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Piccole Donne – TiDA BE Festival 2016 – Tuesday
***** THE BE Festival is an annual celebration
of European theatre and dance, where companies and audiences come
together in a creative hub at the Birmingham REP. In a weeklong festival,
performances from highly acclaimed companies from the continent are only
the highlight of the programme. The week includes workshops led by directors and
companies for audiences to get involved and learn about their process,
daily feedback sessions from the work that was seen the day before and
even an interval dinner on the REP’s main stage. This year, it is clear that there is a slightly
different atmosphere at the BE Festival. It is a treat that given the
political excitement that Britain is facing currently with its EU
Referendum, the BE Festival are right in the middle of the action. Walking around the BE Festival hub, there is an
exciting buzz from everyone and with strong conversations about hopes
for the future and the importance of art within Europe itself. Piccole Donne – TiDA
The first performance of the evening started with
the company who won last year’s festival. TiDA are an Italian dance
theatre company, merging character and movement to create unique
stories. The title of their performance has two
translations, ‘Little Women’ and ‘Good Wives’. This is exactly the
concept that the piece alluded to. In the sixty-minute performance, we
see three women characters and it later emerges that they are brides
waiting for their wedding day that never happens. The story is of womanhood told through dance,
looking at the traditions and expectations that women face as a whole.
TiDA looks at what happens when women break away from the pressures that
are sometimes forced unto them. The performance seems as if it is in two halves,
the first focuses on the concept of ‘chaos’. There is a humorous
commentary displayed upon a gauze that explains to us that it is ok if
we do not understand the meaning behind their piece in the first thirty
minutes or so, explaining that they ‘are talking about chaos’, after
all. The first half of the piece is set against a dark
backdrop and we can only make out the silhouettes of the three dancers
as they create interesting shapes and images that tells a story about
the chaos of their world as brides. The second part of the story is easier to follow.
The piece could well be described as ‘black comedy’. Each dancer takes
on the persona of a new bride whose groom does not show up. Their
wedding day is shared between them but only the brides themselves are in
attendance. The lights are brighter and we see a story emerge
of the brides without their husbands. Each bride has a different
reaction to their shared wedding. One being in a flustered panic because
none of the traditional items are present, such as the cake or sugared
almonds. This excitement is completely funny and only brings out the
chaos of the piece even more. Another is in complete desperation for her
husband to be there and breaks down in tears of utter desolation, but we
are distracted by the humorous flailing of the other bride to notice.
The last has no idea what to do and is merely an observer of the other
bride’s disbelief of nobody coming to their wedding. As well as the wonderful characterisation and
funny story telling, th Piccole Donne was an excellent start to the
festival and introduced everyone to the high quality art that BE has to
offer. Collective Loss of Memory – D0T504
The evening was contrasted by D0T504, from the
Czech Republic. Whilst TiDA looked at the views on women within society,
Collective Loss of Memory aimed to explore what it meant to be masculine
and the concepts around ‘manliness’. It was a hard hitting piece, especially at the
end of their performance. The audience were in fact warned about the use
of violence within the piece before it started and there was very good
reason for it. As the company presented their findings and exploration
into manhood and identity, D0T504 asked the question do we need to be
part of a group to feel superior and what happens to those who are
already part of a minority group. The piece is fast paced and physically inspiring.
The company is made up of five men who have created their own characters
within the piece. We start by seeing two men fighting and grappling each
other in high physical embraces. After this happens, they explain who
they are and their role within the group. There is a distinct hierarchy
and each man is fighting to be on top. They work together as they know
that they are stronger as a group, however they still try to maintain
their own individual identity. D0T504 are excellent all round performers. The on
stage performance is a mix between Capoeira and Parkour, giving the
audience a treat for the eyes with acrobatic sequences and highly
physical dances. They are also beautiful story tellers. In some moments
of the piece we see choral speeches taking place in which we understand
their motif behind their hard hitting story. At first they try to become the audience’s
friend, with charming persona’s and funny lines. Their excellent display
of dance is something to admire, however, their story is indeed very
serious. D0T504 have an excellent way of telling us that no matter how
friendly or open they seem, there is still a danger to fighting for
manhood and the pressures to be a typical man. The poignant ending was a reflection of this in
when, as the piece ended, the audience were so shocked at what was just
witnessed that there was a moment of silence for at least a minute
before applause. The respect for the company’s handling of the sensitive
content was extremely raw, and the mood was felt even when the audience
was leaving the auditorium. The BE festival runs to 25-06-16. Elizabeth Halpin 21-06-16
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three performers are excellent dancers. Through their movement, they
drive the story and allow the main concepts to be seen and felt with
their bodies and of course, it is helped by big costumes of bridal
dresses.