The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

An influx of touring dance
performances has recently come to the Cairo Opera House, enlarging the pool of
attendees to include non-opera goers and fans of classics and musicals. The most recent of
these phenomena is Show Dance, an exciting two-act performance at the Opera House from Monday, January 3rd until Sunday, January 9th.

Show Dance is an
energetic, fast-paced dance performance choreographed by former French dance
champions Marc Barbieri and his wife Agnes Morin, who lead the dance troupe with
a charismatic stage presence.

Although Show Dance includes a number of former dance champions, the show itself
lacks an overall conceptual cohesion. The program includes songs by Michael
Jackson, Edit Piaf and Gotan Project as well as Celine Dion, Nina Simone and Tina
Turner, in addition to the soundtracks of Moulin
Rouge and the Matrix.

Highlights of the show include the couple
performance of ‘Your Song’ from the Moulin
Rouge soundtrack, which was delivered with figure skater grace and agility, and
the group jazz performance of ‘Sing, Sing, Sing,’ which was one of the few
times that both the theatre and dancers came to life.

Transitions between
performances were seamless and costume changes were intelligently worked into the
choreography at times. A projector screen acted as the set of the performance,
allowing for quick shifts of locale and atmospheres: whereas some of these
experiments enhanced the mood, others detracted from the dancers and their
performances.

While some of the musical
selections were adventurous, the quick transitions revealed the dancers’ varying
levels of mastery and the heavy reliance on Latin dance styles. Couple performances
allowed the dancers to display their skills more than group performances due to their
lack of synchronisation as a group.

Sound and light – essential
components in creating the spectacular in the world of music and dance – could
have been better utilised for this type of show. With few exceptions, the light
design was very basic and would have benefited from a more intricate approach.
All-around sound would have created an atmospheric mood and perhaps help the
audience move more in their seats.

Nonetheless, this is a performance worth checking out, even if only for the few memorable highlights.