Last Friday we went to watch Voices of the Amazon and we enjoyed it a lot albeit a technical fault and about 20mins wait for it to be rectified. Apparently the lead singer's mic was not working , I was wondering why we barely can hear her voice though it was strong and powerful, I thought it was due to poor sound system (opps!). After they fixed the issue, instead of taking off from where they left off earlier, I was surprised that the team started the whole performance from the top! Ok, maybe I am being a noob here so maybe I am wrong but it is still a nice gesture, at least I can watch the story unfold (again) with a flow.
The first scene took us to the place in Amazon river where Beleza lives with her sister Flavia, as we frolicked with them in the water, we could feel the carefree and peaceful life they led. However, every thing changed when Flavia suddenly became ill and will die if Beleza did not find a cure for her, soon. So off she went into the unknown world - which is the world above; the land world, in search desperately for the cure to save her beloved sister.
Looking back at the synopsis, I was disappointed that the performance is no where near what it was stated, perhaps like the others said, some parts of the story were not explained or they were mentioned in an understatedly manner.
Regardless, if we throw the synopsis aside, it is a wonderful dance musical that will capture your emotions all the way. I actually teared when Beleza danced to show her angst and despair when she saw that her sister getting weaker and weaker as days goes by.
I have never been to Amazon, don't think I will ever have a chance in this life (lol) but I got a glimpse into this amazing place from documentaries and Disney animations. To me, Amazon is full of beautiful colorful animals and insects, mysterious tribes (carnivorous??) with danger lurking every where once darkness falls. With the absence of huge elaborate stage props and only relying to curtains, shadows, lighting together with the performers and their costumes, we were transported from the lively colorful, charming Amazon day to the deep dark Amazon night. Such great display of theatrical effect!
The dance score is a fusion of ballet (to which DinoBoy commented "wah! the toes not pain???"), contemporary dance and capoeira. While the ballet is graceful and contemporary dance is expressive, I especially love the capoeira part! The fighting scene between the 2 brothers the capoeira style was so full of force and fury that makes me think that they were actually exchanging fist and feet! And the head spin by one of the "monkey" is superb too!
Accompanying the dancers on stage is a 5 piece live band with piano, cello, percussion and violin, the mixture of these musical instruments brings out the high and low emotions of the story. Their presence did not interfere with the story nor the performance of the dancers. It was new to me to see the live band on stage instead of being tucked away in a corner of the theater. Love the percussion!
It was truly a wonderful experience for DinoBoy since this is the first time he watched modern, contemporary dance musical. In his own words "The performance is amazing and mysterious." YAY! I can have more choices the next time when I feel like going for a good musical show.
Want to know more about the show and see photos of the performance? Head over to their website here.
Want to know more about the show and see photos of the performance? Head over to their website here.
Disclaimer : We were invited to watch the Voices of the Amazon performance by BASE Entertainment Asia in exchange for this post. No other compensation were received. All photos in this post belong to Voices of the Amazon, you may not use it without permission. All opinions in this post are 100% ours and base on our experience with the performance.
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