I am always aware that the reviews I write are painfully amateurish, but I give each one my best shot, and they're really just for my enjoyment. However sometimes I know when I'm way out of my depth, and trying to write about dance is one of those times...
The show opens to an empty stage and a lengthy piece from an unseen (and pre-recorded) narrator telling us of the origin story of the Romani people in northern India, and the start of their migration westwards. Cue an Indian dancer, Indian music, and a series of dances. I'm guessing her moves took the story forward, but I'm not clued up enough to be able to figure out how. She certainly had a very expressive face, and excellent timing.
the narration moves the story on to the Middle East, which saw a belly dancer take over on stage, and eventually to Spain, the cue for a Flamenco dancer, with two accompanying musicians. The finale featured all five in an ensemble piece, and brought the legend to a close.
The flamenco guitarist was impressive, the singer intriguing, the dancers seemed technically proficient and worked well together. But most sections felt overlong (I wasn't the only audience member confused as to whether a dance had ended or not) and the 'story' felt forced and long winded. I looked at my watch more times than I'd have liked to!
If you love watching dancers doing their thing you might love this. But for the rest of us it's best avoided.
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