#JeSuis is a piece of dance-theatre which has been created in order to make people aware that so many human atrocities happen throughout the world which are either scantily reported or don't even get reported at all. Human Rights campaigners are continually fighting the corner of people too scared to do it for themselves... those whose freedom of movement or expression has been politically or militarily negated - the silent ones who are in prison for their beliefs, forced to evacuate and are in refugee camps, or their basic right to love, marry or be who they are is at risk. The title of the piece is taken from the 2015 attacks on the Paris satirical newspaper office when the social media world came out in mass sympathy with #JeSuisCharlie. This show aims to 'hashtag' all those who have yet to be hashtagged - past present and future. Je suis is French and translated means 'I am'. It can however also be extended to mean 'I exist' or 'I matter'.
This was the starting point and criteria that the Aakash Odedra Company brought to the table when creating this piece. #JeSuis is visual, striking, provocative, poignant, and hugely emotive. I did think though that their concern for getting their message across over-egged their pudding at times. Powerful lighting, montages and images, combined with tribal rhythms and choreography that was both unified and disonant, telling different stories but always with one oppressor and many oppressed. The oppressor does finally meet his match at the end, which does kind of tie everything up in a neat bow somewhat, and although makes for a satisfactory end to the piece of theatre, doesn't leave you with a sense that these crimes are still being committed on a daily basis all over the world.
In the hour long piece, choreographed by the company's founder Aakash Odedra, we were taken on an emotional journey through not just dance but physical theatre, some small sections of speech and even a song. - hence my reluctance to say that this was contemporary dance; it was so much more than that, and so 'dance-theatre' is what came to mind. Some of the scenelets worked much better than others, but the one which saw one of the performers use the radio as a mask and re-create a speech from Adolf Hitler in the style of Charlie Chaplin's 'Great Dictator' was neither funny nor clever and simply jarred. Another scenelet which I found strange was one further on in the piece which was hugely reminiscent of 'Dangerous Jade' from Evita, but using music very similar to a section from 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. Again, very odd.
The gagging, suffocating and cellophane wrapping was excessive. Again a huge example of over-playing your hand, and being carried away with the enthusiasm of putting your message across. However here, as elsewhere, less would certainly have been more. More simplistic = more powerful.
An interesting piece superbly danced and realised. Their split-second movements and choreographed thoughts and purposes executed excellently. I am sad though that both the company felt the need to create this piece in the first place - the world should certainly be a better and safer place than it is; but also sad that rather than force-feeding us our emotional process, it would have been preferable to have been able to emote and sympathise in our own way. A very 'worthy' production with some very clever lighting effects and talented performers.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26/11/18
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