Friday 15th May 2020
When I read the description ‘macabre comedy’, I knew that Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns would be plentiful in witty oxymoronic qualities, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Stillness interspersed with haste. Calmness married to chaos. Floppy but still so strong. Each movement feels rigorously placed but completely free at the same time. Shechter’s nuanced choreography, complete with twisted grooves and playful jigs embraces the individuality of each performer, despite them moving as a collective. The talented ensemble of 10 never miss a beat of the percussive sound score, challenging the question: ‘how far will we go in the name of entertainment?’.
The immersive filming and unconventional lighting choices add to the performance. Blurred focus, gnarly close-ups, choppy angle changes and unnerving darkness build the intensity, drawing the audience into the piece and challenging any preconceptions they may have about contemporary dance.
Glorious, grisly and groovy. This is 30 minutes of mastery that you don’t want to miss.
The full performance is available to watch as part of the BBC’s ‘Culture in Quarantine: Great Performances’ collection, available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0890nqm
Megan Hamer
DIGESTING DANCE 