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La Maquina del Tiempo by Merian Soto
by Grisel Estrada
I was instantly swept away by the movements of the dancers, the almost recognizable beats of Salsa and the simplicity of the props used on stage. "La Maquina del Tiempo" (The Time Machine), a piece that communicates Merian Soto's enthrallment with popular dance and music forms, reveals the historical and cultural connections between popular forms and later music and the art of improvisation. A theatrical framework and the emotions that you undergo create the unfolding "time machine" right before your eyes.
As I was sitting in Dance Theater Workshop on October 20th, a Wednesday night, the sound of the piano wafted in out of the dimness. All the while a figure was lying across a set of chairs, seemingly relaxed and at ease. All that adorned the stage was a set of chairs and carefully placed buckets into which drops of water fell. My knowledge of music older than me consists of next to none, but the way the piece was played assured me it had to be a classical number. Into the light came the first dancer, Pablo Amores, a strikingly handsome and well-defined artist, adding throughout the performance his energy and humorous movements that presented a joyous personality. Suddenly the classical piece became more melodic and spicy and the realization struck that the piece moved through a time warp and I was now listening to Salsa. The figure from the chairs, Marion Ramirez, a woman bursting with such radiance I could not help but watch her every move, twirled round and round in a clockwise direction. With the craze of the crescendo, she and Mr. Amores grabbed hold of the audience and created a dramatic scene. Noemi Segarra, the third dancer in this captivating trio, demanded just as much attention as her sister although she presented her sensuality in a much more commanding manner and I took her to be the serious one out of the three.
The show fell into three categories, first being improvisation, second taking on the theatre and the last giving a blurred interpretation of memory through the heart. The performance in its entirety may leave one a bit confused if they haven't had a taste of Merian before, but it gets the job done. The dancers were beautifully transfixing, the subtle stage decoration just right, and the performance one that creatively demonstrates that music is composed by taking and recycling that which is old and that which is new into that which is the artist.
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