So, last night was my third in a row of contemporary dance - part of Resolution, an annual showcase of new contemporary dance at The Place. I left a bit earlier than before, not having time to eat because a potential new flatmate was viewing. So I arrived in plenty of time - and there didn't seem to be such a queue last night, although the theatre did eventually fill up. At least this time they had two people working in the box office.
I caught sight of a programme, unattended on a coffee table, and brought it in with me. This is how I got talking to the guy in the seat beside me for the show, who hadn't managed to find one. It was nice to have someone with me to discuss the show with, for a change.
The first piece was strangely named Potatoes & Sauce. And the programme, as I remarked to my companion, was unhelpful in explaining either the name or the performance to come. It mentioned dream sequences, and circus. Well, it did make some sense in retrospect, although it took me the interval to ponder it, and when my companion asked me after the interval what I'd thought of it, I remarked, "Well, that was weird, wasn't it?!" And he agreed.
It didn't help that the start was delayed. I think they had a problem dimming the lights, and certainly I think they should have had the announcement beforehand, rather than just before the first interval - as with the previous nights. The lone dancer stood side-on to us, in the shadows, for what must have been 15 minutes before anything happened. Then, in near-darkness, she walked slowly along what turned out to be a sticky strip on the floor, so you could hear her feet as they came in contact with it and peeled off again. And she moved around on her hands and knees on the strip. Then some more lights came on, and we could see what looked like fibreoptic cables hanging from the ceiling. And she started to do acrobatics with them, wrapping them around herself, twisting, dropping. Hence the "circus" mentioned in the programme.
So far, so weird. But as I remarked after the interval, you could see how it kind of related to dreams - the idea of stickiness, of not being able to progress quickly - and the idea of being wrapped up in a web. And my companion remarked how nice it was to see dance go vertical.
The second piece, Triptych, was visually very striking. Again, my companion asked me for my take on it after the interval - said he had liked it very much but didn't know why. It consisted of three girls, similarly dressed in pale shift dresses, paint-spattered on the front. For some moves, they moved in unison - for others, they all adopted separate poses. What occurred to me was that, when they moved in unison, they reminded me of classical Greek statues: when they moved separately, they adopted poses that reminded me of hieroglyphs. He remarked that the paint spatters on their dresses might have been a reference to art.
And finally, we found ourselves in the third performance. Called "I'm Sorry You're Leaving", it included a chair, near the front of the stage, with a balloon tied to it that said exactly that. It comprised four middle-aged performers, three ladies and a gentleman, and what followed was the most thoroughly surreal experience yet. One of the ladies came on, turned on a ghettoblaster and put on a cd of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" by ABBA. She took off her tracksuit to reveal a spangly vest top and hotpants. Then she did stretching exercises on the floor while the others came in, one by one, and took off their shoes.
It was more performance art than contemporary dance, I felt. And it was fantastic! Consistently surprising - and, as my companion exclaimed, so original! They were generally to be found at different parts of the stage, doing different things. A couple of them took turns at a microphone, turned away from us, rather tunelessly singing. Sometimes they interacted with the audience - talking to us, asking us questions, climbing the side stairs, handing out things. Frequently, they told snippets of what sounded like real-life stories - maybe their own, possibly not.
It was all the most anarchic fun, and the first piece I've seen get a standing ovation. Definitely wins the audience popularity award. The company name is .2Dot; keep an eye out. The performance was a bit longer than the norm, so late home and no blogging.
Sadly, I won't be going to anything I've booked for the next few days - I've had a bereavement in the family and I'm flying home this evening until Wednesday. I'll consider what I might do on Thursday when I get a chance. At least my ticket for Old Rope on Monday won't be wasted - Laura, from work, is using it: just has to pretend to be me!
Showing posts with label Resolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resolution. Show all posts
Friday, 20 February 2015
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Dance: Resolution (Between, Major Changes, A Chair is a Piece of Furniture)
Despite my flatmate leaving the country yesterday without a by or leave, and without having paid a single bill since she arrived, I composed myself sufficiently yesterday evening to get out the door a whole five minutes earlier than last time. Ah, what a difference five minutes makes! The upshot was, I arrived 10 minutes earlier, ergo on time.
So last night was the second of four consecutive nights of contemporary dance I'm attending, at The Place, as part of the annual Resolution showcase of new contemporary dance. And last night, I managed to get out the door at 7.15. The Tube times were different from the night before, and I still had to change at Earl's Court, but I only had to wait two minutes for the first train, and a train into town pulled into Earl's Court simultaneously with us. And then we had to wait while the doors closed and opened fully five times. Obviously, someone was blocking them somewhere. Finally, the driver announced that the problem was at the rear of the train, and asked someone there to please give the doors a kick. They closed after that, and he announced, in a relieved manner, that we were underway!
