WET AND WILD
AN ARGENTINEAN PERFORMANCE OFFERS VISUAL SPLENDOR.
A man in a white suit runs on a treadmill, while two women dancers dangling from strings fly above the crowd.
Performers leap into the crowd to dance to the blend of futuristic electronic music and traditional Argentinean tunes.
And the audience goes wildest when a swimming pool with a glass bottom in which four dancers perform descends from the ceiling.
The crowd’s surprise delights Argentinean director Diqui James, who created the show Brutal Force with music director Gabi Kerpel in 2005.
Even the setting in a 700-sqaure-meter tent without chairs or a stage was unexpected by Chinese audiences.
“Audiences come to a show and think: ‘What have you got to show us?’ That’s the most exciting part for me,” James says. “I like satisfying and challenging their expectations.”
Much of the chemistry is conjured by the blend of imagery and music, a balance James and Kerpel have honed since they started working together in 1985.
They cooperated on the international hit De La Guarda, in which the cast flies around the venue banging drums.
“If you just sit there and watch the actors play, then you go to watch a movie, which is much better than theater because it has strong visual effects,” the director says.
“We want something new and fun.”
The concept for the show, which is called Fuerza Bruta in Spanish, started with a girl walking in water above the crowd. The other scenes evolved over the following three years.
James, a theater school dropout who later took acting classes, believes theater is born from street art. He often participates in carnivals in his native Buenos Aires.
“I love the mixture (in carnivals),” he says.
“I love the atmosphere. The artist has to do everything to attract the passersby’s attention, and the viewers can enjoy his show in an unseen space. I want to bring that atmosphere into my show. It’s the same spirit of celebration and craziness.”
James says he set out to create shows that appeal to all social classes in the way street art does.
“It is a sharing experience,” he says.
“The audiences are part of the show. You can move around, get involved in the action, hear and touch. We want you to do it.”
According to the director, both shows have toured the globe and have been performed for millions.
“The audience reactions from different countries are very familiar — celebration,” James says.
“Because the audiences have different cultural backgrounds, they have their own understanding of the show. We don’t have to explain it through words.”
He enjoys bringing the show to places with different cultures than his.
“For example, we love to hug and kiss each other, which is very physical. It is Argentinean, but it’s different from Chinese culture,” he says.
“But the show brings people together despite their cultures.”