CriticalDance

[Bytom Admin]

"What Comes After Happy & Egg", Alexandra Beller – a performance that cannot be described, but must be seen

By Ewa Zielińska

The Americans rocked, refuting the opinion of a member of the newspaper staff who maintains that performances presented on the alternative stage are less interesting than those on the main one.

The group made remarkable use of the space in the CHP Plant (at last!). The audience was served an inter textual performance – a mixture of contemporary pop culture, laughter and seriousness, ordinariness and originality. TV conventions were applied – romantic series, films starring Bogart, well-known music. In a clear and comprehensible way, grave and weighty themes were presented, at the same time amusing and causing roars of laughter. And it does not matter that the piece lasted almost 2 hours, it was worth it!

The performance began with Alexandra Beller's etude, which told the story of maternity. Calm music accompanied a woman in white lying on the stage nursing , slowly moving her body. In the course of the performance, ever increasing demands were made of her, ye she remained caring and sensitive towards the increasing amount of eggs thrust at her, symbols of life's tyranny . Quivering with anxiety and fear, but also with a desire to control and nurse all of these eggs, she demonstrated the enormity of effort required for maternity. This section ended with a black-out obscuring the falling and rolling eggs.

The audiences, however, were not given time to cool off, as almost immediately a man appeared, resembling a figure from the Jerry Springer Show, an eloquent preacher man asking people whether they want to change their lives. He shouted, urged, threw cookies around, causing the audiences to become part of the show. From that moment on, our feelings were engaged in the performance, we could see ourselves as if in a mirror. At the same time, a series of scenes began, presenting meetings and the problems of communication.
One showed failed chat up attempts and another with a life coach amused the audience.

Yet, the most intriguing moments were the ones making the most of the space of the CHP Plant, and particularly those employing the balconies. Among them was a contemporary version of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. On stage a woman switched on a gramophone and began to dance. Suddenly, a beam of light illuminates the balcony in front and to the side of her, where a man shouts: “That was really great, really hot!” A short conversation begins, they flirt,he tries to chat her up, inquiring whether her hair colour is natural and asking her to repeat the sequence. From the top, he instructs her how to move, his comments making the dance really sexy, but because of his intrusion it becomes even slutty, resulting in his discontentment. The scene is later repeated with a different woman who, when asked to dance the same sequence, also tries to fulfill the expectations of the man, whom she later catches cheating on her with the previous woman.

Another scene which fully exploited the potential of the CHP Plant was the episode in which the balcony above and behind the stage was transformed into a TV. In the high space,as if on a screen, we saw tear-jerker romantic moments or advertisements encouraging fitness.

Throughout, the actors combine speech, dance and singing, creating a communication in which words become movement, and movement is replaced with words. That, as a whole, requires that the audiences engage all their senses and observe carefully.What Comes After Happy & Egg is a rich performance, touching upon such themes as the search for happiness, the stupefying effects of pop culture surrounding us, the impossibility of communication and our lack of skills necessary to establish deep relations. All this is told in a light, witty way, enhanced by the final scene in which the actors undress on stage. In the background, photos from the group’s rehearsals can be seen, to the accompaniment of songs concerned with loneliness.

People are lonely in the contemporary world, and the world shown on the TV screen is not real. The idea of changing on stage pointed to the fact that performers presented only mimesis, unreality. However, they are real and the close relations and bonds linking them with the group make them happy.

[Bytom Admin]

Without the Naked Eye

Green Chair (USA) “Dances for the Naked Eye”

By Wioleta Rybak


The performance consists of several scenes apparently designed to show the dance ability of the Philadelphia-based group, John Beauregard, Sarah Gladwin Camp, Hannah de Keijzer and Gregory Holt, who are both performers and co-creators of the work.

While the audience took their places in the Szombierki CHP Plant, a lone blond on crutches was already on stage and a moment later, she was joined by the remaining three company members. During the forty minutes of the production, the company employed contemporary dance with some elements of ballet, in static lighting on a small stage without set design. They established physical contact in a series of duets , which were visually the most attractive part of the show. Particularly spectacular were mutual lifts, performed with exceptional smoothness and delicacy. The repeated, circular arm movements were also a motif deserving attention.

Frequently, they moved near to the floor, which caused a major problem of visibility for those audience members furthest from the stage.. The transitions in the dancers’ movement followed changes in the accompaniment , sometimes based on music reminding me of medieval courts, [sometimes more like contemporary guitar rhythms and then subtle vocals. Regardless of the style, the music had an unhurried tempo, similar to the slow dynamics of the movement. In addition, a vital element was the exchange of the crutches between the dancers, as though they wanted to experience disability for a while. The “owner” of the crutches, Sarah Gladwin Camp, whether using their support, moving on the floor or assisted by a partner, contributed a great deal to the performance.

