Tango for the 21st Century

The Dance of Life

 

Choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui promised to add a contemporary twist to the original influences of Argentine Tango, and delivered right from the start. An overhead screen introduced a melange of Traditional moves, then the spotlight switched to a couple centre-stage. Slow, measured, tempered passion; going through all the usual moves: the pulpo, octopus-like leg entanglements; gancho, leg hooked around the other's leg or body, only they do it all back-to-back: like a couple who've had a heated argument; able to stay in the same room, stay in the relationship, but not yet able to face each other. They argue, yes, that's a complicated dance at the best of times, but through various shifts and turns are able to come face-to-face; see eye-to-eye. Extraordinary: the perfect start. Tango is about power, relationship, passion, desire, raw emotion: the pulse and rhythm of life. Intensity. Complexity. Entanglements. Social binds.

 

 

On-Screen Relationships

 

So much of life now is screen-based. Witness the man absorbed in orchestrating his life, arms upraised like a conductor, re-arranging scenes from his life on the big screen: enlarging, shifting, swiping, deleting. Memories, history, the storyboard of life. We see it all, over his shoulder. Voyeurs. He has his back to us. Smartphones are jealous gods, they demand undivided attention. The Screen is just that: a cover for real life. It plays an important part in the performance: projections & shadows. Real dancers perform (compete?) with their projections: larger than life - they can almost steal the show. They distract, as projections do, They can even be more active than the figures they stem from, leaving them at a standstill. There's a divide between what's real & what's superficial image, and how the two can interface, or not. I was reminded of Fred Astaire's 'Shadow Dance' with a touch of Buzby Berkeley. It highlighted that uncomfortable breach in relationship where you're not entirely sure what's going on.

 

 

"It Takes Two to Tango..."

 

Well, the contemporary twist to that is acknowledging, it more than likely takes three: including an ex- in the pulpo entanglements; plus, the arrastre, body dragged along behind, or still wrapped around a partner. Or, in the more time-honoured tradition of affairs, up close and passionate, behind the back of the one of the 3 at any given time. Ouch. A clever, creative take on relationships. If you can get together at all, that is, which is also taken into account. The awkwardness of sitting on the side-lines while everyone else is paired off; being in the same city / same gathering, yet not quite able to connect. Or, being so self-absorbed, important signals and flirtatious cues are missed, whilst practicing social strategies: comic touches added by the Lucille Ball-like character trying to gain the attention of Mr. Bean. Tango is relationship; and as such, includes how we move in our environments; caught up in the busy-ness and rush of city-life, that invariably ends in isolation: the antithesis of Tango. 

 

 

A passionate tour de force, beautifully enhanced by the small band of on-stage musicians, and the distinctive accordion that is the natural partner to the Tango - it breathes! And moves together / apart, but never divided. I recognized some of the music from my Nuevo Tango CD. A wonderful evocation of all that is Tango; its roots & fruits. A triumph all round. Bravo!

Summit: A Peek Experience

In The Beginning Was The Light...

 

...well, there was 'Summit' the new 3-act experience created by Andy Smith, bringing enlightenment to the audience at The Spire, at Brighton Festival 2017; a story-within-a-story-within-a-story.  A meeting to which we were privy; coming together to discuss the crisis. What crisis? Imagine. There's always crisis, or impending crisis. What's important is collectively taking responsibility: risk assessment; preparation; contingency plans; back-up plans; talking; listening; understanding; negotiating; co-operating; fact-finding; solution-seeking....being ready should the lights go out. The lights go out. It's what they do repeatedly - in life; in this production. We need to be on the same page: speak the same language....Therein lies the problem.

 

 I Think He's Trying to Tell Us Something....

 

Fast forward 1,000 years; replay the same old story: history repeats itself. Go back 5 yrs; return to the present: it's amazing what we can be achieve in an hour, if we all set our minds to it. But it's a strange state of affairs when a story's animatedly recounted in sign language. The hearing among us, captivated, but totally in the dark about what was actually being said: an interesting vicarious experience. Point well made.

