Dance review: Power and restraint in the 'Al mal tiempo buena cara'

“Al mal tiempo buena cara,” a dance performance by Spanish choreographer and dancer Teresa Nieto and her company held Nov. 20 at the RCBC Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, had none of the usual trappings that come with a dance production.

 

There were no elaborate costumes or sets, no fancy lighting design. There were no well-loved pop ditties, no dances to favorite songs—the music was unfamiliar, and more ambient than understandable.

 

Ultimately, there was only the dance—and perhaps that alone was enough to make the show mesmerizing. Of course, if the dance was dreamed up by Nieto, it is never only a dance. She is, after all, an award-winning contemporary dancer and choreographer, heralded as the best in her craft by many of her fans.

Together with fellow choreographer-dancers Sara Cano, Daniel Dona, and Ana Medina, Nieto offered a performance that veered toward the representational. Each narrative unfolded subtly and quietly through nuance and symbolism, veering away from caricature and obvious storytelling.

 

Nieto kicked off the performance herself, entering the dimly-lit stage slowly and rather quietly, with no fanfare, not even a simple countdown to herald her arrival such that when she came out with bare feet and down cast eyes, the audience was quite surprised to learn that the show had already begun. She then proceeded with a solo which compensated in emotion what it lacked in acrobatics.

 

As the show wore on, the dances became more and more compelling. Following Nieto's opening solo was a stylized interpretation of what appeared to be a lost love, with Medina dancing as a forlorn woman in a wedding dress, and Cano and Dona as lovers in a slow duet in the background.

The chemistry between the trio was palpable, and sustained all throughout the dances that followed, finally reaching a wonderful peak during a cheeky jazz routine about a man playing around with two different women.

 

Dona's strength anchored that particular piece while Cano and Medina's perfectly timed exits and entrances created a teasing composition and heightened the irony and humor that the number wished to convey.

 

The fast-paced exchanging of Cano and Medina was executed nicely, with bursting energy and boldness, as well as rather exaggerated expressions that may have been out of place with the other dance numbers, but worked for this piece. Ultimately, it was all quite dizzying but in the best possible way, and highly entertaining besides.

 

After the jazz routine, the show slowly wound down to its finale. A hopeful and innocent solo by Nieto ended on a rather sinister note as the veteran dancer gave way to Dona, who leapt, twirled, and flew across the stage before he was joined by Cano in a strong, swaying duet that made good use of the wide open space. 

 

Medina joined the dancers soon enough, and then Nieto again, signaling the beginning of the final dance, a play on light and shadows as each of the dancers bounded into the spotlight for their solos before retreating into the darkness to offer the stage to the next dancer.

 

The give-and-take and push-and-pull movements that their writhing bodies traced across the floor made for an irresistible and satisfying visual treat—a perfect culmination for the entire showcase if only because by the end of it, the audience—or at least this viewer—understood that dance is about the movement, really. Everything else is auxiliary. –KG, GMA News

 

“Al mal tiempo buena cara” is part of "En Danza," Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish Contemporary Dance and Flamenco Season.