Heart As Arena (guest dance show review by @YoungestSenior)
Shortly after finding out I had won tickets from Hummingbird604.com to see Heart As Arena, Animals of Distinction’s latest work showing at the Cultch, Raul asked if I would write a review of the show. I was excited at the thought of being able to share my experience, but then realized what a challenge it was going to be. Unlike many traditional forms of dance, like ballet, it’s not necessary for modern dance to have a set storyline.
For me, the experience of watching modern dance is often more about the physicality and movement than it is about the meaning behind the piece. There have been many times when I’ve left a show thinking, “Wow. What was that?” It’s an abstract dance form that people are often challenged by. The fact that that there’s no storyline to follow, makes it hard to put words around the experience of the audience. Despite this, I think that’s where the beauty of the art form lies. It’s different for each person who experiences it.
For me, Heart As Arena was a multimedia piece that used dance movement and a soundscape to explore themes around human interaction, relationships, connection, longing and the space between it all. Above the stage was a circle of vintage looking radios. The static and music coming from them played off the dancers’ movement to create a soundscape that was almost exhausting at times. The costumes ranged from bold, vividly coloured skirts, blouses, shirts and vests, to dresses, shirts and ties in variations of gold and black. The ladies wore high heeled shoes for parts. The costumes were contrasted by stark lighting and the antique looking radios.
My take on the movement was that it portrayed the struggle between humans as we long for relationships, struggle through them, and then break away to be left on our own. Quite often two dancers were intertwined with each other, wrapped up in a struggle of sorts, only to break away and fling themselves to the floor. They eventually ended up in a fetal position, their arms and legs wrapped together taking on the image of a heart and its intertwining chambers. There were other moments when dancers seemed to be giving the floor CPR and then performing it on themselves as though taking care of one’s self and heart in order to carry on.
These movements showed off the physicality and athleticism of the dancers beautifully. As the dancers were repeatedly running and diving into the floor, my eyes were drawn to the way they captured moments of suspension before fully collapsing into the floor. These dancers were really in their bodies. Also, given the abstract soundscape, their awareness of each other and the space around them was apparent.
The exhausting, repetitive cycle of struggle and recovery was broken up by a humorous middle section. It was a much needed break from the static noise and seemingly painful struggle between the dancers. One dancer walked out wearing large glam sunglasses, rolled out a white carpet and while flamenco music played, she took a pose as though she was sunbathing on a beach. The others seemed to enter into a competition of yoga-inspired movement in an effort to gain her attention. Inevitably she’d had enough, rolled up her carpet and exited the stage. This was followed by another dancer entering wearing a gold dress, carrying a large, red, heart shaped balloon. Everyone wanted her attention. She’d pick and choose who was going to get her affection and those that did were left with an electric giddiness to their movements. She just as quickly rejected them and they were left recovering on the floor again.
The piece continues in this manner, displaying the struggle of human relationships, but also portraying the electricity and static between it all. It does this using dance movement and the sound of the radios as they move from station to station. It is as if we’re all in search of that one radio station, that one relationship, that is going to give us comfort and security. There were parts where I wanted it to move on because the grating noise of the static and chaotic movement seemed to be too much, but I think this was the point. That’s how some human interactions can be.
This is at least what I got from the show. I’ve seen a few other pieces by Dana Gingras and I was excited to see her latest work. Perhaps it wasn’t as edgy as I had expected, but it definitely held the grit and physicality that I’ve come to love about modern dance. It’s on now until Saturday at the Cultch. I’d highly recommend seeing it if you can and I’d love to hear your take on it all.
This guest dance review was contributed by Marina, who blogs at The World’s Youngest Senior Citizen. In Marina’s own words, “The World’s Youngest Senior Citizen” is a blog for everything that makes a twenty-something, senior citizen’s world go around. From knitting, sewing and baking pies, to celebrity gossip and popular culture. It will look at finding balance as a single woman, working full-time, studying part-time, keeping up friendships, staying active, and enjoying all that Vancouver has to offer.
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