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Transitions Dance Company Roger Sinha "Divided" Back at base, Laban's Transitions Dance Company completed their extensive 2004 touring programme (UK & Amsterdam) with an invigorating programme of diverse, thought provoking dance creations. Divided combined inspiration from Indian dance with martial arts and North American dance. The costumes, rich orange and red, were towards the end subjected to a lighting coup by Lars Jensen; all the colour drained out so that the group appeared to be dressed in black. Transitions for the whole ensemble appeared at first to be a silent dance piece, with no composer credited. "Everyday objects become part of the performance and the performers themselves become objects", we were told. Gradually sounds emerged from the dancers themselves, rising to a chattering, shrieking climax as they divested themselves of all they wore down to underclothing; a changing room scene? Nine chairs become animate objects in their hands. At the end, they become a chorus line with forced fixed smiles. A piece which keeps you wondering what's coming next and sticks in the mind afterwards. The best score was Heinz Ditsch's for Dorner's Intertwining, a piece with some impressive acrobatic pertnering. But the music was projected far too loudly, near the pain threshold which can damage hearing. And although we were well into the middle third of the sixth row (excellent for watching the dancers) the sound reached us almost exclusively from one side. The loud speakers of Laban's superb sound system seem to be placed too close to the audience for balanced listening. We found the second half of this generous programme a little less enthralling; the untiringly vigorous, brightly costumed final offering delighting the capacity young audience, who responded to a track from The Prodigy, a pop group outside our experience. I do hope modern dance programmes will not move completely away from including some items with live music, new and old. Photo: Chris Nash |
Laban, Deptford 21 July 2004