PICASSO lovers & muses

Bolero Dance Theatre—Tom Hendry Warehouse

The intro music while waiting for the show to start sets the mood for a bit of history about the Spanish painter and six of his lovers/wives/muses. The show includes 12 dance routines accompanied by a live vocalist, accordion, and guitar player. The dancing is mostly Flamenco or Classical Spanish, with a couple Bolero style as well. The complicated rhythmic routines are accentuated by tap with some numbers using castanets or clapping to really add to the percussive beat.

There are a number of dances with the whole cast, as well as solo performances by each of the muses and Picasso. The many costumes are incredible, and often are used as part of the dance.

They tell some of the story of each of the women between the dancing, and don’t sugar-coat the troubling parts of the relationships and tragic ends of a few of the muses. I definitely recommend getting a program as it gives a little more background on each of the women and provides a list of the dances and music.

I was amazed at how much they packed into a one hour show, and the standing ovation they got was well deserved. It would be hard to leave the show without a smile on your face.

Murray Hunter