The press release for this energetic show calls it an "Exotic dance show a journey through Cuban history." It’s a feast of energy and talent rarely seen on the NZ stage in this manner.

Cuban Carousel uses 11 playful dancers (7 women and 4 men) to take the audience on a journey through Cuban history, music and dance. Featuring 6 world-class Cuban dancers and a NZ chorus of contemporary dancers, the show – created in New Zealand – is an ambitious and spirited work. It principally uses strongly choreographed routines to explore a moment in time, a flavour, or an aspect of Latin American history.

Choreographers and principal dancers, Vivio Ramos and Greydis Montero, are Cuban nationals who rose to the top of their careers in Cuba before touring internationally and eventually settling in New Zealand 7 years ago. They are the real stars of the show and it’s clear they have the professional goods to tour this show with the energy it demands. These guys are the real McCoy.

The titular Carousel is a fairground carousel from childhood memory recounted by a female character who bookends the show. But on another level it’s perhaps a metaphor for the old carousel of life that, with its infinite variety, knocks and colours, never stops turning. This point would be well worth teasing out more in future re-workings of the show in order to really tie up the through-line of the piece. Connections or segues between sections are the weak point, and the narrative could be strengthened as the show develops.

The costumes are fantastic; every new dance has a new set of designs and colours. Without a set, these 12 costume changes become the landscape for our imaginations to join hands with the very Cuban world presented on stage. Not much is spoken on stage, and when it is, it’s in Hispanic. The voiceovers are in heavily accented English. It’s the bodies that speak. So we really are transported to another world and time and the costumes help enormously.

Cuba’s history is a chequered one of colonisation, slavery, military rule and the fight to remain free. Yet the penultimate sensation this show reveals is that Cuban culture is proudly kept alive through dance and music. A blend of contemporary dance and Afro Latin, the salsa, mambo, cha cha cha and rumba tell us more about Cuban life than history books could. It’s a tradition that we are fortunate to see in NZ and it was well received in Tauranga on a cold Friday evening.

A few children were at the show and it was great to see them invited up on stage to dance at the end of the piece. This is an accessible, energetic, and well devised show that will grow further as it tours the country. If dance is your thing, or if you want a shot of energy this April, you would be well advised to see Cuban Carousel.

After touring New Zealand [click on the title above for dates and venues], Vivio Ramos and Greydis Montero plan to tour the show internationally. Further show details and dancers’ bios are available at www.cubancarousel.com 
_______________________________
For more production details, click on the title above. Go to Home page to see other Reviews, recent Comments and Forum postings (under Chat Back), and News.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer