londondance.com
- Sarah Golding, 13th October 09
Performance: 19 September 09
Touch Wood Programme 4
Temitope Ajose-Cutting, Mickael Marso Riviere, Gary Clarke, Rosalind Crisp, Kompany Malakhi
The Touch Wood programme on 19th September was introduced by Eddie Nixon - Director of Theatre and Artist Development at the Place, and also dance dramaturge Guy Cools. Guy gave us, the audience, a task to perform while watching the evening's collection of works-in-progress. When he was a dance critic Guy informed us that he used to write down notes and words that conveyed what he thought, saw and felt as he watched a piece of dance. We were all invited to do the same as we watched the performance. Brightly coloured pieces of paper were given for us to note down our thoughts, feelings, and observations, and from there we were encouraged to turn those words into maybe a poem, rap, lyrics, or prose. At the end of the show the creative texts were hung for all to see in the bar area.
In reality what mainly happened was that people wanted to chat to their friends in the interval and discuss what they had seen rather than develop a constructive and creative piece of prose. However, many sheets of paper were up (even if they were mainly random words and scribblings) by the end of the evening and it felt as though the thoughts, responses and imagery from the show were carried through from the auditorium into the foyer. I personally felt as though the task focused my mind and made me aware of details I may have missed if I'd been allowed to sit back and let the dances wash over me. One of the dancers commented that she was really aware of the audience's attention as if they were actively engaged and involved with the performance from the very beginning. Maybe the written task created a more energised connection between audience and performer...?
The evening opened with Temitope Ajose-Cutting's 'Seven Moments' , for me, a piece rich with imagery and ideas. As a starting point for a piece I felt that there was so many ideas explored in the piece that there would be room for the dance to expand to allow space to explore each theme in more depth. Having seen previous work from Ajose-Cutting I felt that her choreography has changed and matured as she looks deeper into the expressive possibilities of movement, letting go of the need to include 'dance steps' at all times. Dancers: Natalia Thorn & Temitope Ajose-Cutting.
'Eteint Pas' by Mickael Marso Riviere was an intense solo inspired by the idea of life after death and stories of out of body experiences. The piece clearly conveyed the theme. The piece opened with Riviere lying completely still for what felt like a minute or two. The calm and stillness that emanated from the stage at first had the same effect on the audience, but then, as the performer remained motionless the audience started to become slightly restless. An interesting exchange whereby someone at rest created a sense of unrest among the observers. There was nothing superfluous to this solo, every movement was there because it needed to be there. Performer: Mickael Marso Riviere.
Gary Clarke's '2 men and a Michael' was a humorous duet created over 5 days. As the programme notes stated, the duet "is a deadpan send-up of stand-up", which was, incidently, mostly done sitting down. A clever use of simple actions and gestures in tight unison, timed to perfection. Rhythm and repetition, along with deadpan facial expressions, made us laugh out loud. Performers: Kath Duggan & Ryen Perkins
Rosalind Crisp performed her solo 'reasons to be cheerful' just before the interval. A quirky, humorous, and uplifting solo, which appeared to either be improvised, or have come from an improvisation process. As the programme notes stated, "the work forms part of the research for Rosalind's next work" and I felt that we were allowed the opportunity to view the seed of an idea. It was as though we were watching Crisp's experimental process with words, ideas and movements. Although at times it was difficult to keep up with the flighty character on stage, it was fun, and funny, to watch her ponderings and exclamations. Performer: Rosalind Crisp
After the interval a change of focus as Kompany Malakhi's 'Rotations' combined B-Boyin' and contemporary dance with a rider on a BMX bike. This 4 minute duet took a moment or two to find its momentum, but once it got going there was a clear connection between rider, bike and dancer - the circular pathways of the BMX linking and interweaving with the shapes & spins of the dancer. There were a couple of hair-raising moments when the wheel of the bike swung over the dancer's head as he lay on the floor. All credit to Jake for not flinching, I certainly did. Performers: Josh Briars & Jake Nwogu.
londondance.com
- Libby Costello, 2nd October 09
Performance: 29 Sep 09
Wildly differing choreographers united to form the eighth programme of the Place's Touch Wood festival - the biennial season of works in progress, resulting in a truly eclectic evening. The choreographers brought a mixture of pre-research sketches, extracts from works in progress and early versions of set choreography, all eagerly seeking audience opinion and welcoming constructive feedback over interval drinks. Adding to this line-up were colour theorists, Helen Lindon and Damian Llambias, who were charged with documenting a ‘shadow of the evening’ by inviting the audience to mark the stage with a colour they felt represented the movement on that spot.
