Review: Acosta Danza's CUBAN ECLÉCTICO at The Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Acosta Danza’s program Cuban Ecléctico ran in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center for just three days, but the show deserved much more stage time, both to receive a greater audience and to refine their performance. 

The program included five dances—each by a different choreographer—ranging in size, including one duet and one solo, and various dance styles, from classic ballet to rumba. The common thread? Cuban dance and culture. 

Satori was a bold opening of bare-chested dancers in a custom, canopy-like skirt that swathed the whole stage like a wave. The title, meaning “awakening” or “understanding” in Zen Buddhism, marks the piece as an exploration of spiritual enlightenment. The most effective dance pieces are the ones with palpable symbolism alongside physical skill, and this piece was full of both—the dancers had synchronicity and power while waving and worshiping, and they didn’t let the audience breathe before showcasing a stunning visual or impossible pose. The skirt was as much a setting and prop as it was a costume: It was used as a sheet to cover the upper halves of the ensemble as they did leg choreography behind the principal dancer, and it was a wall that concealed the dancers who lifted a dancer to give the illusion of her ascension. 

Faun depicted a duet of woodland spirits frolicking around the forest, each trying to decide if the other is prey, predator, or partner. Each dancer had their own solo and soundtrack, which was effective in characterizing their choreography: The male dancer’s light, classical melody by Claude Debussy clashed with the edgy, contemporary chords of the female dancer’s by Nitin Sawhney. Their solos set up an expectation that the music would merge along with the dancers when they connected and synchronized, but the classical track prevailed for most of it, sewing some notes of discord. After moving fluidly yet cautiously around each other, the dancers’ distinctive styles merged in a moment of unity, and from then on, they were inseparable. Any way you could touch another person’s skin, they did it as they wrapped around each other in seductive acrobatics.  

After an intermission for the dancers and audience to catch their breaths, the ensemble was back with joyous, contagious energy in Paysage, Soudain, La nuit, composed by Swedish native Pontus Lidberg. With the base of rhythmic rumba music, the piece was airy, pastoral, and a lighthearted shift that complemented the dances before it. The ensemble really worked to build trust and synergy between themselves, which made their movements fluid and strong and their smiles readable and believable. Every dancer hit every beat of the music, and they had much of the audience bouncing their shoulders and smiling alongside them. 

As a solo, Impronta was an impressive performance of flexibility and fusion of dance styles. Soloist Amisaday Naara had a graceful, liquid figure draped in a floor-length skirt that she fiercely whipped around her to evoke Afro-Cuban folk dancing. However, the program's order muted the piece's impact, as the most effective, bold skirt choreography had already been accomplished in Satori. Though she still earned it, Naara had to work harder for her applause due to the relative tameness of her solo compared to the other pieces. 

De Puta a Cabo was a culturally rich conclusion for the night. A projection of the Malecón, a seawall in Havana, was the backdrop for dancers dressed in casual clothing as they depicted multifaceted life in Cuba. The screen was an exciting setting initially, but the setting and gimmick of dancers disappearing from the screen and appearing on stage quickly grew stagnant. The tone and dance styles changed with the projected time of day, as some dancers ditched their sneakers for pointe shoes for ballet or completely went barefoot for hip-hop. While effective in showing the breadth of the culture, the shifting styles and tones of the piece made it difficult to focus on the overall personality of the dance. There were bursts of joyful energy and acrobatics that were the technically strongest and were more emotionally compelling than the somber moments. The finale movement was an on-stage quick change where the dancers stripped to skin-colored sets, and a stubborn shoe prevented one of the dancers from removing his sweatpants, distracting from the overall symbolism of unity. However, the energy and conviction of the ensemble uplifted the piece and showcased the country’s diversity and community.  

Company founder Carlos Acosta’s love letter to Cuba, Cuban Ecléctico, was clearly a cultural celebration with a great deal of heart and pride.  

Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes with 1 intermission 

Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning. Photo courtesy of the production.

 

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