Soy de Cuba @ Assembly Hall

Aside from food, what does the word 'salsa' bring to mind? Sexy hip-rolling movements, scantily clad women, and men dressed in colourful shirts and trousers: the kind of 'colourful' that seems fine at first, but slowly begins to blind you.

Indeed, this is what Soy de Cuba includes, and more. With live music composed and performed by Rembert Egües and his very capable band of merry musicians, Soy de Cuba brings exotic Cuba to the Edinburgh stage. The dancers ooze sensuality and, from the smile on their faces, clearly enjoy every minute of it. The rhythm brings them through ecstasy and despair, through joy and sadness, which almost turns this show into a musical. The choreography contains a great deal of the traditional salsa spectrum, such as saucy hip grinding, but is also peppered with less formal, more primitive African elements.

However, this show does not seem appropriate for this particular venue; not due to any errors in interpretation, but rather due to the way the venue is set up. Salsa speaks for itself, yet it seems awkward to observe it in an auditorium. It may have been more suitable, to bring it closer to the audience, if it were performed in a jazz bar/cabaret/bistro-type setting.

Admittedly, it is difficult for any salsa-related dance show to break out of the stereotypes planted in the European mind (think Dirty Dancing). Yet, I believe this show achieves this it, because it is fun, engaging, and very refreshing to watch.