Displaying items by tag: Dance

A tragic Shakespearian tale of Romeo and Juliet set to the music of a Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev is brought to Chicago Harris theatre by The National Ballet Theatre of Odessa (Ukraine).

 A ballet in two acts, it starts out rather slow. Dancers are mostly standing around, and a sense of a theatre, rather than ballet, is conveyed. This low energy feel is not helped by the dull uniform-like color palette of the costumes and unexciting set decorations [of predominantly burgundy]. Luckily, the first scene features multiple quarrels between the servants, which escalate to a brawl, bringing some much-needed energy to the stage. We get our first look at lovely Juliet, who is most certainly the star of the show. 

Choreographed by Michael Lavrovsky, overall, Odessa’s Romeo and Juliet has a very traditional feel, full of reliable dance moves but not too many thrills for the Chicago Harris Theatre’s spoiled audience. Regardless, it does have some nice parts, all of them seemingly saved for the Second Act.

Alas, Act Two has a lot more sparkle. Events are set in motion, the pace is picked up and, to our delight, we get another major infusion of Romeo’s friend, red-headed Mercutio (danced by Nikolay Vorivodin), who is unquestionably the liveliest dancer of the troupe and, frankly, one of its most memorable. His spirited energy lights up every scene he’s in, and that’s a really good thing for this sleepy production. In his last performance he dances out a sword fight, churning out acrobatic- inspired moves, while remaining playfully graceful. Farewell, Mercutio, we’ll miss you.  

Odessa’s National Ballet Theatre features some very fine performers in Romeo and Juliet. Olga Vorobiova, who dances the part of Juliet, is absolutely outstanding. A world class ballerina, she is gracefully fluid and highly expressive. Her partner Stanislav Skrynnik (Romeo) is a very capable dancer, perfectly executing his role in the ballet as a support for Vorobiova during the couple’s love scenes. One of the most impressive scenes in the ballet is Romeo and Juliet last embrace; it’s absolutely gorgeous. Ahh, Romeo and Juliet, fused together in an expression of love and devotion; it brings tears to one’s eyes.

It seems to me the Joffrey Ballet’s been picking literary shows as of late based on books I either never finished or don’t remember. Last season, they presented Anna Karenina, which I admit I never read all the way through, but which delighted me in its transformation to the Auditorium Theatre’s stage. And now, the Joffrey’s 2019-2020 season opens with another 19th century classic, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Now, I know I finished the novel, as every moment in the ballet was recognizable to me, but I can’t for the life of me recall when I read it, whether it was high school or college. Shows that perhaps the book didn’t make that big of an impression. But I’ve got to admit, the ballet did make an impression. Seems to me that a much younger me could have used Joffrey productions of required English class reading as a mix of Cliff’s Notes and nights on the town. Alas, a younger me never had that opportunity, but the older me sure is lucky for the chance.

Just as she played the lead role in the Joffrey’s magnificent Nutcracker last winter, Amanda Assucena takes on the eponymous role of Jane for this production. And boy, does she deliver. But every bit as important to the main character’s story is Yumi Kanazawa, who plays a young Jane through the first couple scenes. Kanazawa matches Assucena in passion and performance, and seamlessly portrays the woman as a girl, handing the part off upon her arrival at adulthood.

Now, the two ballets I’ve mentioned above — The Nutcracker and Anna Karenina — are spectacles, the former by tradition and the Joffrey’s Chicago-centric twist on the tale, the latter because of the source material’s length and depth. Jane Eyre, on the other hand, lacks the marvel and magnitude of those two, instead centering on the experience and personhood of the title character. And, while still delivering some of the sights and sounds of the other productions, this production allows the Joffrey’s performers to shine, just as the characters in Brontë’s book are the reader’s focus, with Jane as both the book and the ballet’s focal point.

When Jane’s classmate Helen, played by Brooke Linford, dies from tuberculosis or cholera or whatever old-timey predicament Brontë killed her off with, we feel Jane’s pain at the loss. When Greig Matthews’ pompous Rochester at last succumbs to Jane’s charm, so do we. While the visual beauty of the set is still there, from the sad-sack orphans Lowood School to the fire that endangers Rochester at his Thornfield estate, of  it is the visual beauty of the dancers that is the star of this show, just as the characters — or the character, of Jane, really, is the star of Brontë’s novel.