 

 

 

The same story, told in 3 different languages; one I couldn't even identify. Each story very eloquent expressed, but what of use is that if we 'don't speak the same language'? Words aren't enough; only understanding makes the difference, the 'in' that begins the necessary switch from 'in-difference'. The Tower of Babel myth is about the destructive consequence of global arrogance - they were unprepared when the lights went out: plunging the world into the darkness that lack of understanding brings.  

 

 

There's an evolution of language within the delivery: a little bit Janet-&-John; a little bit Gertrude Stein; syntax - shot to pieces in verbal strobe-effect speech. Audio-pointillism...dot-dot-dot. 'Your lips are moving, but....' Hesitancy. Choosing one's words carefully. Making sense. Getting our heads around the issue at hand - from every angle. Trying to read the signs. The signs are there....

 

The signs are always there. (Do you read me? Copy). Perspective. Getting the right angle on things: looking around; looking ahead; looking back. Being present (and correct). It's about time; and it's about time we paid attention; become more aware of the part we all play in taking responsibility for where we're at & where we're headed, so we can pre-empt & prevent potential future disaster(s). In the far future 'we are more'; it could be that we have, as was stated, better communication; education; understanding; trust; respect; less division; global & financial domination; hierarchy; privatisation; devastation; more or less.

 

The summit of the story is - the summit - where we all were collectively at that time; our being present; meeting together. Experiencing enlightenment. The world is, in effect one big summit meeting, where we don't all speak the same language. But, just think, if we could rewind time - go back - 5 years - start again. Correct any mistakes; any mis-takes. Get it right. Learn from the past. Learn what we can now - Now before the lights go - !

 

Summit is Now. Summit is Current. Summit, like history, like a bad dream, repeats itself, until we 'get it'. Summit is a clever summation of the part we ourselves play in the process of 'getting it' - our collective responsibility to wake up & 'get' the message our messes can teach us. We're all in it together: times we're in the dark; times we're more enlightened. Theory, posturing, mouthing words, paying lip-service, going through the motions: none of that's enough. We need comprehension, lived understanding: lightbulb moments!

 

 Final photo: Andy Smith talking with Louise Blackwell - co-director of Fuel - the company that produced 'Summit'

 

 

 

Agamemnon - Dishing the Dirt

 A Dish Served Cold - in the House of Atreus

 

Ever seen those picture menus you get in some Chinese restaurants to make things easier? Just so, if you find it hard to get your head round the finer details of your average Greek Tragedy you can be pretty sure you'll see: Lust, War, Seduction; Betrayal, Blood, Rape...you get the picture. Even without any prior knowledge of the original play by Aeschylus, you'd be in no doubt it begins with unspeakable horror, superbly conveyed by Henry Touray, in the powerful opening scene of Windmill Young Actors presentation of Steven Berkoff's 'Agamemnon'. Forget knives & being 'carved up' in the traditional sense; here revenge is served in spoonfuls: a sorry mess of cruelty Atreus cooks up for the Thyestes, who took his wife as his 'bit on the side'. Welcome to the ancient Greek world of dog-eat-dog; insatiable sexual appetite & the lust for Revenge. The cast play on the Kali motif to great effect: spoons raised.....

 

For Starters....

Take 2 children, chop, slice, batter & boil. then serve in a bowl to daddy. This seemed to satisfy the cook, Atreus's need for revenge, but exacted a generational curse for his own family's bloodline. Hardly surprising, sick things like that don't go down easily; hard to stomach, it sticks in one's craw: we see Thyestes fishing out of his mouth 'the little nail with the moon still rising...' Cue: ptsd, ancient-Greek-style: everything heightened; flashbacks; bitter reflux. The trouble is - no-one ever seems satisfied with what's on their own plate; they're greedy for what the other man has, a curse in itself, but when that kind of hunger is satisfied by poaching, i.e. trespassing on someone else's estate, helping yourself to their 'bird' - 'fair game' - you're asking for trouble. The Greeks & Stephen Berkoff 'do' trouble really well: graphic. The cast delivered: a visceral take-out. 

