By Diana P. Olano

Chola. Moreno. Gringa. Whether or not you speak Spanish, you’ve undoubtedly heard these terms while in Peru and have come to understand them. What color your skin is matters here, like it or not. It’s an underlying issue that people don’t really like to talk about but are all too aware exists. Anyone not wanting to live with the old, tired ideals that promote such a primitive attitude gladly welcomes anyone or anything who speaks out against it. “Mezcla”, the Teatro Japones’ current production, preaches such a message and does so with a spectacularly-entertaining show.

“Mezcla”, which translates into “mix”, is a dance production incorporating theater, multimedia and a wide-assortment of dance genres.  The show, directed by Vania Masias and produced by “Raquel en Llamas”, tells the story of Carolina (Karoliina Lahdenpera) and Juan (Eric Grijalva), a girl and guy from two different worlds who meet, fall in love, and expectedly, have to fight to stay together.

Carolina, a blonde, fair-skinned girl meets Juan, a cholito from Ventanilla. Years pass and their paths cross once more. This time, the young adults fall in love, but realize the difficult challenge that awaits them when their friends and families find out. The crew takes the audience though many elaborate and impressive dance numbers—choreographed by dancer and choreographer Luis Salgado, amongst others—that are used to represent distinctive classes in society. Carolina’s upper-class status is represented with jazz and neoclassical ballet pieces, while Juan’s “barrio” is represented by hip-hop and breakdance numbers.

The soundtrack to the show, provided by DJ Pedro, features clips from Broadway’s Sweet Charity, Moulin Rouge, and a few original tracks by DJ Pedro himself and Licky Morena who raps (narrates) “Mezcla”, a fitting way to tell Carolina and Juan’s story in this anything but traditional spectacular.

Two screens at each end of the stage display surrealist digital images of those performing on stage and Carolina’s dream sequences also feature the perfect use of “special effects” with dancers wearing Daft Punk-style costumes in one sequence and fire artists using flame-lit batons during the “dance of fire.”

The most compelling aspect of the show, however, has to be the climatic number which features a showdown between Carolina’s flamenco dancers and Juan’s Peruvian-zapateo comrades, each side representing traditional dances that are inherently a part of any Peruvian. Once the group has gone at it, their leaders step up. The face-off between the flamenco and Peruvian-zapateo solo dancers starts off tension-filled because as some would assume, how can the rougher zapateo compare to the elegant flamenco?

But that right there is the answer. They don’t have to be compared. Two dances representing different and at the same time, binded cultures, aren’t meant to be compared but appreciated for what each expresses. Those behind “Mezcla” not only do an extraordinary job in showcasing young Peruvian dance, theater and artistic talent through Broadway-style choreographed numbers, but they’re also using the show as an instrument to promote a message that desperately needs to be heard.

Sure, people might’ve not been holding hands in solidarity by the time the flamenco and zapateo dancers joined forces in the end to present a beautiful fusion of the two genres, but the roaring applause afterwards hopefully indicated that they’re ready for the change this new generation of Peruvians are bringing to the table.