BWW Dance Review: CIRCO DE LA LUNA a Flair of España and Cirque Intertwined

BWW Review: CIRCO DE LA LUNA a Flair of España and Cirque Intertwined

Downtown at Baruch Performing Arts Center on April 21, 2016, Circo de la Luna performed Circo en Tres Actos. A small setting for this cutting-edge collaboration. As in any theatrical cirque-like production, there are a myriad of characters, which can be confusing. However, Circo de la Luna's storyline was concise and quirky to relate to the life of their protagonist living in the Big Apple. Mark, the main character, struggles with fitting into a city with all the diversity of personalities, crowds, and cramped quarters. He encounters a package that opens his imagination and with inspiration. That's when our España and cirque performers appear. Mark later on envisions more characters to draw him into his moonstruck environment. To conclude the show, there was conflict from the Boeadoras of the metaphorical emotions encompassing the physical and emotional world. Yet with all that ensued Mark's chaotic city hasn't changed, but he has within.

This production was packed with unexpected stylistic witticism fervently displayed. Mark Gindick, who was the role of "comedy" for our experience into his world, was playful and clever especially in that hilarious bubble wrap suit to accent the music. He rolled around and hit parts of the bubble costume with fantastic timing. In a dreamlike setting, Amanda Topez seduced us in her crescent moon-shaped aerial apparatus. It was a uniquely created act that had me applaud her creativity to maneuver her body in this designed iron. Many aerial acts are performed on either a steel hoop, trapeze, or cube, which are the staples of aerialists. However, Ms. Topez's idea to create an act, which in turn demonstrated the company's title, was a good move.

Within Mark's imagination, the two aerial astronauts who also are contortions blew me away with their interesting dynamic shapes. Anna Venezelos and Olga Karmansky mesmerized the audience and me by contorting to the tango notes with such musicality that when they got into their poses it was on the correct accents. Nevertheless, it wasn't just about the unimaginable moves that they were able to perform with their physique, but it was that they designed a theatrical process to get to their final poses. That's what made it even more interesting!

The España performers, Sonia Olla (dancer) and Angelo Iodici (Boeadoras), were a highlight of the evening. Ms. Olla was inviting and held the stage as a solo dancer. After watching other flamenco and Spanish performers, hers was one of the best. Clean footwork and the fiery emotion combined. Mr. Iodici was my happy surprise because I had never witnessed Boeadoras performed live before. He was powerful with his incredible rhythmic striking of the rope's balls to the board. While I watched him, slight colors of the spinning rope's blur enveloped him. The majority of the music was sung in Spanish by Ismael Fernandez. Both of them helped to balance the circus and the dance of the production.

It was clear that dreams of love appear with the moon and that fighting for that love and understanding can also bring enlightenment.

Photo Credit: Michael Blase

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