For a few minutes, I saw myself in the mythical Greek heaven of Olympus. Beautiful water nymphs were playfully swimming above me, smiling and teasing my senses…except that this was not in Olympus. This was at the open fields of SMU green on 1st September where thousands have gathered to witness one of the most spectacular and highly anticipated performances in SIngapore in 2012.
I was among the lucky hundred who were standing at the enviable spot where the transparent 15 metre platform pool was suspended right above us that evening. The four dark, long-haired female performers slapped their bodies down against the plastic platform, sliding, slithering and slushing through the water with every movement executed in sync with the changing moods of the music and coloured lights. Their bodily reaction to the occasional sideway-tipping of the platform involved playful manoeuvres across the floor, creating flowering ripples of water which bend the coloured lights. Throughout the performance, the platform descended twice, inviting curious fingers to touch its pliable underside.
From left: Corredoras and Running Man
Mylar, which is the name of this fantasy-like aerial performance, is one of Fuerza Bruta’s most popular and beautifully-crafted arts performance that explore beyond the boundaries of human imagination and fun.
Born in late 2003 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fuerza Bruta’s very existence is credited to artistic director, Diqui James’ decision to split with a successful theatre company called De La Grande, thanks to friction in ideas and working ethos. Bringing more than a decade’s worth of experience with touring with De La Grande, Fuerzabruta was given a huge boost from its beginning, which already had many former De La Grande members under its wings.
The newly-formed theatre company brought in a fresh concept to theatre experience away from conventional approach – no seats, no stage, no words – all performances were to happen in the public area where the performers, audience and scenography get to fully interact with each other free of limits through music and bodies in action. As for its cast, people from diverse disciplines such as dance, acrobats and theatre were hired to add richness and ideas to the performances. Each performer is given various training routines like dance, Kung Fu and yoga, along with a 45-minute warming up before and after the show.
Fast forward to the present, Fuerza Bruta has travelled and enjoyed success in more than 30 cities in over 18 countries. Many of their acts are drawn from real life experiences and human emotions, with their top three acts having garnered much appraisal to date: Mylar, as mentioned earlier, Running Man and Corredoras.
Running Man borders along the seams of humour and everyday life’s cycle of defeat and victory through obstacles, and is characterised by a man in suit running non-stop on a speeding treadmill who desperately tries to fend off doors and chairs that flung towards him while he struggles to stay on the treadmill. Corredoras on the other hand, shows two women suspended in the air, scampering and running across a huge silver curtain from one end to another. This abstract act resembles a painting coming to life such as two women fly-walking on the brilliant flowing sea or racing across the starry Milky Way, whatever you imagine it to be.
For first time visitors, they will find themselves as part of a non-static performance relieved from the maze of intellectualism, where emotions and personal interpretations can roam free. In short, original, unadulterated and creative entertainment. “Making joy and poetry our motives to make existence gain sense” is what Fuerza Bruta’s acts aim to deliver, so keep your fingers crossed, as more tours to Asia are already on their placards.
You can find out more about Fuerza Bruta at http://fuerzabruta.net/
This article was published on Vida De Latinos’ online magazine, December 2012.
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