The first two offerings came from performance company Lapsus Corpi and choreographer Gabriel Reuter. Both must be commended on their courage to submit such raw, abstract work. Lapsus Corpi performed extracts from Showreel, a work in progress depicting fragmented filmatic moments in an apparently nonsensical order. This exploration of film and cinema culture, through small snippets of text, conjured whole movies, yet the game show style of delivery removed any form of narrative – a puzzling spectacle from Greek choreographer Efrosini Protopapa. Darting across the choreographic spectrum, Gabriel Reuter and her two fellow performers, brought the embryonic choreography tourist/de-centred play. Heavily rooted in the European tanztheatre tradition Reuter’s comic, undefined characters fell on to the stage, as if an alien lifeform and performed every movement they come across in their imaginary world. Some moments saw the dancers becoming mooing cows in a field, whilst others were too abstract to define – a similar experience to watching Art Attack’s Morph in triplicate on stage (complete with grunts and squeaks).
The second half of this programme was much more lyrical in style. Both Jose Vidal & Company and Ffin Dance’s work seemed further along the choreographic development process than other elements of Touch Wood . Loop by Jose Vidal & Company brought Brazilian poet, Alvaro Moreira’s words to life with a swirling mass of movement. Staged as a photo shoot the dancers began in costumes resembling Charles Dickens street urchins meet Gap! But as the choreography drew to a close, and the clothes were removed, a lingerie shoot bordered on risqué. Individual dancers could be detected but on the whole the group, rather than the individual, stood out. Many solos, duets and trios appeared in such close proximity that a sense of harmony was created within the group. The overall effect of this choreography was very sophisticated, showing how repetitive movement can be enhanced, distorted and appear new with the revealing of skin.
To draw the evening to a close Sheron Wray’s Google Women for Ffin Dance was beautifully crafted, as if meant for the wooden boards of the Touch Wood stage. The two female dancers delved into the Western perceptions of women, assisted by props and costume changes. Forming the back drop to Google Women were the gendered large wooden poles and circular bases, taking on sexual characteristics as they were manipulated through the space. High heeled shoes and boardroom jackets were donned for certain sections, creating an interplay between the woman as objects and as power. Luckily this highly political theme was displayed through flowing lines, caring partnering and an eloquent performance from Lisa Hood and Rebecca Evans.
With a programme widely varying in styles and concepts it really was a treat to see these works in progress – seeing the final versions is now a must.
londondance.com
- Libby Costello, 22nd September 09
Performance: 17 Sep 09
This season Touch Wood, the platform for dance artists to present works in progress, has given 40 leading artists the opportunity to exhibit their work on the bare wooden floor of the Robin Howard Dance Theatre.
All of the four works on offer on Thursday 17 September took full advantage of the opportunity to get feedback on their explorations so far, however h2dance’s experiment with space, audience and movement turned the concept of performance on its head. Victoria Fox, Lila Dance and Mayuri Boonham all kept to more traditional use of the stage, using the opportunity to explore movement ideas in front of an audience with interesting results.
Victoria Fox’s Fight or Flight, a duet for Tory East and Thom Rackett, was performed to a mixture of live cello music and recorded classical excerpts. Exploring the polarity between the fight and flight reactions, Fox gave us peaceful unison phrases, tender embraces, dominant male displays and protective passages. The latter half of the work played with touch, leading to East becoming airborne or being carried for most of the piece. The duet teeters on the edge of becoming a traditional male/female dance but this expressive choreographer certainly has the movement vocabulary to steer Fight or Flight away from any clichés.
Any personal reservations I had when seeing an unfinished solo on the programme were quickly dispelled by Lila Dance’s Here, Still Here, Still. This writhing solo, which mostly took place on the floor, displaced the dancers’ joints against the wood and like an upturned beetle Carrrie Whitaker’s limbs probed the air. The vocabulary for the main body of the solo was contemporary, yet at times fluid breakdancing moves such as the six step crept in. All in all it was a very watchable solo and one in which choreographer Abi Mortimer clearly choreographed to her dancers’ body.
The next choreographer, Mayuri Boonham, took bharatanatyam as the movement vocabulary for her yet to be titled work. Inspired by the structures and spirits of Indian temples, both theme and movement were closely linked. With such raw material, performed in silence, it was difficult to see where this choreographic journey will end.
h2dance took full advantage of the Touch Wood opportunity, removing all conventions of theatre and dance staging from the equation. Turning the bare wooden stage into a holding space for the audience they encircled, hunted, herded and divided the audience with the use of voice and movement. Billed as Choir Project the movement of the audience became the dance, with each performer directing the next step. It was one of those pieces I’d love to watch in a crowded shopping centre or taking over Trafalgar Square – but as a bewildered audience member the performance was a little too close for comfort!
