Ballet Revolución — it's a hyperbolic title for what many describe as an equally hyperbolic act (in a good way, mind you). Comprising 18 of Cuba's finest dancers, their band, and under the direction of Australian Aaron Cash and Cuban Roclan Gonzalez Chavez, the Ballet Revolución troupe has been thrilling the world with its ballet-meets-street fusion since 2011. They last touched down on our shores in 2015, to rave reviews.
Whilst there's nothing inherently "revolutionary" (whether with a 'c' or a 't') about blurring dance genres these days, the revolution proposed surely lies in the troupe's turning the tables on the Anglo-American world. For the dance numbers on offer really do seem crafted to fit the contours of what people who've never set foot in Cuba, myself included, imagine its dancing to be like. Not that there's anything wrong with this, mind you. Indeed, before you tell me to loosen up, and rightly so, let me say I'm inclined to cheer on Ballet Revolución's work of high-spirited self-styling. The show looks to be a whole lot of fun — sexy, sequinned fun. And what more could you ask for than that?
Image: Johan Persson.