So join the Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre through October 27, as all its world-class company of talent once again digs deep into a literary classic to turn words into images, memories into reality, and a 19th century novel into a 21st century evening of entertainment.

It is no wonder that the 9th Annual Winning Works, presented by the Joffrey Academy of Dance Chicago, has been a sold out show since its opening on March 9th through the 10th.  With its talented selection of winning choreographers and their eclectic styles, they brought a show that brings political, cultural and self-awareness, along with insight into different styles of ballet, straight into the artistic heart of Chicago. Each of the 4 performances showcased on the intimate stage of Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, was introduced with a video, giving the audience members an inside look at the process of creation of each of these performances, as well as into to the inspiration of the artists being featured.

The choreographers featured, hail from the United States (Tomie-Waheed Evans and Marissa Osato), Mexico (Edgar Zendejas) and China (Xian Xu,) featuring just as varied themes to their choice in music, style of dance and purpose of their presentation as their cultural backgrounds.

Beginning the afternoon of performances, was Edgar Zendejas’ Lineas. A silent introduction featuring a single dancer, joined by the other performers in gauzy white shirts and white shorts- performing in a cannon, invoking an ethereal beauty. The interaction between the dancers as they interacted within the group, but also as moving bodies. The representation of these interactions, showcased how are attention can shift between groups and interactions, but how we are all intertwined together within these experiences. 

Coup De Grace choreographed by Tomie-Waheed Evans, was an intense representation of the current political climate of our present day, imagining the reactions we would have if we faced an apocalyptic event. The intensity of the music, vibrant colors and movements of the costumes- portrayed how diverse we are in our current world, all struggling to survive, however if we can embrace our community and those around us- how much we can overcome these obstacles and crisis that seem to plague us all.

Xian Xu’s, Vessels Bearing was an expression of Asian culture and how it is defined by rice, through the representation of rice bowls.  With influences of Asian movement and design with Xu’s choreography, the essence of rice, as a provider of energy, sustenance and warmth is what binds so many of us together.  The impact is has on those who have enough to rely on, as well as those who do not have enough.

  
Give the People What They Want choregraphed by Marissa Osato, was another stunning representation of the quality of talent being featured by Joffrey.  This particular ballet reflected how the façade we carry into our everyday life can eventually or may take its toll on us as we try to present our best face forward.  With music created by a local Chicago composer, Elliot Callighan, the vibrancy of this piece, was uplifting in that we are not all individually facing the challenge of our inner realities and how we present them in real life.  

All four pieces, as their 4 choreographers are so diverse in their backgrounds, ballet styles and musical inspirations, it is exciting to watch as the cultures and perspectives combine on the stage. It is a thrill that the 'Winning Works' has continued to provide us with so many opportunities to view the talented works of these choreographers and an insight into the growing styles of ballet. We look forward to what is coming next, as we relish in the talent we have been shown.

All apologies to the teachers and professors who groomed me to be a ceaseless reader and sporadic writer — I never finished Anna Karenina. But while I never plowed through all 900 pages of Tolstoy’s novel, moments from the book have stayed with me. One of them is just a line, one seemingly effortless line among pages full of them, and what a line it is: “All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.”

As I reflect on the variety, the charm, and the beauty I was privileged to behold at the Joffrey Ballet’s world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s production of his countryman’s classic, I realize I witnessed a whole world of light and shadow being created right there on the Auditorium Theatre’s stage.

The creation of that entire world was, most obviously, performed by Possokhov’s choreography carried out by the Joffrey’s outstanding company, of course. Victoria Jaiani’s Anna navigates said world in both light and shadow — beautiful but damaged, faced with reality but delirious. Her husband Karenin, towers over the stage, as portrayed by the magnificent Fabrice Calmels, as a stately, stern husband and father and statesman. Just as stately, while also boyish and beautiful, Alberto Velazquez’s Vronsky lures the audience just as he lures poor Anna. And parallel to the love triangle and tragedy that envelope those three is the love story between Yoshihisa Arai’s Levin and Anais Bueno’s Kitty. If the former affair gives us the shadow, then the latter relationship brings it into the light.

These lights and shadows do not flicker before us thanks solely to the dancers, however. No, the spectacle of sight and sound beyond the dancing are every bit as stunning. Tom Pye’s sets and David Finn’s lighting navigates from dusky railyards to sunny Tuscany, from opium dreams to canapé flings. Of the many delights dished out by the Joffrey’s Nutcracker, perhaps my favorite was its use of projections, and Finn Ross’ projections for 'Anna Karenina' equal those, coloring the story and conjuring spirits.