Touch Wood continues at the Place until the 3rd October, each night bringing a new set of ‘works in progress to the stage.
londondance.com
- Lindsey Clarke, 12th September 07
Performance: 11 Sep - 6 Oct 07
11 September 2007
Ajose Cutting Dance, BASE; Colin Poole, Joyride; Jim-Yeob Cha, Untitled duet; Zoi Dimitriou, Dromoi; Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Prologue
Touch Wood is being publicised as a showcase of new ideas and choreography either in development or having its first public outing. The whole concept of “touch wood”, underpinned by the actual stripped back wood floor of the auditorium and the naked dancers exposing themselves to scrutiny in the posters, suggest a daring and experimental season of new work. Some of it bound to fail but others hoping to shine through the mixed programmes with energy, innovation and challenging statements.
Opening night saw an outstanding yet undoubtedly challenging new work from Colin Poole. The “first draft” of solo Joyride is a confrontationally naked and seriously questioning piece. From the outset, Poole stares insolently at the audience as he methodically strips. His naked form transforms with the music and light. He prowls on all fours, lithe as a tiger, using his discarded clothes as stepping stones, taking them in his growling mouth. Then he’s a man again, addressing the audience. Questioning the difference between him and us, the dividing line between us. Questioning if, in fact, there is no difference between us. Suggesting, ominously, he knows what we’re thinking and dreaming. And he probably does. Some of us are definitely thinking I wish he’d put some clothes on so I can relax. But Poole’s not interested in his audience relaxing. He turns into a swan, bourrees around the stage with flapping masculine wings but straying into parody, Trocadero style, and all the time mouthing sinisterly. The contrast between the beauty of his body and movement with the spiky vocal poking of the audience is unnerving, let alone his continuing nudity. From swan to Spartacus, Poole runs dialogue from the film and moves, repeating sequences to the famous lines about slavery, injustice, solidarity culminating in him knotting his clothes together and mounting a chair to wave them - to rally or surrender? We’ll have to wait for part two. This is a seriously thought through work in progress that makes a deep impression, even at this stage.
It was a shame that Probe had to pull out due to illness but in their place was substituted the briefest of duets from Jin-Yeob Cha taking the repetitive gestures of being so wet and frantic you want to fling the damp from your fingers and turning them into a rather mad but delightful squatting progress across the floor beneath an umbrella. This capsule of an idea stands out effectively in miniature. A lesson Ajose Cutting Dance could take note of. Their quirky, breath- initiated and responsive opening moments with vocalist and dancer in conversation was beautiful but soon was lost, mired in the overly long and increasingly derivative BASE.
Zoi Dimitriou set her scene walking backwards around the space, unfurling a microphone cord setting her own pace. “Dromoi” is the Greek word for roads and she tells a simple story of a man on an island forever walking its shore and looking for something. Her graceful but dark lit movements reflect the poignant tale but much of the latter text is lost competing with the effort of moving and speaking. Perhaps further iterations might trust the movement to speak for itself.
To end, a welcome shot of dynamism and pacy entertainment from Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and the 7 minute 'Prologue' to 2004’s Transtep. It’s a mini showcase of what the Company’s best at – particularly its women; precise, expressive, strong and athletic dance with original choreography born in the place where classical Indian dance meets contemporary. However, it is difficult to see what this piece is doing on a bill of emerging ideas and works in progress.
The ethos of Touch Wood is unpredictability where “each night comes together at the last moment” and it seems, in this respect, the season will not disappoint. However, mixed bills of such diversity with some pieces still in their embryonic conceptual stages up against more well established, or less daring and innovative works will doubtless be challenging for audiences.
Performance: 6 Oct - 11 Sep 07
*** 'How useful is Touch Wood? You can't see how much these choreographers are getting from the process. With unfinished material, what really comes across is the quality of the dancing. Requardt and Shechter come off best because they know how to get their dancers moving.'
Performance: 11 Sep - 6 Oct 07
‘But it was Colin Poole, tout nu, that got my vote. Very well, said his steady gaze, take a good long look. Am I not magnificent? Yet how little it takes for me to make you feel uneasy. And yes, watching a naked man play at being a tiger, swishing its rump, then a crocodile, then Anna Pavlova's dying swan, boureeing to Gladys Knight and the Pips, did indeed nudge me out of my comfort zone.’
Performance: 11 Sep - 6 Oct 07
*** ‘Touch Wood is a clever choice as the umbrella title for a new series of more than three dozen dance works-in-progress, while The Place has stripped back its stage floor to bare wood for the sake of authenticity and as a winking gesture of good luck and encouragement for those artists on tap.’
