FUERZA BRUTA Manila ♥alentine Premiere!

I must admit I didn’t know what to expect from Fuerza Bruta, a Buenos Aires original show, which literally means “Brute Force”. All I know is that it is 360-degree-immersive experience and not-your-usual-cliche-Broadway-show. And if you like Cirque de Soleil, you’ll probably like this too.

To best experience the show, it is better that you do not have any idea of the show.
(This post contains visual spoilers, so better stop reading this and just wait and watch it now! 🙂

But if you’re really insistent and want to know more, let me share with you the highlights of the Fuerza Bruta Manila experience:

The show runs from Monday to Saturday for 6 weeks, starting February 14, 2012 at the Manila Hotel Tent. The tent can accommodate 1,000 people and is located on the adjacent left side of the hotel.

Mondays to Saturdays –  8pm show

Fridays & Saturdays –  8pm and 11pm shows

(Tip: If you are coming from Makati, better leave before 6.30pm to be on time for the show.)

A ticket check with a security frisk greets you when you enter.

All you need is the ticket. Come in your comfortable chic attire (jeans are accepted).

(Tip: Cameras and video cameras are allowed, but no flash photography. The show will consume your camera’s battery and memory card, so bring extras of both.)

(Official Photo by Fuerza Bruta Manila)

The Fuerza Bruta Lounge welcomes you to a futuristic lounge full of visual texture, designed by UK-trained artist and architect Juan Carlo Calma.

P900 Entrance fee to the lounge is free for show ticket holders, inclusive of 2 complimentary drinks.

Get the Fuerza Bruta Vodka Cocktail drink, which is a mix of Antonov vodka, lime and chilled cranberry juice with triple sec.

I would also recommend the Look Up Vodka Cocktail drink, made of Antonov vodka, chilled pineapple, mango and orange juice. It’s served in a bigger glass for maximum vodka consumption before the show. 🙂

We entered the tent with excitement and anticipation — not knowing to expect.

We settled into a techno party dance hall where everyone is required to stand and take in the sights and sounds of the show. Yes, standing room only. 🙂

(Chairs are given to senior citizens, pregnant women, and others who would need assistance.)

The show started with a man running on a 6-foot-high treadmill.

There were no dialogues, just shooting, shouting and chanting. We had two theories on the plot of the show…

First, we thought the entire show is about the afterlife when the man was shot dead,…

…and  we also thought that the entire show is about having a bad or weird dream.

Then two women started tumbling, suspended in mid-air,  swaying sideways, back and forth.

They ran sideways with the occasional eerie shouts and chants.

One of my favorite visual spectacles was the sequence where the running man kept on bursting through a series of moving walls.

(Official Photo by Fuerza Bruta Manila)

It’s fun to watch this live. 🙂

Then, an elevated room platform lit up and the people started dancing and trashing the entire room.

The cast performed an intense dance with loud chants.

One of the cast members selected a volunteer from the audience and smashed a styro-paper-like panel on the volunteer’s head.

This is fun — go ahead, immerse yourself in the show and volunteer for this!

Here’s a more elaborate set-up for a group of volunteers getting smashed. 🙂

People raising their arms to touch the 20-foot flying Mylar curtain.

The BEST part of the show is the 45-foot clear-bottom tilting pool…

(Official Photo by Fuerza Bruta Manila)

…with Buenos Aires-born ladies having fun in the water as the audience watches like stalkers underneath.

Then the women started jumping high up in the air…

…landing hard and flat on the clear-bottom pool.  You’ll wonder if you’ll eventually get wet with all the splashing water and landing in that pool.

The real fun began when the entire pool was lowered to  arm’s length level and just continued to get even lower…

…to have an up close and personal encounter with the wet-look beauties, tempting you to touch them.

(Tip: Situate yourself in the middle of the crowd to have the best view and reach. 🙂 )

It’s like watching women in a giant fish bowl — they just  appear larger than usual.

(Official Photo by Fuerza Bruta Manila)

Yes, touching is allowed. 🙂

Then, four women volted-in and swam through the pool of water.

(Official Photo by Fuerza Bruta Manila)

And, finally, the pool lowers down for a final voyeur goodbye. 🙂

To close the show, the main characters burst through one final wall while swinging and suspended in mid-air. 🙂

It’s really an awesome show that you should not miss while they are performing here in Manila!

I’m now a fan of Diqui James, the Creator and Artistic Director of the show. 🙂

The 60-minute spectacle ended with a techno dance party with the DJ honking the horn and showering the dance crowd with water from the fire hose. 🙂

(Tip: Avoid the front part where the DJ is playing to avoid getting wet.)

The afterparty happened in the Fuerza Bruta Lounge, which is open until 3am (Monday to Thursday) and 5am (Friday to Saturday).

You can reserve a table, with costs ranging from from P6,000 (for a table for 4) to P20,000 (for a table for 16).

 
Overall, Fuerza Bruta is “Cirque de Soleil meets Jackass (the Movie) + a Techno Dance Party”.

No photos or videos can approximate the actual experience where you can touch, interact, and immerse yourself in the moment.  Highly recommended! 🙂 No alcohol needed to enjoy it (but it’s a plus). 🙂

FUERZA BRUTA MANILA
Official Website: www.hoopla.ph
Facebook: Fuerza Bruta
Twitter: @FuerzaBrutaMNL
Show Duration: February 14 until March 26, 2012
Show Time: Monday to Thursday – 8pm show, Friday to Saturday – 8pm and 11pm show
Ticket Prices: P2,500 (weekdays), P3,500 (weekends)
Telephone: +632 320-1111

Live an Awesome Life,

 
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Contact me: anton@diaz.ph 

Full Disclosure: We got complimentary tickets to watch the premiere night from the producers of Fuerza Bruta Manila.