In spite of a few clever ideas, the whole somehow lacked coherence and a core concept to bind the individual parts together. The performance failed to spark interest in this viewer or absorb my attention, as it was merely a display of physical ability from this international, award winning group. The audience often preferred to glance at the walls of the CHP Plant covered with posters and graffiti than to observe what was happening on stage. Even though we were supposed to see “Dance for the Naked Eye”, I did not see anything memorable with my naked eye.

[Bytom Admin]

Praising God

By Wioleta Rybak

Eurypides' Singing by Stowarzyszenie Teatralne Chorea (Chorea Theatrical Association) is a combination of interesting choreography, beautiful singing and absorbing visuals. The word ”chorea” means a group dance performed in a circle, accompanied by choral singing and originating in Greece. This association tries to restore ancient traditions, mixing them with contemporary. What is important, is that this group has its base in Gardzienice, the location of a centre of experimental. There, members of the company have an opportunity to come into contact with a style drawing strongly from the Greek culture, on which our civilisation is based.

The performance, directed by Tomasz Rodowicz, is based on Eurypides' Bachantes, a play presenting the damned life of Panteus, who opposed the introduction of the Dionysian cult in Thebes. The opening scene shows choristers frozen like statues, with the naked Dionysis moving among them , with the power to revive each of them. Suddenly, a change of mood occurs and it becomes typically Bacchic. Panteus appears on stage, surrounded by spontaneous bachantes. Dancers express their emotions with their entire bodies, using primarily hand gestures and expressive facial movements. Several fragments are particularly arresting for instance: a scene in which men support on their arms dancers leaning upside down against a wall; another where the women's bodies form intriguing shapes around a bench.

Apart from the movement, the images created live by Paweł Passini play an important role On the three walls encircling the stage, we see projections showing duplicated, blurred faces or figures of the performers. Also intriguing the play with the name, Dionysis, the god to whom the performance is dedicated. A link that connects modernity and antiquity are the costumes by Veselina Nikolov, an established fashion designer. The men wear dark jackets, the women short dresses with ancient-stylised elements. Nevertheless, the accessories shining in the ultraviolet light seemed tacky to me.

Also noteworthy is the music, composed by Maciej Rychły. Men playing the drums, trumpet, French horn and a sort of ancient lyre provided the rhythm of the performance. Even without understanding the words, mostly sung in an ancient tongue, with fragments translated into Polish by Jan Łanowski, the enchanting quality of the enveloping sounds is worthy of careful listening.

There remains but one question - was it a suitable work to be performed during the Conference? It appears to me that some of the audiences were disposed only to observe the stage movement, and not to treat Eurypides' Singing comprehensively as a performance. Unfortunately, the movement skills of the actors were the weakest aspect. Nonetheless, the audience was transported by the choral singing, resonating in the hall of the Szombierki CHP Plant.

[Bytom Admin]

Fairytale, Dance and Tomatoes

By Regina Lissowska

The premiere of Swan Lake with Idan Cohen’s choreography was dedicated to the memory of Pina Bausch

Empty stage. The first notes of Tchaikovsky’s score. The music invites people into a world of imagination; it signals a well-known, beautiful story of love between a prince and a girl transformed into a swan. The plot begins with the Prince’s birthday when (in the ballet version) he has to choose a wife. It is this occasion, or precisely the feelings connected with it, that becomes the leitmotif of the first section of the performance. Birthday – a special time, when one thinks about dreams coming true, but also a period of awareness of transitions leading to an inevitable end. All three female dancers are birthday girls initially. A garland on the head of one of them emphasises the uniqueness of this anniversary, at the same time referring to Christian symbolism; in this context it is a halo, sign of sainthood inextricably linked with sacrifice.

The idea of the performance was to follow the plot suggested by the music, yet to make an abstraction of it. Dancers transform into all the characters from the story, showing the emotions tormenting them, full of anxieties and passion. They are the plot. In these changes and their expressive, pulsating movement they convey its very essence. When the swans transform into princesses, their movement becomes more animalistic, which is underlined by the sounds they make. Their dance gets noticeably closer to the stage.