But from curtain to curtain, the visual thrills are always complemented and often eclipsed by Ilya Demutsky’s original score directed by Scott Speck. The Chicago Philharmonic’s accompaniment, shifting seamlessly from elegance to dissonance, while always both classic and contemporary, is joined by Lindsay Metzger’s mezzo-soprano — who literally joins the show by the end — to craft this world of light and shadow in multiple dimensions that quicken multiple sensations.

So join the Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre for Anna Karenina through February 24, as all of these world-class talents work together to shade and illuminate, to craft and create the variety and the charm and the beauty one would expect from a hefty literary classic written a century-and-a-half ago and half a world away.

I arrived at the Auditorium Theatre — one of my favorite buildings in this city of ours that has so many historic buildings each with so many stories — prepared to enjoy an evening with that old Holiday chestnut, The Nutcracker. Little did I know that for the third year in a row, the Joffrey Ballet would be presenting Tchaikovsky’s work with a twist — as a story by Brian Selznick set in Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Now, being a history buff, the setting (or settings, since I was already aware of the theatre’s history) perked me up upon reading the program pre-show. And seeing the name of the story’s author, this author of children’s books was excited to see what Selznick, a personal favorite, had in store. I wouldn’t be disappointed with the wonder and whimsy headed my way.

Right away, instead of a bourgeois European Christmastime, we’re transported to working-class Chicago circa Christmas 1892. A Victorian-clad girl played by Amanda Assucena navigates the rough and rat-infested streets of a Windy City that’s awaiting the completion and opening of the great World’s Fair in the coming year, its towering Ferris Wheel overlooking the knot-holed fences and rag-covered rapscallions she passes. A Dickensian rat catcher and the Fair’s Impresario are two recurring characters we meet before Marie arrives at the meager shack she shares with her mother and brother in the shadow of the White City.

There, the family is visited by various other working-people and immigrants for a holiday celebration. And soon, the Impresario himself, played by Miguel Angel Blanco, arrives with gifts, including a Nutcracker for young Marie. From here until the end of Act I, this Nutcracker shares much with traditional productions, with a broken Nutcracker, a nighttime dream, rats and soldiers a-fighting, and a magical gondola arriving to take Marie and the transformed Nutcracker off to a winter wonderland.

But after the intermission, Act II brings a very different wonderland — the White City of 1893 Chicago. First off, the magic comes from the strength of Tchaikovsky’s music. Every time I hear the melody after melody, each of them recognizable, of the second half, I’m reminded of just how ubiquitous this work is. Each piece has become embedded in society’s consciousness ever in the 125+ years since they were penned and premiered. And each piece is played wonderfully by the Chicago Philharmonic (three of whose musicians take the stage in the first half as players at the house party).

The World’s Fair setting, however, allows each piece a new meaning, as what were then (again, 125 years ago) exotic people dance along to Tchaikovsky’s original works. Highlights include Fernando Duarte as a hammy and hysterical Mother Nutcracker (thronged by the children’s ensemble playing hilarious cracking walnuts); Hansol Jeong’s Chinese Dancer, accompanied by the ensemble as paper dragons; and Rory Hohenstein (who was also the rat catcher) as a rootin’, tootin’ Buffalo Bill Cody surrounded by three frolicking showgirls (Lucia Connolly, Dara Holmes, and Joanna Wozniak) who would definitely attract fairgoers in 1893 or today. But the highlight of the Fair’s attractions are the Arabian Dancers, played by Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez. Mendoza contorts, writhes, and dances as Gutierrez lifts and balances and turns — and the audience erupted when their dance was done all too soon.

The only dancers almost as enchanting as Mendoza and Gutierrez are Victoria Jaiani (who also plays Marie’s mother) and Blanco, as the Queen of the Fair and the Impresario. They close this Nutcracker with the kind of grace and beauty one would expect not just from such a beloved ballet, but from such an accomplished ballet company. So, while the Joffrey’s take on The Nutcracker might be different, it is as enchanting as ever, as professional as one would expect, and the perfect way to begin the holiday season in the White City of Chicago.

