Tag Archives: Peacock Theatre

Malevo

Malevo

★★★★

Peacock Theatre

MALEVO at the Peacock Theatre

★★★★

Malevo

“for sheer bravissimo entertainment, featuring an extraordinary and quite dazzling company, this is a hard show to match”

Did anyone say beefcake? Thirteen highly talented dancers a tabloid might describe as hotter than midsummer on the pampas, took the Peacock Theatre by storm last night. Their 90 minute show, directed by company founder Matías Jaime, presents a re-interpretation (or evolution?) of Malambo, a fiercely competitive traditional Argentinian gaucho dance, which is performed exclusively by men.

Joining the dancers on stage were a quartet of musicians: Martin Morales, Juan Carlos Acosta, Lucas Coria and Gustavo Ybarbas. They play violin, squeeze box, guitar and a battery of drums which send out the high octane beats at the heart of the show. The music majors on catchy flamenco, tango and other energetic rhythms, all re-mixed loudly and edgily with the sounds of the performers who stomp, drum, whoop and dance with dazzling precision.

The first routine features the thunderous sound of traditional drums, carried by all 13 bare-chested dancers who are led by their captains Miguel Flores and Ariel Pereyra. True to the traditional form, this is defiantly macho stuff, complete with fierce glares and puffed out chests. As the energy levels and the pace wind up, the sweat really flies.

“the show came to a thunderous conclusion which was met with rapturous applause from a very enthusiastic audience”

Malevo also features some stunning routines with a version of the bolas or boleadora, a throwing weapon consisting of heavily weighted cords traditionally used to capture animals by entangling their legs. The cords spin brilliantly in different directions as the weights beat out a rhythm on the floor which is set against syncopated foot-tapping and stomping by the performer.

Whilst the first half hour consisted predominantly of chorus style line-outs, the central section, which followed the first of two musical interludes, included a slightly subtler sequence in which a stomper, a drummer and a boleadorista vie with each other in proudly rapping out rhythms at one another. Another routine features a softer style of barefooted tap-dancing, which called for one of several costume changes into lighter outfits which contrasted with the all black leather look of most of the show. The dance form also includes a distinctive side-footed tapping of the boot on the floor.

The lighting design by Eber Cepeda had some impressive effects although there were a few inconsistent moments.

After a second musical interlude, which featured an unexpected re-mix of a familiar Beatles tune, the show came to a thunderous conclusion which was met with rapturous applause from a very enthusiastic audience. Was the overall pace just a wee bit too relentless, and were the rhythms a bit too deafeningly insistent? Perhaps, but romantic pas de deux in the style of Matthew Bourne were hardly to be expected, and for sheer bravissimo entertainment, featuring an extraordinary and quite dazzling company, this is a hard show to match.


MALEVO at the Peacock Theatre

Reviewed on 31st October 2023

by David Woodward

Photography courtesy of Malevo

 

 

Peacock Theatre

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

Kyiv City Ballet – A Tribute To Peace | ★★★½ | September 2023
House of Flamenka | ★★★★ | September 2022
Machine de Cirque | ★★★★★ | June 2022

Malevo

Malevo

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KYIV CITY BALLET

Kyiv City Ballet – A Tribute to Peace

★★★½

Peacock Theatre

KYIV CITY BALLET – A TRIBUTE TO PEACE at the Peacock Theatre

★★★½

KYIV CITY BALLET

“a varied and defiant show”

On 24 February 2022 Vladimir Putin launched his ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, launching missiles and sending in tanks to the city of Kyiv. Less than 24 hours prior, Kyiv City Ballet had left to start what was to be a three week tour of France. More than 18 months later the special operation is a full blown war and the company has yet to return home.

This September, Kyiv City Ballet is at the Peacock Theatre in London with a mixed bill – A Tribute to Peace. It’s a greatest hits programme of peaks and lulls, with some run of the mill renditions of crowd-pleasing favourites and other more self-assured performances. Extracts come from an impressive range of 19th and early 20th century ballets with such cannonic pieces as The Dying Swan, created for Anna Pavlova in 1907, and scenes from La Bayadere and Le Corsaire.

Somewhat surprisingly, the programme reflects the influence of the ballet masters of the Russian Imperial Ballet, now known as Mariinsky Ballet where the company’s founder and Director Ivan Kozlov was premier. Last spring, following the invasion, many dancers left the hallowed institution of the Mariinsky either in protest or out of fear, as theatres in Europe cancelled touring productions from the company. With at least half of the programme works choreographed by former Imperial Ballet heads Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa, it’s a subtle nod to the power of art to transcend politics, as well as speak to it.

“Soloist Vladyslav Bosenko is simply wonderful to watch”

Principal Kateryna Floria presents the classics and handful of more modern pieces with strength and style. Appearing experienced and self-assured, her performance of Servant of the Muse with Artem Shoshyn is particularly delightful, showing off her power by pushing away the man clearly enamoured with her. Her beautiful olive green costume in this piece against a more abstract projected backdrop compared to the twee graphics and sparse set and props throughout the rest of the show also makes this piece the most visually striking.

Kristina Kadashevych and Oksana Bondarenko handle the most traditional pieces sweetly and sincerely without too much drama. Stella Fedorovych is a surprise force, charging the stage with her Laurencia (variation). The Spanish flamenco style costume and lively music are matched by her explosive leaps and joyous expressions.

Soloist Vladyslav Bosenko is simply wonderful to watch in the Le Corsaire and Talisman pas-de-deux that sandwich the interval. He lights up the stage, maintaining an enviable suspension as he leaps and bounds, making use of every inch of space the stage has to offer. Chudovsky Mykyta’s performance in Ostap from Taras Bulba draws a battle line for the title of highest jumper. Coming across like more of a gymnast, his split leaps are accompanied by slapping of his feet against a backdrop of a golden wheat field against the clear blue sky.

Were it not for the stroke of luck that meant these men left Kyiv the day before the invasion, they would not be here on this stage. The final piece, Men of Kyiv, feels a celebration of that as much as a tribute to the men left to fight. A poignant ending to a varied and defiant show.


KYIV CITY BALLET – A TRIBUTE TO PEACE at the Peacock Theatre

Reviewed on 26th September 2023

by Amber Woodward

Photography (from previous production) by Andy Weekes


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

House of Flamenka | ★★★★ | September 2022
Machine de Cirque | ★★★★★ | June 2022

Kyiv City Ballet

Kyiv City Ballet

Click here to read all our latest reviews