as the cauldron of the universe unwinds in the darkness, in narrower windows we see life stirring - both familiar and unfamiliar.
the forms and constructions of the dancers hints only at the organic and have not yet attained human characteristics; vegetative or animalistic shapes move in the shallow pond, shells of beings open and close while limb-like tendrils reach out and retract; all set to an eery undulating sound, which might well be the voice of the earth itself. the beauty of the arrangement is transient, one image dissolving into another in a mesmerising slow motion process. soon you are divorced from conventional notions of dance and stop searching for the recognisable human shape; so powerful is the portrayal.
the mechanics of dance, which can so often threaten to become antiseptic, disappears into a shamanistic dream; intoxicating and transportive. it’s not just a choreographed performance, it forces the viewer to investigate; an intimate sequence of discovery.
damien jalet and kohei nawa’s collaboration is performed with a troupe of near-naked dancers populating the water covered stage as composite lifeforms enhanced by their illusionary liquid reflections. . although there is no real linear narrative, an element of progression is suggested through cycles of light and dark, birth and decay.
in a francis bacon-esque way the violent condition of life is portrayed in distorted forms:
‘you must distort to transform what is called appearance into image.’
this is the essence of this show, besides all the obvious social identity and existential commentary; to create forms which works on sensation rather than projection, it allows you to find your own meaning in the moving images with just enough guidance so as to be intelligent entertainment whilst also thought provoking.
