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All
I knew about 'Tocorora' was that it was a Cuban dance show - so
I happily imagined myself sitting in my chair at the Hippodrome,
notepad in one hand and a Mojito in the other, dowsed with the best
Havana rum of course! However, as soon as the show began I found
myself swapping the thought of a Mojito towards a nice cup of tea.
I expected
blasts of Cuban music from the start but instead there were two
dancers moving to complete silence. I felt slightly uncomfortable,
couldn't really figure out what was going on at first... but then
the show slowly revealed itself.
Within
ten minutes a group of boys and girls entered the stage riding on
a Classic red Chevrolet and then the magic of Cuba came alive. The
stage was transformed from complete silence to energetic dancers
moving to a fusion of rhythms from salsa, jazz, ballet. Even a few
moves from Micheal Jackson and James Brown could be found within
the show. Very funky indeed.
One
of the lead dancers - who looked more like the local pimp - danced
his way to an explosive routine whilst smoking on a Cuban cigar,
with no sign of smokers cough at all. True professionals, obviously.
 |
| Carlos
Acosta |
After
a hurricane of bongos, drums and vocals, the mood then changes to
a gentle breeze and in comes a delicate dancing love scene between
the two main dancers. Suddenly you hear soft melodies from the piano
and warm strings from the keyboard. It takes you through the feeling
of falling in love and the combination of dance and music works
beautifully.
Initially,
I was keen to hear the Cuban music but by the end of the show the
composition of the love scenes combined with the dancing between
the lovers was what I found most moving, even slightly tearful (very
unlike me).
On
the whole the show takes you through a series of emotions from love
to loss. There was a slight relapse on my part when my concentration
span hit a low for about five minutes, but then when you watch a
show lasting almost 2 hours with no interval that's bound to happen.
Nevertheless, once my brain rested for about five minutes it was
back on track and I enjoyed the remaining 40 minutes.
It's
a show that any age can enjoy. However I do have a tip for those
of you who like dancing - make sure you stay till the VERY end!
All I'll say is: that's when I went in search of a Mojito!
Written
by Punam Verma
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