Showing @ Festival Theatre until 9th Oct
Over twenty million viewers watch manufactured pop stars who can’t sing and c-list celebrity dancers who can’t dance on X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, but tonight’s audience at the Festival Theatre got the real thing: Havana Rakatan. No judges, no experts fighting over one-liners; this was toe tapping, hip swinging fun at its musical best.
The set, designed by Camilo Rosales, while simplistic was effective, showing harbours and cityscapes to tobacco plantations, it looked like Cuba. With skilfully crafted costumes, which added much to the evenings performance, reality could easily be suspended.
The term Cuban dance is difficult to pigeonhole and with many styles (thirteen) through the performance director/choreographer Nilda Guerra should be applauded for her bold choices in dance style through this musical history of Cuba.
There are few solo performances with this a largely ensemble dance evening but during the first half of the show the Afro-Flamenco, performed by Maria Rodrigues, captivated the audience with her sophisticated routine, style and beauty.
The show finished on a crowd pleasing high, Salsa Rakatan, this was the parting gift of the performers and of the audience where many could stand the contagious rhythms no longer and did their best at mimicking the salsa hips on stage. It’s a pity that the auditorium was only half full, both the crowd and the cast deserved better.
The band performed with a style and flair to rival the dancers. To have lead vocalist Geidy Chapman sing for you is a pleasure not to be forgotten as she sashays across the stage, voluptuous and bosom high with voice low. Hopefully this can do for Cuban dance what the Buena Vista Social Club did for Cuban music.