Last Dance, The Forgotten Masters

Aaron Cash has worked with some of the greats - Cher, Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov - and was one of the original Tap Dogs, so it’s only logical that he would create an homage to some of the people that moved him forward in the world of dance.

Don’t be fooled though, Last Dance, The Forgotten Masters is not a biographical creation as such. While Cash’s three characters have their roots in personalities from his past they are stretched to the point of caricature.

Written, produced and choreographed by Cash with Lee McIver’s musical direction and Roberto Amaral’s additional choreography, it is an intriguing concept of presenting facets of dance as we have never seen them before.

Initially dressed in black with a red velvet jacket and backed by a three-piece band, Cash channels three dance identities using a different alcoholic beverage to help him inhabit each character.

First, we are introduced to Marlene Dietrich’s choreographer, the gay and flamboyant Gunter Von Pantzapffel who invented her signature move, ‘The Unch’ which was stolen by other choreographers to increase their fame and even inspire the famous goose step. Gunter is blunt, ribald, risqué and upfront with his sexuality.

His second offering is Rafael Bonnac Aranjuezella Garcia, in Spain considered one of the finest and fastest Flamenco dancers ever. Oozing machismo (and sweat) he tells us about his father’s influence on his life and dance. His gypsy tarantella, danced after being bitten by a tarantula, is a highlight of the show.

The last channelling is Peter Brown, a famous performance artist who invented a dance step called ‘The Poughkeepsie’. Brown is a parody of some of the creators of modern dance. Before dying of AIDS his creation of a solo dance piece called Death of a Sewage Man is hysterical and had the audience in stitches.

With a simple set – a bar, stool, hat rack and armchair- Cash easily slips in and out of his characters and is the master of accents. I lost count of the number of different personalities and voices he inhabited throughout the performance.

Even though we are told his characters are fictional we are tempted to go home and spend some time with Google to check. It is to his credit that even though they are caricatured Cash convinces us they could be real.

He is a powerhouse of energy and a true triple threat – song, dance and acting. We scarcely get a chance to breathe while he is changing, apart from musical interludes.

Last Dance, The Forgotten Masters is a tribute to the art of dance and also to the art of Aaron Cash - dancer, singer, actor and comedian extraordinaire!

Barry Hill

More Adelaide Cabaret Festival reviews