Venezuela Viva

2009

Venezuela Viva tells some of the history of Venezuela through music and dance. It is beautiful to watch and the band is fantastic.
The show is well choreographed and the dancers execute it with flair and perfect timing. The majority of the routines are flamenco based, but there are also some salsa and belly dance routines and numbers inspired by African dance.
The all female cast play a number of different roles throughout the show, from historical figures such as Queen Isobel and Christopher Columbus to more interpretive pieces such as the ocean. The performance makes good use of multimedia, projecting photographs and videos onto a screen behind the dancers to set the scene or clarify roles.
The costumes are gorgeous, and there are many costume changes throughout the show to portray the various characters. It is spectacular to see so many dancers in costume moving in perfect harmony to a live band. At times, the costumes mirror the multimedia backdrop, for example dancers in beautiful blue and white flamenco dresses dance in front of a video of ocean waves. While this is impressive, similar themes are used a few times and it lessens the impact having seen the idea before.
This aside, the main criticism of the show is that – at 1 hour and 20 minutes – it feels slightly too long. It would perhaps benefit from cutting some scenes. Having said that, it is visually engaging and there is no doubting the skill of the dancers. Venezuela Viva is certainly an enjoyable way to learn a bit more about the country, and flamenco fans in particular would not want to miss this.

4/5