Passionate loves, voracious lusts, nefarious jealousies, broken hearts, brutal longings, contempt, resentment, indifference…
With lyrics bordering on kitsch and stunningly beautiful melodic constructions, the raw romanticism of Ernesto Lecuona's (1895-1963) songs had captured the dancer's heart of choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras in the mid-1980s. Two decades later, in 2004, Grupo Corpo surrendered to the genius of the greatest icon of Cuban music of all time and decided to make an exception to the rule, established in 1992, of only working with soundtracks specially composed to stage the ballet that bears his name: Lecuona.
A dizzying 38-minute sequence of pas de deux and a unique group formation, created by Rodrigo Pederneiras based on twelve poignant love songs and a waltz by the celebrated composer of Siboney, lends Lecuona an absolutely singular character, distinct from the group's other creations. Overflowing with sensuality, the visual and scenic interpretation of Ernesto Lecuona's songs takes on its own distinct character with each pair of protagonists.
The lighting design created by Paulo Pederneiras in partnership with Fernando Velloso defines the stage space using monochromatic luminous cubes that move within the black box according to the rhythm of the romantic couple's dance.
Dominating, the young men enter the scene in patent leather dress shoes, wearing shirts, t-shirts or tank tops and high-waisted trousers in different shades of black. In flowing dresses with slits and varying necklines, the fiery ladies of Lecuona climb onto the stage in heels of 4.5 to 9 cm and are adorned, from head to toe, in a single color, invariably a warm tone, which dialogues with the chosen light hue to accompany the couple.
In the just over two minutes of the final waltz, a gigantic cube of mirrors is placed on the stage, and inside it, six pairs of dancers (the women now wearing long, flowing white dresses) multiply in the play of mirrors, transforming the closing number into a grand and luminous ball of times that will never return.
