Not waving but possibly drowning

The Argentinian dance troop came to town preceded by its reputation. Some six years ago, Fuerzabruta re-opened the Roundhouse with an acrobatic extravaganza that left a permanent mark in the minds of so many Londoners as the most amazing show they had ever seen. The group, directed by Diqui James and Alejandro Garcia, combines high-tech light and sound effects with elegant pirouettes to create dashing visual effects.

Touring the world after its first successes, Fuerzabruta took its time to come back with an updated show. Several of my friends sent me the link for their new gig, highlighting how flabbergasted they had been at the time. It was indeed exciting: the press release promised a man bursting through walls at full throttle, and pairs of elegant swimmers hanging just on top of the audience’s head.

Finally something I haven’t seen before! But as is often the case, sequels are never as good as originals… And unfortunately, Fuerzabruta does not break that pattern. Not that it’s a bad show. It was simply not that impressive, a bit out-dated even. In fact, it rather felt like a group of high-tech crowd entertainers rather than a magical optical experience.

I might be harsh here, but let me explain: the whole spectacle is based on the use of clever lighting, moveable stages, and harnessed performers which allow for high-flying flips. For example, a man is walking on a large ‘treadmill’ is pushed at the centre of the theatre amongst the audience. Soon he finds obstacles on his way which he has to dodge, facing wind, clouds and rain (a wind machine, dry ice and a hose). Until a wall hits him! But the wall is made out of cardboards, and you can see it coming and I mean literally see it coming…

That being said, the experience is very interactive. The crowd, standing in the middle of the parterre, is asked to move around, dance and clap throughout during the show. A carnival mood perspires with a live Argentinian band singing and loudspeakers blasting techno music. This atmosphere would have been mind-blowing if it was set at Fabric or Ministry of Sound, but at the Roundhouse’s setting amongst a family audience, the artists’ grins and shouts didn’t seem to reach the audience. It was as if the production had put all its money on fancy visual effects and had forgotten to create a story line and add personality to its characters. The end result is a fragmented spectacle, leaving an aftertaste of shallowness.

Yet, some numbers were fairly entertaining – not for the actual skills of the performers but for the technical beauty created by the set. The most stunning piece was when six women paddled and splash in two large transparent tarps filled with water suspended right over the audience’s head – a truly bucolic vision. Sadly I couldn’t appreciate it for that long as my neck soon started hurting from craning it to look upwards for 45 minutes…

I could recommend Fuerzabruta as part of a special night out; the Roundhouse offers late shows at 10 pm from Thursday to Saturday which would be worth the £30-40 tickets. Oh, and a warning note: this is not meant for claustrophobes or epileptics.