 

Main Course: Dish of the day

In the 60s a woman might be described as 'a real dish' - probably wasn't much different back in the time of - ever! Helen is posh totty. Paeans of praise in her favour provided much needed light relief - sweet; a little something whipped up & served on a bed of supporting admirers with an ample garnish of long tresses & adulation (Tournay again - falsetto!). Just her name is enough to create a stir. Helen/Zoe holds the pose & plays hot pin-up. unattainable, yet, ahem, filched. Agamemnon's mission - to steal her back: woman as prized commodity as usual. each scene flows smoothly on.

 

 You say tomatoes....

Sorbet-moments; sweet contrasts. Champagne bubbles - or fizzy cava. There'll always be cheap knock-offs: lookey-likey almost but-not-quite-the-real-deal, but if you need to fill the gap that money or power can't supply... Helen's 'Vogue' & is supported, literally, on the backs of her people (cast members as chaise-longue); Clytemnestra's more 'Hallo! Magazine'. More, cut-price, off-the-peg, a little bit past her sell-by date, if Agamemnon's anything to go by. Left for 10 years? Hmmm - that doesn't usually go down well. Desire can't be switched off; unfortunately the replacement has his own agenda, that old chesnut: revenge. Aegisthus steps in when Agamemnon steps out. Who he? Well, he was the son of Thyestes, you know, the guy made to eat his own babies served up by Clytemnestra's husband. Ooops! Aegisthus's  interest is not just in pussy, but making of her a willing cat's paw - for his own ends. 

A bad case of wind

Caraway seeds are the traditional way; the stuff baby's gripe water is made of; why they're added when cooking cabbage. But, different courses for Trojan horses, Agamemnon much preferred sacrificing his daughter to the Goddess Artemis to get the right kind of wind for his ships. Ambition, victory, power, military gain at any price. Bitter reflux. Again.

 

Making a meal of it: War

Every day - a battle: between the sexes; between territories; opposing gains/losses yada yada. Everyone dressed for battle as a matter of course, in combats/ battle fatigues, emphasis on fatigue. The War Correspondent / Greek Chorus, George Jasper Kelly, did a great job as Shakespearean style clown-commentator: imagine Lee Evens giving a blow by blow account of proceedings on the battle field. Indeed.

 

The Bill: Final Reckoning

The cost of it all - human lives lost. Dignity lost. Short-term gains. Lost hope. What actually is worth fighting for when it comes down to it? Steven Berkoff has said he wrote this play to 'exorcise certain demons struggling within me to escape.' Those demons might be the curse of cultural programming passed down from generation to generation, or the lust for greater power, prestige, respect. Sexual appetite, or the hunger for attention, affection, love that can't be fully satisfied. Left unchecked the result is a bloodbath. Who picks up the tab? Who pays the price. Gratuities aren't enough. Someone must  pay. Tall order. Great service!

 

Satisfaction guaranteed

Truth is things can be very simple if you really boil it down. Head Chef Tanushka Marah should feel rightly proud of the production her so solid crew presented at Brighton Fringe Festival 2017. Not the most appetising of subjects to tackle & surely difficult to prepare, but served with great relish.  So much was achieved with the most minimal props: white sheet; long red cloth & not much else: very neatly wrapping up Iphegenia's being bound by her father's trade-off with deft use of said sheet. Excellent use of music, mime, lighting & evident passion: Clytemnestra's tears - real, not fake. The death of Cassandra at the end was a tour de force of staging: suitably shocking & dramatic. I was happy to learn  the cast were so hyped with the play they're reading Steven Berkoff's other works in their own time. All aged between 17-21 they attend regular after-school drama classes as part of Windmill Young Actors; Morwenna since the age of 8. A good team: all highly talented & dedicated. I look forward to anything else they might do in future. 

 

Look out for:

 

Helen of Troy: Zoe Alexander

Agamemnon: Jonny Davidson

Chorus: Sarah Elliott 

Herald: George Jasper Kelly

Iphegenia: Phoebe Owen

Cassandra: Cerys Salkeld-Green

Clytemnestra: Morwenna Silver

Aegisthus: Henry Touray

 

 and: Tanushka Marah

 

http://windmillyoungactors.com/