I did have to stand from Earl's Court, but never mind. I arrived at Euston with 10 minutes to spare. After the previous night's experience of crossing a busy road with no crossing, I decided to cross at the first crossroads instead, where there is a crossing. No crossing on the road where The Place is, but it's a strangely quiet road in comparison, anyway. And as I say, I was on time last night - on time to join a long, long queue at the box office, and muse that they obviously aren't used to crowds here. Some were buying, most were collecting. But they weren't letting people in yet, judging by the crowd of people gathered in the teeny bar at the theatre entrance. So I didn't worry - I just about had my ticket by the time the doors opened.
This time, I was a few rows back - but the view is fine from all seats. Then I realised I hadn't come across any of the free programmes. Well, a couple of people near me had them, and I managed to read enough over their shoulders to ascertain that the first dance, Between, had as its theme the difference between Europe and North Africa, between urban and rural.. I might as well not have bothered, the entire piece consisted of a couple of dancers swinging their arms around in grand, sweeping gestures. Put me in mind of fishermen, or something. Probably was what was intended. But I was glad when the first interval came.
With no programme to read at the interval, I grabbed a sofa corner and read the paper I'd picked up en route. When we were finally let back in, I got a programme from the usher, and was able to read that the second piece, Major Changes, had classical music as its theme, and the Clair de Lune as its soundtrack. Lovely! Certainly, this was the highlight of the night for me. Two girls represented, I think, two hands, each initially in her own rectangle of white light on the black stage - representing black and white piano keys, methinks. Having learned to move in synchrony, they proceeded to dance in time to the Clair de Lune, as though playing it. Really, it was a clever piece, and lovely to watch.
During the second interval, I got a seat on a sofa near the bar, and mused that most of each night is being spent in an overcrowded and overheated bar, rather than watching the performances. At last, we were let in again, for A Chair is a Piece of Furniture. Naturally enough, there were chairs on stage, each with a dancer behind it - making this the only piece of the night with props. So, when we were finally seated, one of them proceeded to announce that "A chair is a piece of furniture.." and then continued to the dictionary definition of a chair. While she, and others behind her, involved themselves in practices for which the poor chairs were never intended. You could hear the cracks throughout the theatre. Pillows and a rubber mat were also involved, and eventually, they released a whole heap of squares of coloured paper, kind of like confetti but bigger, from the ceiling. They waited until it was all piled on the floor, and delighted in rolling around in it, pushing props around in it, generally making a mess. I was glad I wasn't in the front row, to get in the way.
Two nights down, two to go. It's nice to have some consistency, actually. And with all this variety, finding something you like is pretty guaranteed. Recommended, if you have any tolerance for contemporary dance - some don't. Discounts for booking three or four shows.
On Saturday, I'm crying off the last night of Resolution, and heading to the Boat Show. Which isn't a show of boats, it's a show on a boat! A weekly comedy show, in fact. Mind you, I had the devil of a time getting a ticket - the official website is sold out for that night, and had directed me on Tuesday to LastMinute.com. Which was sold out for that show as of yesterday - but I didn't notice, and ended up accidentally booking a ticket for the Saturday after, when I'm in Ireland. Anyway, I contacted them about cancelling, and meantime managed to get a ticket for next Saturday from WeGotTickets. Now LastMinute have contacted me to say they've contacted the venue and are waiting to hear back, and what alternative date do I want? I've reiterated that I want to cancel, but plan B is to change for the 11th April - the next date when there's a decent lineup and I can go!
On Sunday, I'm taking a break from comedy - I'm going to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where the Philharmonia is performing. I'm in the rear stalls, as usual. And on Monday, it's back to Old Rope. Booked, 'cause it's cheaper. Ah, there's that consistency again!
So last night was the second of four consecutive nights of contemporary dance I'm attending, at The Place, as part of the annual Resolution showcase of new contemporary dance. And last night, I managed to get out the door at 7.15. The Tube times were different from the night before, and I still had to change at Earl's Court, but I only had to wait two minutes for the first train, and a train into town pulled into Earl's Court simultaneously with us. And then we had to wait while the doors closed and opened fully five times. Obviously, someone was blocking them somewhere. Finally, the driver announced that the problem was at the rear of the train, and asked someone there to please give the doors a kick. They closed after that, and he announced, in a relieved manner, that we were underway!
I did have to stand from Earl's Court, but never mind. I arrived at Euston with 10 minutes to spare. After the previous night's experience of crossing a busy road with no crossing, I decided to cross at the first crossroads instead, where there is a crossing. No crossing on the road where The Place is, but it's a strangely quiet road in comparison, anyway. And as I say, I was on time last night - on time to join a long, long queue at the box office, and muse that they obviously aren't used to crowds here. Some were buying, most were collecting. But they weren't letting people in yet, judging by the crowd of people gathered in the teeny bar at the theatre entrance. So I didn't worry - I just about had my ticket by the time the doors opened.
