Lamesha Ruddock
Puff performed by Hiltinho Fantástico is a revelation in motion, an exceptional solo dance performance that grips the audience from the very first moment.
Puff unfolds as an exploration of disguise as a survival strategy in dances of the African diaspora. It is virtuosic and deeply moving, a piece that required such control, such talent and such mastery of presence..
From the moment Hiltinho hops onto stage, bouncing and pulled by invisible entities dragging him into new realms, the performance takes flight. His precise footwork, unmatched confidence as he taps into Passinho, and boundless energy elevate him into double spins and leaps across the stage. He caresses his face and body with tenderness, feeling the music and taking care of himself.
In Portuguese, “puff” suggests disappearance, a sudden vanishing, and this work plays with that tension. What is concealed, what is revealed, and what slips beyond our grasp. Hiltinho channels movement from his Afro-Brazillian lineage including samba and capoeira working with illusionary effects that make the body appear both familiar and otherworldly.
Sound emanates directly from him. Hushes, foot-drumming, chest thuds, body cracks, thigh slaps, and the dripping of sweat become the score. The inhaling of his sweat across his arms, replenishing himself cyclically, becomes potent imagery of renewal. His journey to the floor varies from controlled descents to collapsing under the weight of himself, a dialogue between mastery and surrender. Almost biblical imagery swells as he flaunts around the stage, arms open until silver mercury pours from his mouth, streaking his torso and thighs like a purging. His energy crescendos, bouncing, catching, propelling until “puff”.
Lighting is used perfectly to illuminate the dancer. Side lighting highlights the intricacies of his muscular body, while a soft blue backlight reveals markings: a bronze sword etched down his spine and a bronze gash across his chest. Controlled body rolling, gliding, and crawling make the labour of the work visible. The choreography from Alice Ripoll is precise, sculpting every moment with clarity.
Hiltinho makes his body a site of memory and transcendence, reminding us how diaspora dance has had to conceal and transform to survive in plain sight.
You can catch Puff until Sunday 24th August at DB1 at Assembly @ Dance Base from 19:00 (45mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
