Universal Hall, Findhorn, 7 March 2008

Union Dance - Celestial Dawning

TRIUMPH and tragedy often walk hand in hand but at the Universal Hall they were dancing together on stage. In 2007 Union Dance celebrated its twenty first anniversary; since 1986 this London-based company has earned an international reputation for its emphasis on integration and growth at all levels, and for an inclusive, eclectic style, incorporating elements of ancient martial arts and the latest street dance with equal aplomb.

The programme for this tour began with ‘Sublime Element’, choreographed by Tayeb Benamara (Algeria) for the company and shorn of back projections here. The soundscape nonetheless succeeding in creating an initially urban ambience through which the dancers wove swiftly, singly, paths constantly intersecting but avoiding all personal contact at first in the way that citydwellers do and rural folk don’t.

Movements, strongly influenced by t’ai chi, seemed separate and unrelated but were gradually repeated fractally, until a pattern almost began to emerge and there was briefly a moment of unison, a powerful image indeed, as all six dancers paused, tightly interlocked.

The soundscape became rural with bells, water and birdsong, and the choreography fragmented again as it moved to themes of ending and death. It was an interesting, cerebral piece, with some unusual lifts where one dancer hung, frog-like, from the legs of another, with all the strange totemic power of Mayan carvings and Australian aboriginal art.

Findhorn was denied the musical transition performed live by Juwon Ogungbe, so there was merely a pause before the second work, a duet entitled ‘Two Bye Two’. This featured Will Thorburn – son of Andy, pianist mainstay of Blazin’ Fiddles and other Highland musical entities too numerous to mention – and Navala Chaudhari .

Set to Arvo Part’s exquisite ‘Fratres’, it was commissioned from Vietnamese choreographer Anh Ngoc Nguyen, and worked to the strong suits of the two participants, Chaudhari’s smooth, supple -to-the-point-of-bonelessness sinousity and Thorburn’s capoeira-enhanced power and grace. The duet tracked the sine curve of a passionate love affair from a playful “does my bum look big in this?” moment, swiftly followed by an initially ecstatic coupling.

The Literary Review awards an annual Bad Sex Award to writers; I have, mercifully, lost count of the number of works I have seen which would have qualified for the terpsichorean equivalent. Were there a Good Sex Award, ‘Two Bye Two’ would be a shoo-in, conveying the full sensual whammy of the act of love without degenerating into pornography, eroticism, or embarrassment. On the verge of romanticism, the moves were already being reprised, refigured hard and angry, culminating in – neatly underplayed – violence, and breakup.

Chaudhari was left alone and fragile on a darkening stage before an audience whose emotional withers had been thoroughly wrung. The two dancers accepted loud cheers and applause with brief bows and drew the rest of the company on stage to share their reward – a simple gesture which spoke volumes about the company’s ethos.

After the interval, ‘Celestial Dawning’ by long-term company member Michael Joseph, began with enthralling projections of nebulae – a literal evocation of heaven on earth. The core of the piece was three overlapping duets, featuring some more great, unusual lifts; more than any company I have seen in the past few years, this accomplished team of dancers appeared to be entirely, effortlessly weightless – a tribute to intense training. Or as the old phrase has it, ars celare artem. The thoughtfully assembled soundtrack included some thumping drum n bass to accompany the dance vocabulary of street moves, and helped to create an exciting, more easily accessible dynamic.

So those were the triumphs. The tragedy? A company which on last night’s showing has to be ticking every possible box in the bureaucratic quality assessment table for expected outcomes, inclusiveness, education and outreach, additionality, excellence, and all the other management-speak rubbish (I paraphrase out of regard for sensitive dispositions) has had its funding withdrawn by the Arts Council England. The money is, allegedly, required for the London Olympics. Words, for once, fail me.

[Even more disturbingly, they are far from alone, and the arts can expect plenty more grief to come as the 2012 juggernaut picks up steam – and let’s not forget the cash-eating potential of those Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – Ed.]

© Jennie Macfie, 2008

Links

• Union Dance