This time, I was a few rows back - but the view is fine from all seats. Then I realised I hadn't come across any of the free programmes. Well, a couple of people near me had them, and I managed to read enough over their shoulders to ascertain that the first dance, Between, had as its theme the difference between Europe and North Africa, between urban and rural.. I might as well not have bothered, the entire piece consisted of a couple of dancers swinging their arms around in grand, sweeping gestures. Put me in mind of fishermen, or something. Probably was what was intended. But I was glad when the first interval came.
With no programme to read at the interval, I grabbed a sofa corner and read the paper I'd picked up en route. When we were finally let back in, I got a programme from the usher, and was able to read that the second piece, Major Changes, had classical music as its theme, and the Clair de Lune as its soundtrack. Lovely! Certainly, this was the highlight of the night for me. Two girls represented, I think, two hands, each initially in her own rectangle of white light on the black stage - representing black and white piano keys, methinks. Having learned to move in synchrony, they proceeded to dance in time to the Clair de Lune, as though playing it. Really, it was a clever piece, and lovely to watch.
During the second interval, I got a seat on a sofa near the bar, and mused that most of each night is being spent in an overcrowded and overheated bar, rather than watching the performances. At last, we were let in again, for A Chair is a Piece of Furniture. Naturally enough, there were chairs on stage, each with a dancer behind it - making this the only piece of the night with props. So, when we were finally seated, one of them proceeded to announce that "A chair is a piece of furniture.." and then continued to the dictionary definition of a chair. While she, and others behind her, involved themselves in practices for which the poor chairs were never intended. You could hear the cracks throughout the theatre. Pillows and a rubber mat were also involved, and eventually, they released a whole heap of squares of coloured paper, kind of like confetti but bigger, from the ceiling. They waited until it was all piled on the floor, and delighted in rolling around in it, pushing props around in it, generally making a mess. I was glad I wasn't in the front row, to get in the way.
Two nights down, two to go. It's nice to have some consistency, actually. And with all this variety, finding something you like is pretty guaranteed. Recommended, if you have any tolerance for contemporary dance - some don't. Discounts for booking three or four shows.
On Saturday, I'm crying off the last night of Resolution, and heading to the Boat Show. Which isn't a show of boats, it's a show on a boat! A weekly comedy show, in fact. Mind you, I had the devil of a time getting a ticket - the official website is sold out for that night, and had directed me on Tuesday to LastMinute.com. Which was sold out for that show as of yesterday - but I didn't notice, and ended up accidentally booking a ticket for the Saturday after, when I'm in Ireland. Anyway, I contacted them about cancelling, and meantime managed to get a ticket for next Saturday from WeGotTickets. Now LastMinute have contacted me to say they've contacted the venue and are waiting to hear back, and what alternative date do I want? I've reiterated that I want to cancel, but plan B is to change for the 11th April - the next date when there's a decent lineup and I can go!
On Sunday, I'm taking a break from comedy - I'm going to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where the Philharmonia is performing. I'm in the rear stalls, as usual. And on Monday, it's back to Old Rope. Booked, 'cause it's cheaper. Ah, there's that consistency again!
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Dance: Resolution (February 11th 1963, Unsettled, Apocalypse Y)
I do like contemporary dance, and I don't see enough of it. Well, I'll see enough of it this week, because I just booked for four nights of Resolution, a showcase for new dance, held in The Place. Pity I didn't book them all together, I'd have got 30% off! but I wasn't expecting to be going tomorrow night as well. When I discovered I was, I checked the remaining nights, and ended up booking three together (Wed - Fri) for a 20% discount.
The location is near Euston Station, so the Victoria Line shall be seeing a lot of me this week! The shows don't start until 8, but I still managed to cut it fine - and then just missed a direct Tube from West Brompton to Victoria. I had to wait five minutes for the next, and then change from that at Earl's Court and wait another five minutes for one to Victoria.. vexing isn't the word. I got a seat on both trains, but gratefully extracted myself from a crammed carriage at Euston and went up escalator after frustrating escalator, finally emerging into the mainline station.
Thank goodness I was here last year for a training course just across the road, and knew I had to pass the training centre tonight. And thank goodness I remembered the way! It's a confusing place. Keep right upon exiting the Tube, basically. Then right upon exiting the station, second left and first right. Which was fine until I got to that last right turn, and found myself at the wrong side of a crossroads, with very heavy traffic and no crossing!
