Barnstaple Theatrefest 2015
Low Down
Dancers Sam & Lucy perform an exploration into the human experience. Drawing from their own experiences, they have choreographed a thoughtful piece that celebrates life.
Review
Before the performers enter, there are a selection of films playing on a selection of phones and laptops at the front of the stage. On the small screens, you can see people dancing freely in domestic settings. The stage is decorated with hanging items of clothing and shoes.
One dancer appears on stage and begins a fluid, repeated motif. The other performer joins her in unison before breaking off. This movement becomes the red-thread used seamlessly between sections. In this way, the piece is decorated with overlapping solo moments and brief duets in unison. Lucy and Sam support each other brilliantly and the communication between them is tender.
The piece really picked up when the different costumes came into play. The extra pieces of clothing were ill-fitting, giving the choreography a certain innocence and naivety, as well as humour. Lucy demonstrated this effectively when she was literally wearing ‘someone else’s shoes. She gallivanted about joyfully in shoes that were far too big, leaping around the stage. It was a delight to hear the clumsy ‘smack’ of the shoes as she hit the ground each time. Another playful moment is when one of the videos of a couple dancing in their kitchen, is brought to centre stage. Sam and Lucy dance alongside the video, almost unbelievably in sync. The hopefulness of their youth feels tense and emotive alongside the security of the couple dancing in their kitchen.
There are two short sections of text. At first, it seems odd to introduce speech half way through the show. Though it quickly proves imperative to the performance as it gives context to the costumes used. One thing that I found did not fit so well was the use of photographs. Occasionally they would bring a photo on stage. Some of them were tiny and couldn’t be seen so it wasn’t quite clear what they were trying to achieve with these.
I would recommend this performance for the ending alone. After a magnificent operatic lifting sequence, Sam and Lucy interweave their limbs, shifting and distributing weight to carry each other around the stage to collect all the used props. They create movements you wouldn’t be able to imagine and make it look so effortless, like watching a potter mould clay.
this is a playful, thought-provoking and uplifing piece. There are some truly beautiful moments. I left the performance feeling calm and refreshed.
