Emergence is the postgraduate dance company headed by choreographer / director Joss Arnett, from Salford University. I have seen their performances a few times in the past, and so knew to expect dynamic, ultra-contemporary, urgent, and emotive dances, with their almost 'trademark' style of no set, creative lighting designs, and minimalist uniform costuming.
This evening we were presented with four pieces. The first, 'Dangerously Low On Chocolate' [choreographed by Gosia Mielech and the dancers] had a nice mix of solo and group work, and the opening of this piece used the "follow my leader" idea to great effect. There were moments of almost inertia or small mechanical and repetitive gestures which were pitted against a more frenetic and more powerful action; there was a little balacing and acrobatics too, which worked nicely. I have to admit though to not understanding the reason behind the dancers one by one adding a sticker / badge to their clothing - each one different {a strawberry, the Scottish flag, waves, Batman etc} - if this was supposed to affect the way they moved or behaved it was not noticeable.
After this came, 'Arrival' [choroegraphed by Kevin Finnan and the dancers].The piece, according to the programme notes, is 'a short exploration of the struggle we all have in trying to connect with each other'. This idea was taken up by the dancers quite obviously, as we clearly saw moments of anguish and struggle, mechanical movements which were disconnected, as two people started different movements and by the end of their section were dancing as one. There was urgency and terror with silent screams and red lighting, whilst simple, repetitive actions and exaggerated motifs brought conformism.
The final piece before the interval was 'Time's Cradle'. [choreographed by Vidya Patel and the dancers]. This had a very visually interesting opening, as the dancers were all in a single line facing the audience as we heard a ticking clock which morphed into a fast Indian piece of music using traditional Indian musical instruments and gobbledegook male vocals, which, when used with Patel's striking choreography worked excellently. However; the piece then diversified and changed tack completely, as the performance no longer became a 'dance' in the recognised sense of the word; but instead became more Meta and theatrical. The dancers were tasked in speaking lines (self-penned?) about climate change, our planet, and how we can help to save it, etc. These words, because they were spoken by dancers and unamplified, were often lost and not loud enough, but we followed the gist. Two of the ensemble were then given mics and a Q+A ensued again still on the same topic, as the rest of the ensemble made pedestrian movements behind, building in intensity. Despite my enjoying the opening to this piece, it was, for me at least, the weak link in an otherwise extremely strong chain.
After the interval, and the final piece of the evening, 'Wild Shadows' [choreographed by Joss Arnott and the dancers]. Again I quote from the programme notes, 'Cinematically and musically driven, this work demonstrates the strength of the individual and explores how the body defends itself by illuminating the darkness whilst conjuring the beast within to restore hope and resilience through unity'. And I have to admit that my first thought when reading this was "pretentious". However, after watching the dance unfold in front of me, those words became much clearer. The choreography here was exciting and thrilling. The work was seemingly in three sections, each section starting with a solo dancer who is then joined by a second, who is then followed by the rest of the company. Each time the mood is slightly different, but there is certainly a through-theme connecting the whole, and the unison and ensemble choreography was absolutely stunning, working with the music to create 'edge-of-your-seat' thrills. The back-lighting at times however (if I had to be pernickety) was a little distracting, only creating the perfect silhouette if seated in the absolute centre of the auditorium; but other than that, the company had certainly saved the best until last, as everything came together here, leaving us drained and completely sated by the tribal rhythms, the drum beats, the creative lighting, the physicality and synchronicity of the dancers.. a powerful, full throttle feast of the senses.
After the interval, and the final piece of the evening, 'Wild Shadows' [choreographed by Joss Arnott and the dancers]. Again I quote from the programme notes, 'Cinematically and musically driven, this work demonstrates the strength of the individual and explores how the body defends itself by illuminating the darkness whilst conjuring the beast within to restore hope and resilience through unity'. And I have to admit that my first thought when reading this was "pretentious". However, after watching the dance unfold in front of me, those words became much clearer. The choreography here was exciting and thrilling. The work was seemingly in three sections, each section starting with a solo dancer who is then joined by a second, who is then followed by the rest of the company. Each time the mood is slightly different, but there is certainly a through-theme connecting the whole, and the unison and ensemble choreography was absolutely stunning, working with the music to create 'edge-of-your-seat' thrills. The back-lighting at times however (if I had to be pernickety) was a little distracting, only creating the perfect silhouette if seated in the absolute centre of the auditorium; but other than that, the company had certainly saved the best until last, as everything came together here, leaving us drained and completely sated by the tribal rhythms, the drum beats, the creative lighting, the physicality and synchronicity of the dancers.. a powerful, full throttle feast of the senses.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26.5.22
on - 26.5.22
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