Saturday afternoon, it’s hot outside. The hall of the San Martín Theater is an air-conditioned oasis appropriated by a large group of spectators of a wide age range, responding to the irresistible proposal of seeing the San Martín Ballet for free. full carton
The company is at an exception level; nothing has to envy international colleagues. To the excellent physical preparation of all its members is added the existence of individualities that are diluted at the exact moment in which the group amalgamates. An intense, sustained and enthusiastic work is sensed both by the dancers and by the director Andrea Chinetti and her co-director Diego Poblete.
The program that is reviewed here included two ideal works to corroborate that chameleonic quality of the Ballet: “Bolero” and “Fervor”. The coming of age of the creation of Ana María Stekelman, premiered in 2004, does not make a dent in its vitality or its concept. This black-and-white version (efficient costumes by Renata Schussheim) of Ravel’s much-traveled score provides a masterful fusion of elements from malambo, tango, Spanish stomping, and contemporary dance. The interweaving of rhythm and melody is paralleled by the highly musical choreography, which presents solos, duets and complex group scenes. Among the individualities indicated, the sensual interpretation of Paula Ferraris stands out, and the power of Andrés Ortiz, whose figure opens and closes the work.
After a brief interval, Josefina Gorostiza proposes “Fervor”, created especially for the company in 2020, an eclectic work where the cast evolves in a continuous dance, strenuous and fascinating at the same time. With the presence of a live DJ, each of the dancers comes forward to make a personal demonstration of their skill, while the rest watch but don’t rest, and neither does the techno music, commanded by a feverish rhythm. But there are also groups that dialogue, explicit references to classical dance, the malambo (again), rock and roll, urban dances and even the famous little step of The Backpack Kid. The energy and frenzy multiply in the bodies of the dancers and in the enthusiasm of the public, without a message, without a slogan, sometimes in order and other times chaotically.
These total forty-five minutes are non-stop and at the same time bring a wave of freshness to those who dare to experience it.
