No one should live on the island of Pandataria, nor should anyone blink at “Pandataria”, a major dramaturgy, theater and dance show, possibly one of the best of the latest editions of the Mérida festival, in which Cayetana Guillén Cuervo is superb.
Opposite Pandataria, today Ventotene, an islet to which those infected in the eyes of totalitarianism were sent, either in the Old Empire or in the days of Italian fascism, is “Pandataria”, a dance and theater show by Chevi Muraday that is a cry of love for others, a hymn to diversity and an ode to the embrace.
“You, yes you, what do you do to make this world a space of tolerance.” It is the question that is launched from “Pandataria”, an islet carved into a play to which those who do not agree with totalitarianism have been sent, but which turns out to be a land of freedoms.
Within the framework of a simple, but brilliant and sober set design, which bears the stamp of David Picazo, Okuda San Miguel and Muraday himself, appears Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, an exile in the eyes of the Empire, a plague-ridden by fascism criteria.
His interpretation is majestic, his silences taste like theater, his walk and his movements bear the stamp of whoever wants to say and establish his message. She is superb. She bears the stamp and footprints of her parents… and the public has appreciated it. Great, Cayetana!
The work is a cry for difference, to embrace others, to try to understand the reasons of others, and an invitation to the viewer to ask themselves “what can they do to understand the other and embrace their difference”.
“Pandataria” is a multidisciplinary journey from the Roman Empire to World War II, with a clear reference to Ursula Hirschmann, a Jewish activist who began her fight against fascism in Ventotene, known as “Pandataria” in antiquity.
There – tonight in Mérida – transgression is the “leitmotiv” of its citizens despite the fact that the rejected live there, those questioned by the system. “No one should be on this earth like a dog, no one should be in Pandetaria,” Cayetana shouts.
The work, demanding where there are rhythm, movement and sense of life, bears the stamp of Muraday, a dancer and choreographer who gives a master’s degree in discipline and good work with this show that does not allow the viewer to blink. If he does, something is lost. The show demands maximum attention and rewards those who, from their seats, are capable of moving their eyes in all directions, listening to each of the voices and enjoying the body language. The stage is a delivery room of different lives, of diverse loves and hugs to others.
With a plasticity that borders on unspoken language and music (Mariano Marín) attentive to each expression -reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s leisurely version-, the work envelops the viewer and points the way to the message of “Pandataria”.
“If I don’t have love, I’m nobody; we are nobody”, exclaims the island, affirms Pandataria, shouts Cayetana. Without theatre, dance and performing arts, there is no freedom, exclaims the culture. (Alberto Santacruz)