the Director Rafael Palacios, I was not optimistic about this performance. Moore Theatre was not very full either. I was proven absolutely wrong by this dynamic and fast-paced performance. The music was rhythmic and enticing, and never let up. The dancers moved incredibly quickly, with their hands sometimes blurring with movement. And it was quite something to watch the woman with long dreadlocks whipping around.

The group dances cleverly alternated with individual sequences, perhaps so the group could catch its breath.

Everyone was wearing shirt and tie, making it a city scene. Slavery came into play in one scene where all were sitting in a row, and one of the dancers checked each one, inspecting their head or their feet.

The music was a mix, with some sounding very African, some Latin. The second song was sung on stage by Juan Jose Luna Coha, with drum accompaniment, and then he went into another song with a small flute. The last song was Riding the Waves, and its steady fast rhythm ended the show on a high now.

Dance Company website

It started in silence with a sitting dancer, moving hands and arms. But then the drums kicked in, and the dancing started. The musicians were on the stage: piano, 2 drummers, and violin. And when the drumming and dancing picked up, it was incredible: vigorous, dynamic, exciting.

After the show, without any break, 2 dancers came in front of the curtain to talk to the audience. First they asked for adjectives: people’s feeling for the show. But then it descended into bafflegab. At one point Camille came out to join them. She said that one of her themes was superheroes, and that the indication was standing straight with arms on hips, or else, tearing open your shirt to reveal the superman badge. I didn’t get that from the show – but it didn’t matter.