Candoco Dance Company’s interpretation of Trisha Brown’s interpretive dance ‘Set & Reset/Reset’ has found its way to The Lowry in Salford, opening a double-billed evening of dance entertainment from two boundary-breaking New York based choreographers. This incredible company hold a 30 year legacy within the UK dance world. Alongside world class choreographers, disabled and non-disabled performers and company members, continue to push the boundaries of convention.
'Set & Reset/Reset' illustrates the strifes of difference and conforms of similarity, expressed through the performer’s ability to act as individuals, and again as a coherent set.
At this performance we were presented with a digital programme, which included a wealth of pre post-show content. This download included more information on the pieces, rehearsal photos and informative films, which allow the audience to learn in their chosen form and have a real insight into the work presented.
Following a pause, shrouded in darkness, the lights came up. Opening sequences were simple; establishing the various characters and the world they will act in. This piece works with the basis of 5 basic instructions: line up, play with visibility and invisibility, travel the edges of the space, an act of instinct, and keep it simple. What followed was a seamless sequence of miniature and varied performances exploring these key movement themes, which inferred themes of rejection and difference. Moments have you giving a double-take as new faces drift in and out, eventually culminating in multiple dancers creating complex forms against the front view of the audience.
The costuming and drapes from the simple set above - both created by visual artist Robert Rauschenberg - continued with the lightweight theme that I really felt from this piece. I left feeling uplifted and inspired by this incredibly diverse group of seven dancers.
With a swift change to a new set and lighting rig, the curtains opened. This was now 'Last Shelter'. The stage now wider than before, with the lights sitting much lower. All of a sudden the lights crashed down into darkness indicating act two was about to begin.
'Last Shelter' is a dance work that has been created by a choreographer called Jeanine Durning with Candoco’s dancers. It is a new piece, but it is based on an idea that Jeanine Durning has been working on since 2009. This idea is called nonstopping. The performers entered one by one, delivering various items of equipment and furniture to the stage. A microphone, half a microphone stand, a table, a rug and several chairs were delivered in total, and were moved around continuously throughout the piece. I really found it interesting how the choreography explored how moving each item makes the dancers move in a particular way, use different parts of their body and create different shapes.
The idea of nonstopping encouraged the dancers to follow actions such as ‘start before you’re ready’, ‘what you are doing is the thing’, ‘don’t search for it’, ‘listen to yourself and your music’ and lots more - all highlighted in the digital download I mentioned earlier. As I watched for these themes being followed and unravelling throughout, it was fascinating to see how the dancers interpreted and used them.
From the second half of this piece, microphones were used. The dancers started to explore nonstop speaking, which invoked the idea that although many of us have a voice, our abilities to convey out true wants and feelings are too often interrupted by the inconvenient nature of the human form.
The music in this piece is the only thing which is the same each time this piece is performed. Each show is a totally unique experience based on how the dancers have interpreted the pre-show instructions. The sound which accompanies isn’t a song or a melody, it is a collection of different sounds. Some sounds are recognisable as instruments, but others are more unusual, and at times there is total silence.
This really is an unforgettable double bill from a company that continues to expand perceptions of what dance can be. Don’t miss your chance to see these unique pieces of inspiring dance.
Reviewer - Nicky Jones
on - 10.5.22
No comments:
Post a Comment