Musicians:Osmar Salazar Hernandez (Bass / Musical Director), Edgar Olivero (Piano), Marcos Antonio Alonso Brito (Guitar), Thommy Lowry Garcia Rojas (Trumpet), Rayhner Amir Lasserie Echegoy (Drums), Yaimi Karell Lay (Percussion, Bata, DJ), Luna Mazanares Nardo (Vocals), Diana Gutierrez Alvarez (Violin), Maria Carla Llera Soler (Cello), Anabel Estevez Acosta (Violin), Denia Leon Cedeno (Viola), Jelien Baso Miranda (Violin (male)
I first heard of this show through Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance. "Eleven of Cuba's finest classical and contemporary dancers from the top national companies, 5 classical musicians, 1 DJ, 1 percussionist and a 5 piece rhythm section featuring Cuba’s finest," it wrote. What's not to like about this line-up? The Pleasance blurb describes this as a "deconstructed and unique fusion of classical and contemporary music driven by a DJ and 12 of Cuba's finest musicians and singers."
So you can imagine the expectations I carried with me when I went to watch this piece.
The show takes the format of a sleeping man on a sofa, his dreams presented on the stage by dancers, who are clearly at the top of their game. It's a great frame for the delivery of a top class show. The musicians and singer are just about as good as you get and deliver a flawless musical soundscape. It is a high octane mix.
The choreography is conservative, the approach may well be viewed as innovative elsewhere but here in the cauldron of the Edinburgh Fringe the production in comparison to other dance pieces being presented at Dance Base, Summerhall, and Zoo venues is rather tame fare.
The production fluctuates between classically structured pieces and then contemporary vignettes accompanied by music from Avicii, Afrojack, Chopin, Daft Punk, Paloma Faith and Sam Smith. There are also musical interludes of some torch songs which sat rather uncomfortably within the show. The material covered is an altogether eclectic accessible mix.
The part of the evening I enjoyed most was the ending when the dancers are let off the hook to freestyle and lose some of the restraints a commercial and populist venture of this size and type must operate within.
Til 31 August, 9.30pm. Suitable for ages 12 and above.