Criollo

NUDO Dance Company is relatively new on the Brisbane performing arts scene, and they certainly made their presence felt with their new show Criollo. ‘Nudo’ means ‘knot’ in Spanish, and that perfectly reflects the tone of the group – tethered lovingly to their Hispanic roots but not so tightly as to exclude modern and hybrid dance influences from the creative mix. There is a small but strong community of people in Brisbane of Spanish descent, and it was a very tightknit community who turned out to a completely sold-out show at the Talbot Theatre. As BEMAC producer, Eyal Chipkiewicz, said as he introduced the performance, the ‘buzz in the air was palpable’ and I have never been in such a warm and welcoming audience. Everyone seemed to know other groups around the theatre and there was a great feeling of anticipation for supporting the dancers and their show. And what a show it was! Criollo featured a series of scenes giving us a history of ‘Criollos’ people – those with Spanish family roots who travelled to South America and the Caribbean – told through their dance and musical influences. And – in all my theatre-going days – a true first: a live on-stage marriage proposal (and acceptance, phew!) to add to the excitement in the air.

The stories were dramatic and memorable. They ranged from the first arrival of Spanish people on South American shores, to a folk horror tale that foreshadows colonisation, to a busy Cuban market scene, and the celebration that is ‘La Bamba’ – familiar to all in the Western world through Richie Valens’s 1950s rock interpretation of the traditional folk song.

Energetic pieces like ‘La Bamba’ and ‘The Marketplace’ featured 25 amazing dancers on the stage at one time, showing the mix of styles that would be enthusiastically adopted by the likes of Jerome Robbins and Peter Gennaro for ‘West Side Story’. These performances included NUDO’s Paradox Studio adult students who study and perform with Artistic Director and Choreographer, Yasim Coronado Veranes and Suzi Coronado Veranes. Suzi is also the group’s Costume Designer and she was prolific for this production, creating costumes with vibrant colours and swirling fabrics that added to the storytelling and drama. The choreography by Yasim was a magic melding of traditional dance styles with new movement, including a fusion of hip hop and breaks. In between the lively ensemble numbers – there are too many dancers’ names to list, but they were all incredible – were charismatic solos and pas de deux by the group’s outstanding lead dancers. Yasim himself swept everyone off their feet with his ‘El Mujeriego’ (Latin Lover), and Richu John Kung introduced enigmatic and hypnotic rhythm for ‘Verdolago’, a Colombian folk song celebrating our verdant connections with nature.

And of course, Regnier Alexander Guzmán Silva and Rossanna Pérez Morana, who ended their dance on the streets of Cuba with a marriage proposal – witnessed by hundreds of swooning audience members already caught up in the romance of their dance.

You can’t have dance without music and the live on-stage group, led by Nelson Mansilla (Music Producer, plus guitar and vocals), with Dave Kemp (percussion), and Glenn Minto (trumpet a la Tijuana style) had everyone’s toes tapping throughout.

The show’s credits also feature Creative Producer Erika Jayne Goldsmith from Bring A Plate, the inclusive dance company. Criollo was presented in conjunction with BEMAC, whose ethos is ‘courageous in creativity’, and that includes getting multicultural stories onto Brisbane’s main stages. This collaboration with Queensland Ballet and their beautiful new Talbot Theatre was highly welcome and just the first in what I hope will be many more performances. Go and see NUDO – you will fall in love. What an amazing night of energetic entertainment. I think I’ll sign up for Salsa classes now!

Find out more: bemac.org.au

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Ange Costes