Saturday 11th January 2020, The Place, London
Frankie Thompson, Directed by Luke Howarth SPACE
Miguel Altunaga (Re)Home
Trah & Chips Ensemble A Rabbit Climbed A Ladder To The Moon and Danced With A God, And A Lie Is A Real Thing
Tonight’s Resolutions pushed the boundaries of what dance can be. Whilst so different in content, all three pieces had theatricality at their heart, championing the interdisciplinary approach to dance to take us on a spectacular ride.
Opening the show was Frankie Thompson and Luke Howarth’s SPACE, transporting us on an endearing expedition through space using projection to play with perspective and scale. Match-box sized scenes and characters came to life before our eyes, all created from human rubbish which added to their rustic charm. An intricate house with a sweet girl inside, toy-like men twirling in space and miniscule animals grooving to the music were just some of the delights on offer, all cleverly performed on stage by the instantly likeable Frankie Thompson. A few wobbly transitions and a bit of a slow-starter but a novel idea that was a cheeky reminder of childhood without taking itself too seriously.
The second, and perhaps most anticipated piece of the night was Miguel Altunaga’s (Re)Home, engulfing us into a dystopia of great intensity, portraying the lack of intimacy and connectedness instigated by the dangers of social media, a topical and inexplicably relatable concept. The captivating performers moved with ease, creating curious and seemingly impossible shapes with their bodies with a gooey, unearthly quality, as though they lacked any bones. Commanding and at times comedic spoken word was used to add force to the movement, interacting well with the entranced audience. A powerful, well-developed piece that struck a great balance of both ambiguity and clarity.
Finally, we hit the party with Trah & Chips Ensemble’s masterfully named A Rabbit Climbed a Ladder To The Moon And Danced With A God, And A Lie Is A Real Thing, a hard-hitting story of sex and drug addiction in the gay community told through witty, hilarious dialogue intertwined with outbursts of gyrating hips, feisty pulses and sassy head bops. The fully formed piece combined with the commitment of the undoubtedly talented performers had the audience intoxicated, making us laugh, cry, shout out responses and everything in-between. A clever mix of danger and excitement culminating with a harrowing cry for help that was deeply moving and bold. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Megan Hamer
Originally published as part of Resolution Review 2020 here: https://www.theplace.org.uk/blog/resolution-review-2020/sat-11-jan-frankie-thompson-and-luke-howarth-miguel-altunaga-verdecia
DIGESTING DANCE 