MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Subtle subversion
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees a nuanced reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast as a feminist fable
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TORO: Beauty and the Bull
Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds/Touring
THE DENADA dance theatre company is an international group of dancers, most of whom are of Hispanic or Latino descent and their mission is to promote cultural, gender and sexual equality and diversity through a unique mix of contemporary dance, classical ballet, flamenco and Latino dance.
Thus it proves in TORO: Beauty and the Bull. Feminist re-readings of fairytales are now well established, but the company pushes the boundaries further by transforming the fairytale Beauty And The Beast into a a dystopian moral narrative for other oppressed groups.
It opens in a prostitute’s parlour, with four men fighting for the attentions of The Girl (Emma Walker). Indifferent to how they use her body, they pull her across the stage and hump her as she lies inert, making bored seductive gestures to the Latino music.
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