A regular feature of The New Adelphi Theatre's calendar is the university students' dance presentation. The students are all studying dance at degree level, and this year, due to our current virus-infested climate, they have adapted their repertoire to be performed under new social distancing regulations and to be streamed online.
I therefore sat down on Friday evening in front of my computer in the comfort of my own home to watch these intrepid students romp around Peel Park getting increasingly more wet, cold and muddy.
The main item in this showcase was a piece of self-devised Dance-Theatre called, 'Take It Or Leave It'. Cutting between some rehearsal footage of them in the studio and the outdoor performance in Peel Park, the piece centred around the id. Using voice-over monologue for the most part, spoken by various members of the troupe in turn, we watched them use physical theatre, mime, movement and contemporary dance to ameliorate and compliment the narrative.
The problem arose mainly in the fact that their remit for the narrative was too large. Starting with a voieover about choices and asking us what choices we make in our lives is arresting and interesting, and follows on from the title of the show nicely. This was then complimented perfectly by a black female member of the company changing it to 'Take ME or leave ME': bringing in the two dimensions of contemporary "isms": race / colour and feminism / gender. This worked very well, and had the company continued with this thought process and developed it from there the piece would have been much more powerful and poignant. Sadly, what happened then was that most members of the troupe also had their soliloquies, talking about other issues which affected them, thus weakening the piece with every new idea brought to the table; crime, mental health, the environment, homelessness, cultures, foreigners, poverty, and finally coming round to COVID and the current lockdown situation and restrictions. The latter part of the production thus focussing entirely on the politics and wellbeing of our coronavirus life. There was enough material and thematic ideas presented within the piece to make several Wagner operas!
Kudos to the dancers though for getting down and dirty with nature in this piece, which at times was frenetic, chaotic and pained, whilst at others it became almost medititational, having resigned themselves to the situation and given up the fight. I think the message therefore was, which of these choices do you make? Stand up and be counted and fight for what is right, or just simply accept the situation and become a 'victim'?
An interesting but over-long piece choroegraphed by Keira Martin and Josh Hawkins.
Before this we were shown two much shorter and much more successful pieces. 'Here And There' was a contemporary dance piece which shows a group of dancers start in unison and slowly break off from the unison to do something a little - but not too much - different, before they all hug tress. A short evocation to nature and freedom. Choreographed by Lisa Cullen and danced by students in their first year of the BA Dance course.
The one thing here which could have been developed further was the costuming. It started with two distinct costume ideas.. some wearing red, with black and grey, and those wearing white, with black and grey. I expected this to matter and be made into a theme of the dance but as it turned out it was seemingly coincidental.
The second piece was 'Natural Right', and again, like the others was filmed with a little of the rehearsal footage in the studios and the majority outside in Peel Park. A collaboration between the MA Dance students and Debbie Milner, this piece was inspired by Pina Bauch's Nelken Line (however not being familiar with this work, I write that merely for interest as I cannot compare or comment in that regard).
The dancers were wearing bright Autumnal colours on a bright and sunny Autumn day, and yet there was a feeling of melancholy, sadness, loss, regret about the piece. Using some beautiful Baroque-style woodwind chamber music it was both stately and yet disjointed at one and the same time. Enjoyable.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14/11/20
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