On a wet January night, I was well up for going to Fuerza Bruta, since I’d heard it was a funky energetic way of keeping warm. Whatever expectations you have, however, are likely to fall short of the spectacle. Suspense, anticipation, tension is high as the audience creeps into the mysterious cavern of the Round House. To give away the secrets of this explosion of creative energy spoils the whole raison d’etre. Part of the fun is the ever present ominous feeling you are going to get wet or showered with soot, or worse. YOu don't know when, or how , but your body is already tingling with anticipating.
So I hope it’s enough to say that there is mega noise, surprises galore, and loads of lithe youngsters doing amazing things with their bodies - high speed high altitude somersaulting, careering up, down and through walls at a frantic pace – not in the awesome disciplined way of circus performers but as if standing horizontally a perfectly normal thing to do. Add imaginative and huge special effects, explosions of paper and sparkles, surreal angled light displays, wind tunnels, huge balloons, fish bowls, plastic igloos and a couple of spectacular set pieces, and you’ve got a roistering good fun night out.
I was surprised to see, though, that not everyone seemed to enjoy this good time in the same way. It is if people get out of it what they bring in. You come for a larf, you get it. You’re a bit nervous, you get shocks. The more exuberant party animals really go for it, as if they were at a rave, and actively join in the performance. The only downside for them is that they’re actually not in the cast. Others, though, seem almost awe-struck; standing and gazing, seeming to expect the worst, and are ready for it. Still others are glued to their mobile phones, enjoying the show almost vicariously, voyeuristically, capturing every image to simultaneously send to friends, or to relive later by re-editing. They seem to forget the fun is right there in situ. Anyway, each to his own, eh?
No surprise that Fuerza Bruta were invited back to the Round House, and the venue is perfect for them. Many years ago, their Argentine predecessors, De La Guarda, had already found it ideal for their novel high-energy high-tech stunts, using the creative space, the light and shadow and the nooks and crannies. The concept is no longer so novel but Fuerza Bruta have developed and enhanced it.
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