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Evolving into the light
Sideways Rain
Birmingham Hippodrome
**** INTERNATIONAL
Dance Festival Birmingham continued by blending South America and
Europe. Brazilian choreographer Guilherme Botelho's Geneva-based Alias
performed one of his latest works
Sideways Rain. The hour long piece sees 16 dancers move in
synchronised precision across the stage from left to right. And in doing
so they evolve from crawling along the ground to running. Many of the initial movements look awkward and
uncomfortable as the dancers launch themselves slowly, moving on all
fours across the stage, one after the other, Gradually over the next hour the figures change,
they roll, they turn, they fall and they rise until, by the end of the
show they are standing and running. It is a kind of evolution of
movement which reflects those drawings we all studied in school where
humans gradually develop from animal to person. This is underlined by the closing scenes. Once
the dancers are on two legs they can walk and run across the stage.
Carrying lengths of string with them, they create a cross-cross illusion
in which the bodies and the bright light of the cord become confused. Once the stage is partly obscured by so many
lengths of string, the cast shed their clothes and continue to run at
full tilt between the lines in a display of pure physical energy. The performance depends on the strength, control
and physical endurance of the cast. Much of the movement is painfully
slow but at other times it breaks out into a fast pace. And they are no
sooner off stage right than they are back on stage left. There seems to
be no moment for them to pause and catch breath. This is also the case for the audience. The
motion is relentless and yet its sheer repetition has a power to
hypnotise us so that we can simply sit back and watch. The electronic music created by Murcof and Pablo
Beltran Ruiz is perfectly paced to the dance and has a similar blend of
languor and urgency. Jean-Philippe Roy's strong lighting is an
integral part of the action, highlighting movement and forcing the eye
to certain places at certain times. In fact at moments its harsh light
and the rapid movements of the dancers cause the actual bodies to blur
into a whirl of white light so that you are losing track of what is
body, what is movement and what is the spectre left behind. Sideways Rain may not have pulled in the biggest
crowds at the Hippodrome, a risky prospect for a launch event at the
theatre, but it certainly gave those at the performance plenty to talk
about. Over the next four weeks the city will be packed
with choreographers and companies from across the globe bringing a range
of all forms of dance to venues and the streets. Many performances are
free outdoor events aimed at all ages. For full details of the programme
see www.idfb.co.uk
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