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Charles Linehan CompanyOctober 2002 London, The Place by Ann Williams |
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Choregrapher Charles Linehan's double bill at the The Place in London's Euston Road (Oct. 22) opened unpromisingly with the bland and hamless 'Speak, Memory', but happily went on to much better things with his 'Grand Junction'. (Incidentally, 'Speak, Memory' is also the title of the autobiography of the late, brilliant Russian novelist and essayist Vladimir Nabokov, a book I would almost put before the Collected Works of Jane Austen had I to choose for my sojourn on that mythical Desert Island; it would be illuminating to know if Linehan had read the book or was at least aware of it when he titled his work).. Speak Memory' lacked either tension or drama, and didn't provide meaty enough choreography to judge the qualities of the four dancers in the piece. It had the usual 'bend the knees/sweep the arms/turn/crash into each other now and again' feel of a lot of recent UK contemporary choreography, although it has to be said that Linehan's choreography is never less than organic, with each movement flowing smoothly into the next (not something you can take for granted in contemporary dance movement). Julian Swales' music suited the piece without helping it. You had to wonder at the dullness of the costumes for the dancers: unisex grey trousers for the two men and two women, and shirts ranging from dark brown through donkey brown and dark blue until finally bursting out in a blaze of light grey. Altogether better was Linehan's 'Grand Junction' which comprised the second half of the show, with more upbeat sub-rock music by Kimmo Pohjonen and Nye Parry, some of which sounded deliciously like cutlery being dropped on a stone-flagged floor (whatever, it worked wonderfully). Here the dance was energised. focused and thoughtful, and gave its two dancers - Andreja Rauch and Greig Cooke - real choreographic meat to get their teeth into. It was a duet for a man and a woman in which the dancers repeatedly fell against and away from each other (the piece lasted 30 minutes and was a real test of the dancers' stamina). If it was about anything, it seemed to be a love story with the lovers alternately embracing and pushing each other away Here was the drama so lacking in the first piece, and here at last was a healthy whack of sexual tension. Linehan's organicity (is there such a word?) was put to excellent use here - it's one thing having movements flow smoothly into each other if your piece is languid, quite another if the piece is fast and tough, but there was no break in the fluidity of the movement here. Much of this, of course, was down to the dancers and I'm just sorry that the programme gave no biographical details of the remarkable Adreja Rauch and Greig Cooke - nor indeed of any of the dancers involved in the programme. Just let me say that I am keen to see them again, soon.
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