I’m going to admit, this was not exactly what I expected. I heard flamenco and, me being a guitarist and passionate for the instrument, I thought…hmmm…Flamenco guitar music. That fact that the show would feature the degree of dancing it did never even occurred to me. So, I got the best of both worlds. There were guitars playing in the very impressive musical outfit, accompanying by dancing that was nothing short of spectacular. Two singers and percussion were also included in the act. Like I said, this show had everything.

Eduardo Guerrero was the lead dancer and was exciting to watch, each move as graceful as the last with just the right amount of aggression when needed. Six dancers performed different variations of Flamenco dancing throughout the presentation so we as the audience were treated to a true cultural experience to remember. Everything about the show was amazing.

One of the things that draws me to Latin Music is the rhythm. You can’t escape it. I looked up the word flamenco and found it comes from the word Flemish. The people who originated this type of dancing were gypsies from that area. Interesting.

Another thing I have noticed about Spanish music is how much I hear an Arabic flavor to the melodies and harmonies. You couldn’t miss it in the vocal melodies. I had a chance to watch a Turkish band play a while back and the music was so very similar. It’s fun to see how we are musically influenced from all parts of the world.

But back to the dancing. Microphones were strategically placed on the stage to pick up the sound of the dancers’ feet, literally making their bodies part of the music. Guerrero did some solo work out there that was so rhythmically driven I could see why they needed an intermission with so much energy being spent. This type of dancing must be exhausting. Some of the dance numbers were quite lengthy and would surely wear out even the strongest of dancers.

The costumes alone were worth the price of admission. I also sense a bit of an Arabic influence in that department. Bright colors dominated the stage to make each number as colorful as it was precise and energetic. The many people involved in making this production seem effortless are extremely gifted.

Guerrero and company did a fantastic job and left us with something wonderful and uplifting to take home. I heard the audience respond positively throughout the entire performance and rightfully so. This was yet another great show at the MacIninch Art Center (The MAC) at College of DuPage, proving again that you don’t need to go downtown to be entertained.

The Joffrey Ballet opens 2018-2019 season with the return of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s modern re-telling of Swan Lake to the Auditorium Theatre four years after its first premiere in Chicago in 2014.

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-77, it was originally a ballet in two acts, named The Lake of the Swans. Choreographed by Julius Reisinger, it premiered in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater in 1877 but was poorly received by the critics. Nearly twenty years later, the music score undergone changes by Riccardo Drigo, who added various other Tchaikovsky’s pieces to the original score for the choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's 1895 revival of the ballet, consequently re-named Swan Lake and performed in four acts.

Christopher Wheeldon’s masterful re-telling of Swan Lake is based on that latter version of the ballet, as well as Edgar Degas’ paintings circa 1870’s, of the Paris Opera backstage, where ballet rehearsals were often attended by the male patrons of the arts.

In Wheeldon’s version of Swan Lake, the story begins at the Paris Opera during the rehearsal for the opening night of Swan Lake. The Principal Dancer who portrays Prince Siegfried in the classical ballet gets so lost in the ballet fantasy, that his world becomes full of illusions. Fantasy is superimposed on reality until he can no longer distinguish between the two. In love with his beautiful dance partner, he’s painfully aware of the advances of the Patron who is always lurking around during the rehearsals, making unsavory proposals to ballerinas. In his mind, he turns into prince Siegfried, and finds himself at the lake, where he sees a beautiful maiden telling him that she had been cursed by an evil sorcerer to stay in swan form during the day until someone falls in love with her. He imagines that the maiden is his dance partner and the sorcerer is the patron.

The technical skills of Dylan Gutierrez as Siegfried are truly superb; his dancing is as beautiful as it is emotionally charged. Odette/Odlie’s role is danced by the magnificent Victoria Jaiani, who is floating on air, like she always does, effortlessly performing the most highly technically challenging pirouettes.

By the Second Act, the ballerinas so perfectly capture the essence of the swans, they seem to have lost their human form and become transformed into birds. This resemblance and the white costumes of ballerinas separate Siefried’s fantasy from reality in the ballet. In the Third Act, it’s back to reality: the stage comes alive with action; it’s a gala evening to celebrate the new production of Swan Lake. The fancy legwork of the cheerful Pas De Quatre (The Dance of Little Swans) does not disappoint; beautifully performed by Anne Gerberich, Jeraldine Mendoza, Edson Barbosa and Greig Matthews. Followed by the sexy Russian, Spanish, Czardas and Burlesque dances, the colorful costumes (by Jean-Marc Puissant) are in stark contrast to demure lakeside scene; this party is so much fun. Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra led by Scott Speck blends Tchaikovsky’s music with dance so perfectly that not a moment is out of sync; it’s divine.

