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De La GuardaJuly 2006 London, Roundhouse by Carole Edrich |
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Harpies dressed as angels gambol across the ceiling, tumbling, running and rolling with ethereal sensuality and a fell sense of danger. They make the Roundhouse feel like a goldfish bowl with the audience in the middle. A man who could as easily be running in air as on a treadmill is shot, picks himself up and battles on through barriers, walls and furniture. His encounters with others along the way are impersonal and his associates soon fall away behind him. A group of vicious naiads swim or fling themselves through rippling water at arms reach above us and a man and woman, separated by a billowing blue barrier high above, crawl frantically towards each other, to be swept or blown away.
At times we can touch the set or are sprayed with a fine watery mist. The brutal, sensual, direct imagery can come from anywhere. We’re herded like cattle through smoke and strobe lighting and at first the performance (which is more circus than dance) is engaging and fun. However the set, while well conceived and staggeringly impressive is insufficient in itself and each part of the performance belabours the point, going on just a little too long. With a couple of exceptions there’s little display of the discipline one would expect from other aerial performers and none of the control that’s found in contemporary dance.
 Fuerzabruta © Alastair Muir Fuerzabruta could be translated as brutal force. It’s a perfect name for this work, and an appropriate opening show for the newly renovated and legendary Roundhouse. Looking for story or narrative is Apophenia as even its creators say it has none. While not as engaging, visceral or short as I’d like, it’s still fantastic fun and an experience I’d recommend. |
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