Review: Cuban Flow
Cuban Flow, presented by The Dance Pad’s Emma Dawson, managed to sell out at Gluttony at 11.15pm on the opening Saturday of the Fringe with the promise of exotic hot bodies, steamy Cuban dancing and some naughtiness thrown in. ★★★
But expectation did not quite meet reality in a show that struggled to find a clear identity.
The Cuban All Stars – Piter Pantoja Lopez, Cruz Vazquez Borges and his partner Emma Behan – combined with the Tropicana showgirls for a fast-paced mix of Cuban salsa and traditional dance, Brazilian samba, Reggaeton and contemporary dance.
The music – a pulsating, thumping combination of Latino, pop and R&B – kept the audience dancing in their seats and, later in the show, on stage.
The highlight was the sexy partner salsa between Pantjola Lopez and Dawson, which displayed the Cuban dancing skills and individual styles of these two dancers. It proved a crowd-pleaser.
The Tropicana showgirls in full flight with multiple costume changes were spectacular – gyrating and in-your-face entertaining, although more Brazilian that Cuban. Traditional Cuban dances provided a welcome change of pace.
However, the comedy segments seemed out of place. The “striptease” promised turned out to be an eyebrow-raising parody of a hen’s night with two unsuspecting audience members. The showgirls also had comedic interludes that included possible Russian accents, East End Cabaret-style.
It is a show that might appeal to Latino dance fans, or potential fans, but there are possibly better options in the price range.
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*** Three stars
Cuban Flow played at Gluttony on February 13 and 14. Their Fringe season has now finished.