Joffrey’s Corps de Ballet indisputably consists of world class dancers whose technical skills and ballet mastery make every performance exquisite; every one of their moves is executed with razor-like precision. Combined with brilliant Wheeldon’s choreography and gorgeous Tchaikovsky’s music, Swan Lake is a treat for the senses. In short, it is magnificent.

For more information on this beautifully executed production, visit www.joffrey.org.

The renowned Israeli choreographer and director of Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin, is the spotlight of this year’s Hubbard’s Summer Series, 40th Season at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The program features DecaDance, a reimagining of Naharin’s most celebrated pieces and recreated every 10 years. Deca Dance/ Chicago was created specifically for Hubbard Street’s current company.

DecaDance/Chicago features excerpts from Minus 16 (1999), KYR (1990), Mabul (1992), Anaphase (1993), Zachacha (1998), Naharin’s Virus (2001), Three (2005), George and Zalman (2006), Max (2007), Seder (2007) and Sadeh21 (2011).

Most pieces of the show, in both music and choreography, are very Avant-guard: decidedly not particularly pretty, occasionally disturbing, frequently puzzling. The program has a certain bi-polar quality; even playful pieces have some sadness, even despair woven throughout. Naharin’s analysis of modern society is evident in one of the First Act pieces: it features several female dancers dressed in black elegant dresses, moving with some redundancy; the soundtrack being somewhat more important than the dance itself. It starts layering verses, from the top: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities.” And again: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities, pay your taxes” …copulate”, etc. It goes on and on, ever so slightly past the point of being amusing.

But the show does get much better in the Second Act. The most entertaining piece, involving audience participation, has a group of dancers (both males and females) dressed in black suits and black hats (costume designer Rakefet Levy) leave the stage and venture out into the audience, looking for dance partners. It’s a fun, light-hearted piece, and a very well received one.

The evening’s most intense work is an excerpt from Minus 16. It premiered in 1999 in Israel, then made its US debut the following year. Set to Passover song “Echad Mi Yodea”, it has a super cool tribal drum beat and drama to spare. And again, though “Echad Mi Yodea” is a juvenile Hebrew song recited around Passover table and designed to teach children some foundations of Hebrew religion, the dance is turned into a display of anguish and despair. Dancers, dressed in black suits and hats, are seated in chairs arranged in a semi-circle. They stand up and bend backwards one by one; the last dancer to stand up violently falls forward from his chair, as if being shot. As the verses accumulate and build up, the dance is repeated over and over. The dancers eventually shed their clothes and throw them into the center of the circle. A pile of clothes and shoes in the center looks vaguely like the grim reminder of history’s events of the past. It’s theatrical and hypnotizing. Much like the rest of the show, it clearly has a message.

Returning to the Auditorium Theatre after a long 20-year absence is Hubbard Street Dance Chicago with its 40th Anniversary Spring Series. This edition spotlights Spanish born Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, who joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2005, and was named Choreographic Fellow in 2008 and became the company’s first Resident Choreographer in 2009. He’s a recipient of multiple awards, including prestigious Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance.

The show is a progression of Cerrudo’s works, from old to new. It has a pleasant start with his earliest piece, Lickety Split, originally performed in 2006 at the Harris Theater as part of the Inside/Out Choreographic workshop. Celebrating athletic femininity and confident masculinity and set to music by renowned songwriter Devendra Banhart, Lickety Split is about modern love and romantic relationships. It’s very beautiful and has well balanced energies.
But then something completely unexpected happens. The spotlight is on a balcony where a captivating, extravagantly dressed and coiffed female (Rena Butler) is seated, casually talking to the audience about the nature of reality. She is smoking a pipe, while blowing our minds with [Alan Watts’] philosophical concepts. Amazing.