The set design is composed only of tomatoes, which serve also as an ambiguous prop. Initially, their regular arrangement marks the rectangular space of the stage. In the second part of the performance, they lay scattered all over, creating a lake in which the swan-princesses commit suicide; they drown themselves because of unrealised love. It is, thus, the end of the plot. The dancers also play with the tomatoes, squashing them with their bodies, smearing themselves with their juice and flesh. The combination of human flesh with the flesh and colour of tomatoes accentuates the former’s dirty, physiological aspect, starkly contrasting with the romantic view implied by the music.

Preparations for the premiere of Swan Lake lasted over a year. A multitude of allusion to various forms of art can be found in this performance. The costumes bring to mind a past model of swimsuits. Playing with bodies, spreading the skin recalls the works of Francis Bacon, whose creations the artists contemplated while preparing the performance.

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has inspired many dance and theatre creators. For Idan Cohen, it is especially important. It has fascinated him since childhood. As he told us after the premiere: “The inspiration for this work was drawn from this music.” Together with the dancers, he has produced an exceptional interpretation of this musical fairytale, focusing on its emotional content. An aspect usually neglected in versions of Swan Lake, the tension, violence and passion, is certainly highlighted here. In Cohen’s work, we experience the gap between the romantic visualisation inspired by the music and the physical reality of the body, between fairytale, dream and life.

[Bytom Admin]

All the Colours of the Rainbow - childrens' workshop performance

By Wioleta Rybak

On Friday afternoon, the sun was shining but rain was falling at the same time. I waited for a rainbow to appear in the sky to perfectly match the colourful outfits worn by the children presenting the dance skills acquired in the course of the dance workshops. The rainbow failed to emerge, but the performance was a fantastic compensation.

During 5 days of workshops, the children worked hard and studied various techniques. Korina Kordova familiarised them with contemporary dance, Agnieszka Jaśkowska taught them hip-hop, and dancing with props was introduced by Magdalena Cios. The teachers were presented to the audience before the performance.

In front of the building of the Silesian Dance Theatre, the children demonstrated some of the choreographies they had learned in the classes. The first included many elements of contemporary dance: a ball, thrown among the running boys and girls accompanied by the instructor, was cleverly used in the production. The most applauded was the second piece, presenting hip-hop dance. Despite the tricky choreography, considerably more attention to detail was visible there. Later, the most colourful part of the show began. Children with multicoloured ribbons and flags in their hands performed a delightful dance sequence. The audience was amazed by stunning solo parts, such as splits done without any apparent effort.

Which dance was the children’s favourite? I asked this question to the youngest participant, Amelka, who answer that she liked dancing with the colourful props the most. While Nika considered hip-hop her number one technique, as she prefers fast dance tempi.

Loud, rhythmic music and the colourful outfits worn by the children drew the attention of passing Conference participants, who joined the parents and others watching the performance

The choreographers should be proud of the effects of their work, as it was readily noticeable how happy those energetic kids were, thanks to dance. Children who already danced and now are beginning their education in dance schools, like Nika, could be found there, as well as those for whom it was their first contact with the art, like the beginner, Amelka. I hope that such performances are the starting point of their passion for dance.

Ahead of us lies the second week of the Little Contemporary Dance Conference. The results of the efforts made by choreographers working with children will be seen on Friday, 10th June, at 2.30 pm. in front of the Silesian Dance Theatre building.

[Bytom Admin]

Rami Ba'er's „Ekodoom”, Kibbutz Dance Company - Flashy Spectacle
By Joanna Zielińska

Arriving at our seats, we see on stage Gaia struggling inside a black box symbolising the Earth’s interior, crowned with an orange tree; in Greek mythology, Gaia, mother-earth, emerged from chaos, while people were formed from clay. The central idea of Rami Be’er’s production is a brilliant synthesis of complementary elements: music, movement, costumes and visual effects. The rhythm of the performance is marked with lyrical tunes mixed with songs full of power and dynamics. What is also impressive, is the use of simple ideas such as creating poetic scenes through the use of falling artificial snow, with a dancer performing a solo beneath, or dressing the artists in meaningful costumes, for instance, vast cloaks with enormous hoods or skirts made of many folds of textile underlining the grimness and strength of the characters.

The rhythm of the music is reflected in the dancers’ movement, demonstrating excellent neoclassical technique. The choreography consists of alternating solos and duets, interwoven with dynamic, even aggressive, group scenes. Their dance is, on the one hand, dynamic and vigorous, and on the other hand, poetic, slow, almost romantic. The group scenes are based on dancers, marching uniformly in a long, close line. This wall of human bodies, set into motion, symbolises the contemporary homogenisation of society. The duets and solos, often impressing with dynamic, sweeping movement on the verge of exaggeration, seemed to be an attempt at breaking the routine of this parade. Nonetheless, the living wall of robots, approaching them slowly, yet with ruthless consistency sweeps them again up into its ranks, indifferently absorbs and suppresses individuality. Here are the same people whom Gaia gave life, now, with their actions, they cause her only suffering, through wars and disasters. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Be’er’s choreography has a pretentious happy-end. It closes with a tao sign, conveyed by the dancers as their last gesture.

