National Dance Company Wales comes to London with a double bill under the umbrella title Blue/Glas. Theo Clinkard’s Ordinary Courage is joined by a new work from Alesandra Seutin, Untamed in artistic director Bakani Pick-Up’s first curated programme.
Drawing on elements of human connection and grief, six dancers clad in what resembles practice clothes assemble on a white floor under harsh lights for Ordinary Courage.
Several routines are performed in silence. Others are bookended by blackouts which fall so often it is hard to connect with the choreographic intention. Clinkard’s purpose is to allow audience reflection on “the uneven terrain of grief the human need for connection and the potential for joy”, but a shorter, tighter piece would suffice.
The most engaging part is a somewhat ridiculous duet with a sleepy bear which contains no dancing whatsoever, and although a late sequence exploring the shape of loss is good, it comes after an interminable hour of piano, rain, and occasional squeaks.
Untamed, with the same dancers, is difficult to define. It has a black floor and lights which occasionally shine directly into the eyes of the audience while the movement takes place in a dark space off-centre.
Two dancers in vest and baggy shorts move in slo-mo like geriatric footballers or the 1920 Olympic runners in Chariots of Fire, eventually finding themselves in a group wearing numbered bibs. My take on this was that when we take the time to stand still, we can become part of a community.
The musical accompaniment ranges from the sound you hear at the start of a vinyl record to staccato notes and finally cacophony. The cumulative effect is not one that embraces experimentation, but something closer to boredom. Shakespeare’s quote from Macbeth can be adapted here: “a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing”.
Seutin positions the work as “a visceral work rooted in the human urge to run”. Sadly, looking around at the audience who were desperately trying to find a way in to this piece, some chose to bail early while others fidgeted and looked at their watches.
The dancers – notably Alys Davies and Riz Golden – are extremely committed and certainly talented. But the works do not fit together well, feel poorly designed, and leave us more frustrated than invested in the evening.
Sadly, 2 stars.
Blue/Glas continues at Sadler’s Wells East until 26 Sep.
For more on National Dance Company Wales, visit their website.
Photo credit: Jorge Lizalde (Ordinary Courage), Mark Douet (Untamed).