Choreographers: Ángel Rojas and Carlos Rodríguez
Theatre: The Peacock Theatre, London
Production at venue: 5th – 23rd May,2015
Box Office: 0844 412 4322
Sexy Spanish men and passionate dancing; what more could you ask for? Titanium is a new dance fusion of classic flamenco with the intricate rawness of hip hop and break dancing. With an all male cast of 13, including 4 musicians and 9 dancers the audience is overwhelmed by the variety of dance styles along with the sensational live music that is performed on stage amongst the dancers.
The creators Ángel Rojas and Carlos Rodríguez bring dazzling routines on a very simplistic set. Dressed in mainly black, the audience can focus completely on the detailed and complicated routines and not be distracted by fancy stage work. The props are simplistic varying from black cloth, plain boxes to elasticised bands attached to backstage.
Throughout the performance you really appreciated the singer and musicians more as they performed with the dancers, there were not just providing the background music they were an important part of the performance. They combine the two styles seamlessly as singer Juan Debel even raps throughout some routines. In addition the stage never felt empty and the stage space was used so effectively.
Although there is no specific storyline to the dances or music, throughout the performance they were showing great diversity of styles. As the flamenco is a classic style, it was danced in the street and open whereas break dancing and hip hop is newer and some would say more isolated. At the beginning the flamenco dances were seen to be afraid of the break dancers and hip hop dancers and as the show progresses they become braver and more inquisitive. By the end the styles mix together and they are celebrated between all of them.
The 2 hour performance flew by and is so mesmerising that the audience may lose all sense of time. Considering there was no interval full great must go to the performers and it is not hard to appreciate the strength, dedication and hard work that they strive towards as each member was only off stage for a maximum of 2 minutes. I was expecting to have the two very diverse styles split into two sections of the performance but Rojas and Rodríguez created a dance mixture that compliments each other and is for everyone. I also really liked how the dance styles were split between the men, the 3 break dancers were dressed head to toe in black with their faces covered in a mask while the flamenco dancers wore black tops with cargo trousers.
This is one of those shows that you have to see to really enjoy and understand it. Starting on the Tuesday 5th May the production will no doubt attract people of a variety of different ages and genders proving that it is something for everyone.
I strongly urge anyone who loves dance to go and watch this beautifully choreographed and passionate piece of art before it ends on Saturday 23rd May 2015.
Verdict