So that cost more precious minutes, but finally I was headed down the right road, to the second building on the left - an incongruously old-fashioned one, in such a modern neighbourhood. I found the box office, and had to queue behind someone enquiring about dance classes. I was just over five minutes late. The guy at the box office reassured me that although I'd miss the first, I could go in for the others. But the last of the three people I dealt with on my way in told me I could sit in the back straight away, and head to my proper seat at the interval.
And that's what I did. The view from up at the back is fine anyway! I did miss the start of "February 11th, 1963", although I got a fair idea of what it was about. Sure enough, when I had a chance to read the free programme they'd given me, I discovered it was all about Sylvia Plath, frustration, and despair. That'll be why they were rending their clothes, then. The title refers to the date of her suicide.
Each night has three dances, with intervals between, and we were asked to leave the auditorium between each pair of dances. Unfortunately, I had to take all my stuff with me, as I was changing seat, and then was too late to get a seat in the tiny lobby bar area, so ended up rather uncomfortably propped against a wall for that first interval.
When I took my front row seat for the second performance, I discovered the stage was flush with the floor - so I'd be very close to the action. These second two dances, unlike the first, required no props, and frankly I prefer them. I think it allows the imagination more scope. Doesn't hurt to be close, either. Anyway, "Unsettled" took as its subject the true story of a politically oppressed man. And was very effective at communicating that.
I was out quicker for the second interval, being at ground level now, and left my coat on my seat. So I managed to bag a corner of a sofa, and had a much more comfortable time. The final performance was "Apocalypse Y", and for me was the most effective of the night. It didn't even pretend to be about much, save the end of the world, breakdown of society - that kind of thing. Hey, Justin Bieber was torn apart by wild dogs - can't be bad! The music worked well, and I felt more engaged with this piece than the others.
But roll on more of the same, for the next three nights! You can apparently leave feedback on a wall of the lobby bar, and each night there are two reviewers, who post reviews on The Place's website within 24 hours...
The location is near Euston Station, so the Victoria Line shall be seeing a lot of me this week! The shows don't start until 8, but I still managed to cut it fine - and then just missed a direct Tube from West Brompton to Victoria. I had to wait five minutes for the next, and then change from that at Earl's Court and wait another five minutes for one to Victoria.. vexing isn't the word. I got a seat on both trains, but gratefully extracted myself from a crammed carriage at Euston and went up escalator after frustrating escalator, finally emerging into the mainline station.
Thank goodness I was here last year for a training course just across the road, and knew I had to pass the training centre tonight. And thank goodness I remembered the way! It's a confusing place. Keep right upon exiting the Tube, basically. Then right upon exiting the station, second left and first right. Which was fine until I got to that last right turn, and found myself at the wrong side of a crossroads, with very heavy traffic and no crossing!
So that cost more precious minutes, but finally I was headed down the right road, to the second building on the left - an incongruously old-fashioned one, in such a modern neighbourhood. I found the box office, and had to queue behind someone enquiring about dance classes. I was just over five minutes late. The guy at the box office reassured me that although I'd miss the first, I could go in for the others. But the last of the three people I dealt with on my way in told me I could sit in the back straight away, and head to my proper seat at the interval.
And that's what I did. The view from up at the back is fine anyway! I did miss the start of "February 11th, 1963", although I got a fair idea of what it was about. Sure enough, when I had a chance to read the free programme they'd given me, I discovered it was all about Sylvia Plath, frustration, and despair. That'll be why they were rending their clothes, then. The title refers to the date of her suicide.
Each night has three dances, with intervals between, and we were asked to leave the auditorium between each pair of dances. Unfortunately, I had to take all my stuff with me, as I was changing seat, and then was too late to get a seat in the tiny lobby bar area, so ended up rather uncomfortably propped against a wall for that first interval.
When I took my front row seat for the second performance, I discovered the stage was flush with the floor - so I'd be very close to the action. These second two dances, unlike the first, required no props, and frankly I prefer them. I think it allows the imagination more scope. Doesn't hurt to be close, either. Anyway, "Unsettled" took as its subject the true story of a politically oppressed man. And was very effective at communicating that.
I was out quicker for the second interval, being at ground level now, and left my coat on my seat. So I managed to bag a corner of a sofa, and had a much more comfortable time. The final performance was "Apocalypse Y", and for me was the most effective of the night. It didn't even pretend to be about much, save the end of the world, breakdown of society - that kind of thing. Hey, Justin Bieber was torn apart by wild dogs - can't be bad! The music worked well, and I felt more engaged with this piece than the others.
But roll on more of the same, for the next three nights! You can apparently leave feedback on a wall of the lobby bar, and each night there are two reviewers, who post reviews on The Place's website within 24 hours...
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