In Aztec culture, the dead who were called by Tlaloc - the god of rain, water and fertility - got to revel in the joys of Tlacopan, the exquisite tropical garden that this act revels in. In a dreamlike setting that recalls experiments with peyote (a plant with hallucinogenic properties), acrobats climb up and down vertical poles and criss-cross in the air while leaping from one pole to the other.

The second half of LUZIA opens with the Pole Dance, an amalgamation between traditional Chinese Poles and Pole Dancing. Pole Dancing is a form of performing art, historically associated with strip clubs and night clubs, which combines dance and acrobatics centered on a vertical burlesque pole; however, since the mid 2000’s it has also been promoted as a non-sexual form of performance art. Since proper pole dancing involves athletic moves such as climbs, spins, and body inversions using the limbs to grip, upper body and core strength, flexibility, and endurance are required to attain proficiency, and rigorous training is necessary. It’s even being promoted as a healthy form of exercise!

Although I feel as a performance piece the pole dance needs a little more gestation (not gesticulating), paring it up with a Chinese Pole routine made the combination a little more bearable. Not that I dislike girls on dancing poles, but, without a genuine routine there’s little need for the display. And if you’re not sure which song this particular act is presented by – since it’s probably one of the most different than those represented on the soundtrack - all you have to do is listen to the band... they’ll tell you! During the song they’ll say “los mos qui tos” in one of the weirdest “what were they thinking? ” moments from the show. (In retrospect, though, I kind of miss not hearing it on the soundtrack! How is that for irony?)