Melrose - As the first part of the Young Roots Performance Series, de Rumbo de Rumba was beyond the obvious from the very beginning.  Instead of the audience being let into the theater the old-fashioned way, we were led down a remote stairway and through several corridors that left a few of us feeling “this may be the end.”  Once we arrived at the area where we would turn in our tickets, we were told to remain quiet throughout the duration of the performance.  Yes, that meant absolutely NO cell phones were to be on.  And, since it was going to be a live recording, there was no photography permitted by the audience.  The area that we were led into for seating seemed very familiar and mostly black in color.  And, unbeknownst to most of the viewers, the actual star of the performance was wandering about as if she hadn’t decided where she should sit.  When the doors finally closed, there was absolute silence from the gathering.

Then, dressed in a red shirt, black pant and white, belted jacket, Noemi Segarra began to slowly walk around and observe her captive audience.  As she surveyed the room, she paused to look at each individual and seemingly smiled and laughed.  But, with each consecutive person tears began streaming down Segarra’s face and, what initially seemed to be smiles of laughter were actually tears of joy from seeing friends and family she hadn’t seen in a long time.  Once this passed, with a spotlight fixated on her, Segarra began walking the perimeter of the stage around the audience and into a jog.  As she removed her jacket, she began running steadily.  Then, she removed her fuschia t-shirt followed by her red tank top while she ran.  She paused only to remove her black pants and later her shoes until she was barefoot running at a steady pace in only a black bra and panties.  You could hear her rhythmic motion as the crowd remained still.  With only the light from a five-foot fixture at the center of the stage, the egg timer she was using sounded off and triggered Segarra throwing herself into the golden mat on the floor, leaping tiredly into it.  The sound of her breathing grew as she continuously attempted landing on the 24" x 60" mat covered in a gold striped sheet.  Although she grew weaker and weaker, she persisted.  With the next sound of the egg timer, Segarra could barely get up long enough to finally turn off the light in what seemed a drunken stupor while she panted.

In the next sequence, the pulsating rhythm of drums began thanks to the talented musician Henry Cole.  As his beats permeated through the space, a large curtain lifted and revealed our location to anyone who didn’t realize we were on the actual stage.  We were no longer the audience; we were participants.  Background music added, the drummer stood up and moved out into the stage utilizing a snare drum, drummer’s brush and chairs in order to accompany Segarra’s dance movements.  Her dancing slowly became much more intense.  As she danced faster, the drums followed with a fury.  Even the hand slapping on his Cole's knees and hand clapping were used to create simple and effective percussion before breaking into the drums again.  Seeming exhausted with the dance, she began pacing the interior and started running the perimeter of the stage around the audience once again with a spotlight following her until she moved inside the stage racing into a violent frenzy with a suffering look of tiredness and only the blue morning light stating “the night had ended, but the dawn was being revealed.”  The sounds became more tribal until the lights dimmed and, hence, Segarra’s and Cole’s percussive claps to each other introduced the audience to “applause.”  And, well deserved it was.

A Q&A following the performance allowed the audience to get a handle on the process.  Segarra explained that her “quest—Rhumba—is how to make structure for improvisation from what she does.”  She stated that the “tool is a timer, the structure is a container.”  In this case, the container was the stage.  "It’s totally about reacting to who you see, hear, feel based on the tools you have," said Segarra.  "The more tools you have, the more you react.  The more tools you have, the wider the range of expression.  African sensibilities.  Improvisation?  I don’t know what I’m doing; I’m going to BE it.  For three minutes, I seek eye contact; three minutes for how to deal; and three minutes for dealing with it.  Sometimes it feels like we’re dancing more freedom when dancing on stage."  While she dances, she tries “not to look at it like a story."  Instead, she tries "to look at it like an experience."  Said Segarra, "The ‘throwing’ has a meaning to me but I want you to have your own experience.”

The lighting designer Dave Overcamp explained, “I took out all the party colors and some range of sunlight, nighttime or sky, because it's such an abstract space we’re creating.  I’ve worked a week with Henry and ten years with Noemi.  Each night was different with the expansiveness of the theater.  She picks the movement with the most drama to the tension of the inventions of theater and found out how to dazzle.”

This collaboration created all the ease and tensions of a great novel leaving me wanting more at the end.  Although the doors opened to allow the audience to exit the stage, I remained seated as if someone would come along to hand me the invitation to a sequel.  Even though that never occurred, my level of anticipation for this event was completely fulfilled.  And that initial feeling some may have felt easily changed as we realized that this was just the beginning.

Information on de rumbo de rumba can be found HERE.  For more information on the Young Roots Performance Series click HERE.

By Xavier Figueroa

Editor, photographer, writer and founder of Bronx Art Guide

Xavier Figueroa's website