“Pobres Bestias” – A Contemprary Performance at the Arriaga Theatre for the Spanish students

On 7th May 2009, the Spanish students at the Instituto Hemingway went to see the show “Pobres Bestías” in the Arriaga Theatre in Bilbao. The contemporary dance is a production by Damián Muñoz y Virginia García, who not only worked as Co-directors, but also performed as dancers in the show. It was a combination of dance, music and video, which portrayed “the dark side of being human”.

It was the first night of the performance and therefore there were people filming the show. Fortunately there were not many people in the audience, and so we were able to sit in the stalls of the theatre and had an incredible view. The Arriaga Theatre was constructed in an Italian style and has a unique ambience, with great lighting. The wooden stage was large and enabled enough space for the musicians, the three dancers, and a screen that hung from the ceiling.

Since I´ve been here in Bilbao, I have seen a lot of plays and performances in the theatre that have affected me a great deal. The “Pobres Bestías” is a very modern piece and like many postmodern performances, it had its own way of interpreting and representing current issues. When a modern piece consists of dances, one must bear in mind that sometimes it is not the same kind of dance that we see in other performances. Therefore, it is very important to be open-minded and be prepared to be surprised