Quick quiz. What are the tango, the salsa, the samba and the rumba and where do they come from?
No marks for those who said they're fancy drinks and dips you find at parties.
Ole Ola
Lake Wanaka Centre
Friday, April 15
One mark for those who said dance styles from Latin America. And full marks for those who identified them as hailing from Argentina, Cuba, Brazil and Cuba.
Who knew? Not me, at least not until last night's whirlwind tour of Central and South America.
Fabio Robles and Ana Andre, who wowed audiences at the last Southern Lakes festival, have returned to Wanaka with their troupe to give us lessons in the geography and language of dance.
Ole Ola, written, choreographed and directed by Robles, is a sassy, feel-good, high-energy spectacular, highlighting music and dance styles around the region.
First stop is Cuba, where we learn to trust the rhythm to set our imagination free so we can create anything we want.
What we want is passion, and that's what we get from six sexy dancers, two excellent musicians, and the amazing Fabio and Ana.
Fast or slow, the couple reveal everything you need to know about Latin dance, with not just passion but precision and poise.
Second stop is Argentina, land of the tango and romance, rather conveniently set in a brothel.
The final destination is the colourful Carnivale in Brazil, where it is so warm the girls wear only feathers and tinsel.
Toned bodies, magic moves, plenty of good humour, and infectious music - bravo!