Apart from this clear picture, we also see scenes in more ambiguous styles: a romantic duet of a soldier and his lover, and a group scene on the beach in which dancers rocking in their chairs resemble small children focused on their own private matters, a camp counsellor with an umbrella watching over their safety. Later, foreign tourists transported in a cart by hired guides, who presumably represent the idea of exploiting exotic cultures – these are only some examples of the oneiric and difficult to read scenes.

Ekodoom not only represents ecological disaster, but is itself a semantic failure. The performance, which is brilliant in the sense of movement and visuals, great lighting and costumes, fails in the sphere of the coherence of its message. Be’er claims that his aim is not telling stories but conveying emotional content; that his focus is the combination of movement and music, not choreography representing some ideology or propaganda. However, does putting on stage a soldier or dancing to fascist music not imply automatically some ideological meaning? All would be fine, if Ekodoom was only a variation on movement, which seeks to show pure beauty and emotional interaction. But this abstraction was mixed with a multitude of scattered, surreal scenes such as the sudden appearance of three men wearing red coats and black flying caps, with lanterns in their hands. They resemble figures of Japanese warriors. Their presence on stage seems to be completely unjustified and absurd. Of course, stubbornly one may find some coherence, but couldn't the ideas be presented in a bit clearer way?
Certainly, the performance amazes visually, the proof for this being the standing ovation at the end. Although it offers a rather large dose of aesthetic and emotional sensations, after a moment of reflection, the viewer starts to wonder what exactly it was about.
Ekodoom is a well-made spectacle, with popular, powerful music, epic realisation and dancers demonstrating great technique – but is that enough?

[Bytom Admin]

Street Rhythms
by Magdalena Mikrut

On July 5th, for the second time, Bytom market square hosted the All-Polish Street Dance Contest. Many competitors entered the lists for the the prizes donated by the Agora Gallery, which is under construction on Kościuszko Square. Dancers had prepared sequences in hip-hop and break dance techniques, performed solo or in groups of up to 6 contestants. The participants struggled to win laurels in two age categories in each of the styles: Junior (up to 14 years old) and Senior. The award offered in this challenge was a money prize and a grant for the International Modern Dance Workshops, organised during the International Modern Dance Conference and Performance Festival. The jury consisted of 3 dancer-teachers: Kamil Lipka, Maciej Florek and Wojciech Kogucik.

In the Senior Solo Hip-Hop category, the first place was won by Jessica Ali, the next two places were taken by Marta Szlachcianowska and Bartek Leszczyński. In the break dance section, the firm favourite and eventual winner, was Paweł Ładyński, from Trzebinia, who has been dancing in the Municipal Culture House for 6 years. As he told our newspaper, his instructor encouraged him to take part in the competition, claiming that if he decided to make a trip to Bytom, he should also perform on stage. In his opinion, the biggest advantage of the contest were b-boy battles. Radosław Byrski became the runner-up, the third award went to Paweł Biskup. Among the groups, companies such as Flame and Shane predominated. Shane is a group from Podkarpacie, recruiting participants among 14- to 19-year-olds. In the Junior Solo category, the scene was mastered by Lidia Woźna and Anna Phan, while Dawid Nawrocki was pronounced the best break-dancer.

The Street Dance Contest is, according to the participants, a highly important event. It allows for an exchange of ideas and presentation of skills. 15-year-old girls from a group called DNA, who have been dancing for only 2 years, claimed that this challenge was a great opportunity to broaden their experience and make valuable business contacts. When asked why they dance hip-hop, they told me that earlier, they danced ballroom dances, yet found themselves very limited by the constant repertoire of moves. Only in hip-hop, their imagination was liberated and using this style, they can express themselves fully. According to Paweł Ładyński, there was only one problem – the dance stage was rough, hard and flexible, which made for some unpredictable effects and caused a lot of skin abrasions.

[crazzycat]

when we should expext this shows?

[Stuart Sweeney]

Hi crazzycat, I'm afraid these shows have passed - they took place in July this year in Bytom. A number of the companies taking part there tour regularly so you might be able to pick them elsewhere.

The next thing to come here will be the Lublin Dance Festival in mid-November, based in a Polish city near the border with the Ukraine.