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Tonight I was invited to see Ballet Revolucion at Sadler’s Wells. Not knowing what to expect, I left the theatre floored and majorly impressed. A dance corp from Cuba, known for its cigars, politics and music, delivered an adrenaline charged performance filled with sensuous dancing, spectacular routines, stellar dancers and standing ovation worthy performances!
The show began promptly at 7:30pm albeit on a slow note with a warm-up sequence before breaking through sluggishly into a first act that did not seem to know how best to connect with its audience. Don’t get me wrong – the first act was peppered with some outstanding performances including two of my favourites from the evening: Halo and Roxanne.
Yes, you read that correctly. The show used numerous popular songs sung and performed by a Cuban band who boost one of the best conga players! Amazing…
But back to the dancing – the audience was in love and thankfully after the interval, the show really picked up its tempo and the energy skyrocketed and the performances were continuously greeted with girlish screams of delight, hearty applause and cheers!
The show’s flashy group numbers are probably the public’s favourites especially when the male dancers show off their abs and muscles. (The numerous screams of approval from the audience attest to this belief.) But my favourites had to be when the dancers were given more intimate numbers and could shine away from the crowd and complex group choreography that at times was too chaotic and appeared out-of-sync. In addition to my Act1 favourites, I loved the “DJs Got Us Falling in Love/Good Girl” medley and an instrumental number featuring four dancers, two chairs, an acoustic guitar and a trumpet, and a male trio dancing to “This is a Man’s World” from Act 2.
The troupe of dancers was fabulous with numerous chances for each to shine but my eyes kept gravitating to three in particular:
Yanier Gómez Noda (whom all the girls seemed to go wild about), Leydi Marlen Crespo Castillo (who reminded me of a modern day Cyd Charisse with a radiant smile that lit up the stage and effortless appearing extensions and pirouettes), and Yeleny Aguirre Camacho who looked like she was having a blast on stage dancing away the night with a Latin flare.
The show, Ballet Revolucion, is at Sadler’s Wells in London until the 25th of October and tickets are still available online and at the box office. With tickets as low as £15, you really cannot say no. This is a show that brings much joy, delight and pleasure to its audience. You don’t want to miss out.