Havana Rakatan

Katie Gregory reviews the Cuban dance extravaganza at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, June 6, 2007. Photographs by Angela Taylor

Most well-known of late for turning out ballet star Carlos Acosta, Cuba has recently brought another offering to the table, this time in the form of Havana-based company Ballet Rakatan. Just as Acosta’s Tocororo gave a glimpse of Cuban life, director Nilda Guerra’s dancers bring the heart and soul of Cuba to the stage in Havana Rakatan, using the evolution of the country’s dance and music as the basis for 19 themed sections. It certainly keeps the performers busy – tracing the timeline back to the colonial invasion of Cuba 500 years ago, there’s so much ground to cover that some of the information, particularly in the early scenes, is lost in translation. Nevertheless, it makes for an interesting and educational foray into the history of what we now know as Latin dance, delivered via an explosive combination of technical prowess and relentless energy.
The opening scene sets the pace, which remains turbo-charged throughout, by harnessing a mixture of styles from flamenco to hip hop, after which begins the history lesson proper. The upright stance of a group of flamenco lovelies – all poise and containment, the bata de cola simultaneously accentuating curves whilst concealing carefully measured footwork – is juxtaposed with the barefooted, primal stamps of grass-skirted tribesmen who dance alongside them. The simplistic image serves its purpose in theory, indicating the mix of Spanish and African elements at the heart of Cuban dance, but it comes across as pantomime-esque in practice.
Next up is a lengthy section focusing on African gods and spirits that, without having studied the programme notes beforehand, left the audience, and myself, looking a little bemused. Guerra’s choreography becomes too busy here, with so much happening on stage, each dancer following another strain of the complex rhythms, that meaning (if you were following in the first place) becomes easily lost in the abundance of action. Thankfully, towards the end of the first half we move into more familiar territory as dancers begin to pair up and the emphasis moves from ritualistic to social dance. The act ends on a high note with El Manisero, where the streets of Havana come to life with sex, drink and general displays of hedonism, and Latin dance and contemporary culture as we know it begins to surface.

Mambo kicks off the second act well, followed by Bolero – a fluid mix of contact improvisation and lyrical jazz, danced brilliantly by Nayara Nuñez and Yordan Mayedo. Chan Chan emphasises the rhythms of son, the basis for so many others including cha cha cha which follows later, with Nuñez again breezing through the footwork wearing a cheeky, lusty grin and yet another of the show’s figure-hugging outfits. The highlight of the evening comes in Manteca, where Yoanis Pelaez, Yordan Mayedo and Etian Almeida demonstrate Ballet Rakatan’s firm grip on technique. Trained in folkloric, classic, flamenco and popular dance, versatility is what this company does best.
Later on, Cuban rumba turns out to be even more sexually charged than that seen on the ballroom and Latin American dance floor (with a great deal more crotch-grabbing), and Havana Rakatan ends with salsa – a natural finale encompassing aspects of the previous variations, with the addition of hip hop bringing it up to speed with Cuban youth culture today.
The sheer energy of Ballet Rakatan’s dancers is infectious, and their exuberance more than compensates for what is a slightly unoriginal format. As the timeline charges from one section to the next, the cast, too, move from bare-footed freedom through to jazz trainers, ending in Latin American heels, equally at ease with the classical sections as they are with the rootsy partner dances. With live music featuring the vocal talents of Geydi Chapman and Michel Gonzales, the overall package is a pleasing one that will no doubt fuel the ongoing popularity of salsa classes around the country and, hopefully, those of some of its lesser-known predecessors too.