Energy, rhythm and intensity of Mayumana

DANCE: MAYUMANA

REVIEWED BY SAMANTHA MIMERAN

WITH electrifying intensity and boundless energy, Mayumana opened at the State Theatre at the Victorian Arts Centre on Wednesday July 22.

This eclectic Tel Aviv-based entertainment spectacular has toured all over the world, and now, after a decade of performing to more than four million people, it has finally made it to Australian shores.

Surprisingly humorous, the extravaganza showcases 10 performers from different backgrounds, who all hit, smacked and slapped their various body parts in exhilarating unison.

These hardworking performers, led by co-creators and co-directors Eylon Nuphar and Boaz Berman, drum, dance and flip around for about 90 minutes. This troupe can find a primal beat in just about everything, from a wheelie bin, an oil drum and a tin jerry can, to street barricades, pipes of all lengths and even their own bodies.

The rhythmic experience is interspersed with clown-like comic routines with little, if no words, for easy cultural translation.

At one point, they toss around glow-in-the-dark balls, at another they clap a symphony of rhythm and dance with illuminated flippers and fins.

The random sketches are interspersed with a variety of music, including rock, hip hop and dance, and performances include a flamenco routine by Spanish-born Rosa Belen Roldan, an evocative belly dance, inspired and fast-paced drumming by Israeli-born Ido Stadler and the extraordinary violinist, Tanya Vinokur. Mayumana is certainly a unique theatrical experience.

A derivative of the Hebrew word “meyumanut” or “skill”, Mayumana is a difficult show to define. Think Stomp, The Three Stooges and just a hint of Broadway choreography thrown in for good measure.

The creators’ focus was to showcase the individual talents of the multicultural cast members, and in this they succeeded remarkably.

Powerful and compelling, Mayumana delighted the audience and generated more than one laugh-out-loud moment. The intense, rhythmical beating of this fast-paced performance riveted audience members from start to finish.

While struggling to find anything specifically Israeli in the show, taken as a whole it was without any doubt (or apology) Israeli. The energy exuding from the dancers and performers was a true reflection of the city from which the troupe hails.

Mayumana uses Tel Aviv’s melting pot of cultures to fuse dance, rhythm, music and humour in an energy-filled performance. The finale is the perfect example of this vibrancy and colour -— a true reflection of the multicultural and international talents of the show’s performers.

With TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance becoming worldwide phenomena, everyone is a critic, and judging from the deafening applause and part-standing ovation at the Arts Centre, the Melbourne audience gave this troupe full marks.