Ben Apfelbaum

MATADOR @ THE STUDIO

 

MATADOR  is a combination of burlesque and circus which has become popular in the last few years. It is often performed in Spiegeltents which give these type of performances an intimacy and vibrance that you cannot get in the larger venues where burlesque and circus used to inhabit.

Although it does not have the mirrors of a Spiegeltant the Studio at the Opera House has the intensity and rapport that these smaller venues capture.

Bass Fan, creator of this production, has produced a visual feast cleverly  interspersing the circus aerial acts with the hip thrusting of various members of the ensemble featuring fourteen dancers.

What I liked about the dancers was that they were of different body types, some full figured, some lithe, and of various heights.

MATADOR is a performance iwo parts, the first half stressed the  energetic, vigorous and athleticism of the dancers with the women of the group being lustfully thrust in the air and writing around the men’s bodies.

The second half became sexier and raunchier with stripteases of both male and female sexes but in the tradition of burlesque no-one went the full Monty.  

The pas de deux of the performers created a particularly carnal charge as  men danced with men, women danced with women and men danced with women locked in an erotic embrace. Some of  the dancing was particularly difficult as it had to be performed en pointe.

The aerial performances, also voluptuous in nature, with two performers ‘taking to the skies’, ramping up the degree of difficulty but also opening up the possibilities of a more balletic visual experience.  

I believe that a piece of the budget must have been eaten up with obtaining the rights to the music accompanying the dancers. Some of the music was so apt that you could clearly see the lyrics and rhythm due to the dazzling synchronicity of the performers and the music.

The lighting was masterfully used to enhance the sculptured texture of the beautiful bodies performing for us.

The performance accelerates with a non stop speed which is both exhilarating and highly satisfying.

This is an eye popping, sensual spectacle that should not be missed due to its uniqueness and vivacity.

MATADOR is playing till Saturday 29th June at the Studio, Sydney Opera House.

 

All images by Ben  Apfelbaum.

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.