Artists from Cuba have contributed not only to their own national companies but also to leading companies of other nations. Probably the best known of those is Carlos Acosta. He is now the artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Previously he was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. A glimpse at his website shows that Acosta is more than a dancer and choreographer. He is an entrepreneur, novelist and indeed impresario.
"The story of a cimarron, invites us to reflect on the faces of slavery, from ancient times to the present day. The meeting of the fugitive with the woman, beyond the beginning of a love story, is a moment of reflection and retelling, the possible discovery of the path to the utopian kingdom of total freedom."
I think cimarron must be the Spanish word for "Maroon" who were fugitive slaves. They formed colonies in the Caribbean and some found their way to Freetown in Sierra Leone where I first learnt their story. The ballet featured a couple. I am not sure of the identity of the man because the company did not publish a cast list. I asked for one in a Q & A that followed the show but the company's interpreter did not seem to know what I was talking about or why I needed one. I think Reinoso danced the male role and believe the woman was Zeleidy Crespo but I cannot be sure. I remember a giant net from which the man struggled to escape. The designs were by Alisa Peláez. The lighting was by Yaron Abulafia.
Like a football match, Hybrid was a combination of two halves. Quite literally because there was a point when the cast lined up for a curtain call, accepted the applause and then slowly started dancing again. The inspiration for the work appears to have been the legend of Sisyphus:
“O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible.(The Myth of Sisyphus). According to the programme, the piece was about a "universe where the real and the unreal blur their limits to reach our chimaeras." It continued:
"An approach to sensitive realities and imaginaries of a nation and its people, told from the strength of its culture and dance.The whole company or at least a large part of it seemed to be in the work. The music was by Jenny Peña and Randy Araujo, the choreography by Norge Cedeño and Thais Suárez, the designs by Celia Ledón and the lighting by Yaron Abulafia.
An island that unveils its mysteries on a path that goes from darkness to light"
"Catalan choreographer María Rovira created this solo in wich contemporary dance merges with Afro-Cuban folk dances."
Several audience members stood to applaud Crespo's performance at the end. Others whooped with delight. The reaction was well merited because it was impressive.
My favourite ballet was De Punto a Cabo. I surmise that the title must refer to a seaside walk that is opposite Havana. The backdrop was of a busy city separated by a stretch of water and a sea wall. Alexis Fernández's choreography to José White and Omar Sosa's music reminded me of the view of Manhattan in the last scene of Liam Scarlett's Age of Anxiety (see Bernstein Centenary 18 March 2018). The piece generated much the same energy and awe. The website states in Spanish that the choreographer sought to transpose into dance his impressions of contemporary Cuba, a land of diversity and contrasts. He made that point by combining ballet with contemporary dance. There were some spectacular fouettés from Penélope Morejón as well as contemporary expressions to African and Cuban rhythms.
In the Q&A we learnt that the morning company class alternates between ballet and contemporary. Each of the dancers was asked which style they preferred. None expressed a preference except Morejón who seemed to glow as she talked about ballet. There were the usual easily anticipated questions from the floor about the creative process, influences and how they liked the British weather. The best intervention came from a lady from Bridlington who had to dash for a train. She probably spoke for all of us in expressing gratitude for the pleasure the company had brought after a 2-year pandemic.
This was the first time I had attended the Hull New Theatre and my first impressions are good. It is located on Kingston Square where there was plenty of free street parking. There is a restaurant and bar which offered inter alia burgers and scampi and chips. It was not exactly gourmet food and slightly over-priced for what it was but it was very convenient. The auditorium seemed well ventilated. The seats were comfortable with enough legroom at least for me.
Acosta Danza is nearing the end of its UK tour. They are at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury tonight and at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth at the end of the week.
