I first met choreographer Omar Román de Jesus when he was dancing with Parsons Dance. Having recently formed his own Company, Boca Tuya, Omar brought his dancers together during the pandemic to create a filmed dancework entitled Los Perros del Barrio Colosal ("The Wondrous Neighborhood Dogs"). He sent me a copy and asked for my thoughts on the piece; I loved it from start to finish, and decided to write about it.
First off, the setting is incredible: in a Civil War-era warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn, videographer Drew L. Brown has made wonderful use of the space and light. The dancers - Rachel Secrest, Rafael Cañals, Carlos A. Sánchez Falú, Ian Spring (also formerly of Parsons Dance), Christian Warner, and Spencer Weidie - are all casually dressed in trousers, tee-shirts, and sport-coats.
The work is in two parts, the first set to an infectious score (it made me want to dance!) by the Colombian composer Lucho Bermúdez, and the second set to Franz Liszt's immortal 'Liebestraume'. In the first, the mood-swings and emotional outbursts that are iconic elements in Spanish-language soap operas are woven into the physically demanding choreography. Brief solos are worked in amidst the group dances, and there's some growling and snarling from these dawgs when things get competitive. The pace becomes frenetic, and then silence falls.
The transition from Bermúdez to Liszt is perfectly managed; twilight seems to settle over the space. There is a really moving group adagio with the dancers huddled and entwined. A unexpected outburst of violence, people get machine-gunned. After clasping hands in a gentle tug of war, the dancers end up each alone in a state of pensiveness. Then as a collective they rush about the space as if pursued.
In the end, Carlos A. Sánchez Falú is left alone. He sinks to the floor and lowers his mask, emitting a forlorn howl.
~ Oberon