MORE THAN THEATRE!

It has been amazing to be surrounded by the World Cup excitement.  All the games are on TVs throughout the city constantly.  You’re walking along the street and you come across a group of, what seem like, mis-matched people all looking in the same direction, workers, men in suits, older gentlemen, young people, and you think – what’s going on?  and you get closer and you see that they are all watching a game from the street on a TV in a store or in a cafe bar. There is non-stop talk about Argentina’s team and with this comes accessibility to all your Argentina FLAG-wear on every corner.  You know what I mean – the blue and white anything – t-shirts, hats, underwear, annoying blow devices, etc.  I have been keeping up with a lot of the games and can barely keep them straight at this point!  We are getting very excited for the next Argentina game on Sunday vs. Mexico.  AND of course it is totally exciting to USA hold its own.  Hope to see them win the next one too!

Last night we went to see Fuerza Bruta at the Centro Cultural Recoleta. 

I didn’t know really what to expect.  Fuerza Bruta opening

I had surfed them online and had seen part of their performances for the Bicentennial and had heard from fellow dancers (Delisa and Jayne) that they were amazing!  SO!  THEY ARE AMAZING!!!  It is very much unlike anything I have experienced before.  It’s interactive, it’s all over the space – vertical, horizontal – you are looking up, you’re looking near, far, you are in a club, you are standing up, you are clapping, oohing, ahhing, you’re getting wet!! – it’s quite unexpected.  They really push the boundaries of what “performance” is and what the relationship between the audience and the performers. 

My 2 favorite parts, NO WAIT – my 3 favorite parts were / are: 

1) the “walking on the wall rolling on the foil section”  – you can see 1 of the girls here in this picture.Fuerza Bruta girls flying on the foil 

There are 2 girls on a wire and the foil is against a wall – they are running and leaping and flipping as the foil is waving and moving and on top of that the lights keep changing so that the colors create a whole texture. 

My 2nd favorite section was the cool body part flinging with head jiggling and mouth open and yelling choreography that was a repeated phrase.  It was interesting and loud and had this interesting contrast of “all over the place” and organized.  Fuerza Bruta - flying limb choreo
In this picture above you see 3 girls in front and 2 boys in the back.  They repeat this choreography with the legs moving and heads jiggling, feet stomping, in this box shape.  The dancers soon after descend into the space where we are standing and interact with us. 

My 3rd favorite section is the “water” section.  It’s totally brilliant.  There’s a see-through fiber glass (?) pool that starts close to the ceiling above us and gradually descends to just above the audience.  The dancers slide and splash and stomp around above us.  The pool descends and it’s amazing to watch the whole audience reach out and touch the pool, i don’t know, in fascination or in need to touch them!  Fuerza Bruta touch the pool
So in this picture the pool has already descended from the ceiling to just above the audience.  And all the hands touching the pool.  There are dancers on the other side and the light has a lovely effect on the water. 

Fuerza Bruta smushy face

Here’s one of the dancers playing and making faces to us, the audience, below her.  She takes notice of us and presses her face against the pool to see us!

The lovely “mermaids” below play off the theme that the dancer above set up.  Fuerza Bruta - mermaidsThe lovelies below reminded me of nymphs. There was a playful air to them and the music helped to add to the feel of playfulness.  Very satisfying to see them like this after seeing them slip sliding diving across the pool above us!

And the last picture from this section that I will share here is the figure of a body in the water as the pool grows distant – as it ascends.

Fuerza Bruta ascending pool

Sigh!!!  I feel like i just relived it!!!!

I took video as well and would like to figure out how to post a few little bits to the blog… 

So tonite – Saturday – I am off to Teatro Colon.  I hope to snag a few pictures of the inside and enjoy the ballet of course!!!