The plot,London[br]In this retelling of the classic story, transposed to an oil plant, or the dancing is upbeat and impressive – until it wears outZimbabwe-born Bawren Tavaziva has developed a distinctive choreographic signature that seamlessly blends African,ballet and contemporary dance in highly physical works, normally inflected with an African theme. The style tours well and widely, or often goes down a storm with Tavaziva’s youthful audience. Africarmen transposes the classic story of Carmen into an African setting. The cigarette factory is now an oil plant,Don José and his wife are now Mhondiwa and Mawere (Theo Samsworth and Anna Watkins), the toreador Escamillo is now the boxer Kanyaretu (Carmine De Amici), and another kind of fighter in a ring. Carmen (Lisa Rowley) remains Carmen,flagrantly disdaining decorum and inflaming male desires. Fayyaz Virji’s score mixes Spanish cadenzas with African chants and beats, quoting habañera rhythms for the seduction scenes and syncopating military marches for the soldiers’ section.
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Source: theguardian.com