And so the drama begins. More new age philosophy is injected into the show when David Schultz walks out on stage, wearing a cane and delivering another serving of food for thought. The following piece, Off Screen, though highly theatrical, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Inspired entirely by film, it makes lighthearted mockery of Italian musicals and romantic European movies. The music is comprised of 16 passages from various movie scores. Off Screen features seven dancers layering gorgeous fluid movements as if in a dream, their dancing defying gravity and somehow helping to get across the spiritual points introduced earlier. Off Screen was Cerrudo’s third work created for Hubbard Street back in 2009.

After the intermission, it’s the energetic Silent Ghost that originally premiered in 2015 at the Aspen Santa Fe ballet. It feels tribal yet romantic, despite the monochromatic costumes.

The grand finale of the evening is the world premiere of Out of Your Mind. This piece brings everything together: the mysterious monologues earlier in the show, the flow and progression of the pieces, the dreamy dancing. What makes it futuristic is the pulsating energy, and the shapes and configurations of the dancers. At some point, orderly chaos ensues on stage, dancers moving in waves [and somehow particles]. Set to the soundtrack of the soothing voice of the contemporary philosopher Alan Watts, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful and uplifting experience. The piece was inspired by Alan Watts’ lectures called “Out of Your Mind”; Cerrudo borrowed the music that was used in the audio of the lectures and used it in this piece. I’d say contemplating God possibly never looked more spectacular.

Cuban Jazz was the flavor at McAninch Arts Center (The MAC) this past weekend, but the band’s labeled genre might just be a bit misleading. In fact, I would describe the Cubanismo’s sound of as that more akin to Big Band first and foremost. Though high energy dance music with infectious grooves, it is heavily sprinkled with a touch of Havana and Latin Beats. Lively and catchy from beginning to end, let’s just say if audience members aren’t clapping or tapping their toes, someone in the medical profession needs to check them for a pulse.

Cubanismo founder and trumpeter, Jesus Alemany, led the ensemble through two sets of some very spicy music. Let me take a mental head count of musicians - four horns, three percussionists, three singers, bass, guitar, keys and Alemany complete the band’s line-up. That adds up to thirteen if I did the math correctly. Ricky Ricardo would have felt right at home with this combo.

They key word with music like this is rhythm. I mentioned in my review of Gipsy Kings last summer how that was a lesson in rhythm. This was a follow up to the learning I received that day. The reason why I don’t really consider this Jazz is due to the ability to dance to what was presented. I know Jazz has many sub categories. What this band really represents is the dance clubs of Pre-Castro Cuba - straight from the 1940’s – music with a serious spice to it. There also seemed to be far less emphasis on improvisation in this band’s set as opposed to the likes of Gipsy Kings. I think a good portion of the show may have been changed in slight ways from time to time, but unquestioned were its tight arrangements.

The band’s three singers took charge of their songs with serious support from the rest of the players. I wish my Spanish was better as far as understanding the lyrical content but that didn’t matter all that much, as music is the universal language. Cubanismo is all about getting their fans to move. Recently, a friend mentioned to me how there should be more room for dancing when going to see a band play. A larger dance area would have certainly helped the situation, especially when the band gave a mambo lesson on the final number. Cubanismo showed the moves while on stage and their fans followed. This was yet another reason I say it is not really Jazz per se. Nobody (particularly other musicians) was sitting around admiring the technical sophistication of the players. That being said, I am not at all saying the band members were not amazing. We just weren’t pelted with one self-indulgent solo after another in typical jazz fashion. It was truly an ensemble performance.

To give readers a brief history of the band, Alemañy was a child prodigy in Cuba before joining Sierra Maestra when he was just 16. After more than a decade of playing with that group, he moved to London to pursue his own career. There he met a fellow Cuban, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, and the two musicians organized a jam session in Paris in 1994. It was there that record producer and head of Hannibal Records Joe Boyd heard the group play and suggested the pair organize another descarga (or improvised jazz session) in Cuba with all-star musicians from all over the country and record it. The recording was such a success that the group formed a band and toured extensively.

The band played selected tunes from their hit albums “Melembe”, “Reencarnación” and “Greetings from Havana” along with many other up-tempo, cha-cha-driven favorites.

The music of Cubanismo is straight from an era of Cuba long since gone. The tradition does live on through the music of this particular band that has received critical acclaim. Supporting this music is what keeps it alive and I hope to see more of that. Jesus Alemany should be proud of what he has assembled. If you get a chance to see them live, I am sure you will not walk away disappointed. In fact, you will not walk at all…you will dance.

www.cubanismo.org