The transformative apocalypse of Sol Picó
She premieres her first show in the Sala Gran and closes a trilogy with a chapter full of strength, dedication and magnificent choreography
The Lamb and her army
- Written, directed and choreographed by: Sol Picó
- Performers: Ana F. Melero, Julia Kayser, Marta Santacatalina, Mireia Varón, Julia Estalella, Amanda Rubio, Sol Picó
- National Theatre - Main Hall
- March 13-15
Sol Picó closes a chapter with her first show in the Sala Gran of the Teatre Nacional. A show that is a farewell or, as she says, a transformation. And it arrives with a personal apocalypse full of strength, dedication, and magnificent choreography.
Farewell or transformation, The Lamb and her army It surely concludes a trilogy that foreshadowed from the beginning an inevitable shift in his artistic work. Titanas, the art of encounter (2022) showcased the work of three veteran choreographers (Sol Pico, Natsuki, and Charlotta Ofverholm) with extensive experience and long careers—or, in other words, dancers nearing the point where their bodies, to which they have dedicated their lives, demand transformation. This is also evident now, in this closing performance, when she suddenly stops an exuberant flamenco-infused solo and says, "That's enough." And leaves. Or when, seated on the inflatable plastic throne where she has been crowned queen, she takes off her ballet shoes and hangs them around her neck. She is honest with herself and with the audience. This doesn't prevent her from leading an original, surprising, and undeniably Fallas-themed show for over 75 minutes, a performance that is physically demanding. A powerful staging that, despite some issues with the transitions between scenes, successfully blends the choreography with Josep Tutusaus's sumptuous and varied musical score, encompassing everything from silence to symphony, and reaching moments of intense beauty.
A show that, under the idea of a sacrificial apocalypse, begins with her hanging in the middle of the stage like a dismembered lamb, being tossed about by six jovial dancers as if they were wild beasts. An army of amazons (the costumes by Patricia Albizu and Viviane Calvitti are magnificent) reproduces the characteristics of Picó's dance in sparkling group choreographies where pointe work reigns supreme. There is also a remembrance and a self-tribute with a large cactus that recalls that... Kiss my cactus With which, quite a few years ago, she burst onto the dance scene.
Farewell or transformation, Sol Picó still has much to say in dance.