Acosta Danza: Folclor review

The last work on this triple bill is another return – Norge Cedeño and Thais Suárez’s Hybrid, first seen in 2022, is a dystopia-dipped piece that pits its dancers against an amorphous oppressive force and shows their struggle and defiance. It’s loud in most senses, with ropes as an obvious metaphor, increasingly heavy percussion and nine soldier-like dancers, wearing grey bodysuits and breastplates like stylised ribcages, often drenched in red light. Apparently, the myth of Sisyphus was an inspiration, although it’s not entirely clear how; as the piece progresses, the movement style shifts to an enthusiastically embraced Afro-Cuban/Yoruba dance influence, as the nine find a way to shrug off subjugation.

It’s Soledad, the middle piece, that really stands out, though. This fraught 20-minute duet by Rafael Bonachela is not a new work, but Laura Rodriguez and Raul Reinoso throw everything at their depiction of a warring couple. There’s an Argentine tango sensibility to this story of a love-hate relationship, if not to the steps, which is heightened by the use of Gidon Kremer’s Hommage à Piazzolla (as well as Chavela Vargas’ songs of heartbreak and dark nights). It’s an intense physical explosion, beautifully realised: as the pair enact a furious argument through their bodies, the movement becomes increasingly violent. Hands are dragged over mouths; swipes and slaps only just miss connecting. Rodriguez gives as good as she gets, at one point hoisting Reinoso over her shoulder in a fireman’s lift before dumping him on the floor. The piece follows a grand pas de deux structure – duet, solo, solo, duet – and by the end they’ve exhausted each other. That there’s no resolution adds to the bittersweetness.