by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Last Saturday evening I had a wonderful experience at The Lazzara Performance Hall on the UNF campus, and this after-the-fact review is as much about that fantastic theatre space as it is about the performance. The show was Aeros, a marriage of gymnastics and dance in seventy minutes of pure visual delight. When I read it was to be performed by twenty members of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, I knew I had to see it.
My interest in gymnastics as a spectator sport began in l984 when I watched the television broadcast of a 14-year old Romanian girl named Nadia Comaneci perform seven perfect l0 scores in the Olympics. Last summer, I saw three Cirque Du Soleil shows in Las Vegas – KA, O, and Mystere – with gymnastics playing a big part in the spectacle. The young performers in Aeros were equally as spectacular, utilizing only their bodies, very creative music with a strong beat, and excellent lighting design and equipment. The program included nineteen selections running 3 to 5 minutes each, with such titles as Handstands, Stretch, Shaker, Duet, and Dresses. Despite the fast pace of the show, there were even costume changes, which were mainly colorful striped, skin-tight outfits to allow freedom of movement. Not a word was spoken, just music, dance and gymnastics created by five different choreographers.
The Lazzara Hall, with its 1300 seats, is a fabulous space for any performing arts, and as I looked over the list of the shows that have been performed there since it opened in 2003, I recalled many I had seen. I also kicked myself for some that I missed, like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Lily Tomlin and Othello. I will have to do better in the future.
If you have not been to the UNF Fine Arts Center, I guarantee you will love it. The lobby has large windows that allow you to see the campus. Every seat in the house is excellent and the acoustics are marvelous. The parking available in the evening is really close to the theatre. Get there early and you can take a short walk to a picturesque and peaceful lake.
Thanks, Aeros, for a great evening of unique theatre and inspiration, my mind is still flying high. Check out UNF at unf.edu/fineartscenter for a full schedule of events.
Check EU each week for future events, but here are a couple you theatre folks can pencil in.
On March 27, direct from London, HMS Pinafore and on April l William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
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