Robert Tanitch reviews Torobaka at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London EC1
Akram Khan, the British-Bangladeshi choreographer, and Israel Galvan, the Spanish flamenco master, join forces to provide, in solos and duets, a fusion of Indian kathak and Spanish flamenco classic dancing.
Kathak and Flamenco have the same ancestral roots. Khan did not want to simply illustrate the connection. He wanted to break the mould and the tradition from within.
Galvan has described their show as a meeting between two 40-year-old dancers who want to enjoy dancing. Their footwork is prodigious.
Toro means bull. Baka means cow.
Torobaka is a master class by two physical masters, a friendly duel between two bullish and rhythmic virtuosos. The dialogue is entirely physical. Their feet speak volubly; and not only their feet, but also their hands and arms.
Galvan is all energy. His dazzlingly fast feet quickly put their rat-a-tat-tat stamp on the production. He has an extraordinary solo which is accompanied by the strangest vocal sounds
Khan, who is much more relaxed, has wittily said that the difference between them is: “My brain is wired to find balance in chaos. His brain is wired to mess all my balance up, to completely unbalance the piece.”
Torobaka goes on too long and would definitely benefit from some judicious cutting.
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