Company of “Echoes of In Between”, Photo provided by the company
ProArteDanza presents Echoes of In Between, a programme of two works that share striking aesthetic and thematic similarities. The first, A Moment to Settle, choreographed by Métis artist Jera Wolfe, is a duet performed by Jake Poloz and Eleanor van Veen. Set to Keaton Henson’s melancholic, meditative score, two figures gesture frantically in isolation before coming together in a series sensual, relentless entanglements. They seem to climb about each other, their entwining interactions low-key acrobatic, fluid and contained.
I am especially fond of the way moments of silence draw our attention to the performers’ laboured breathing, inviting us into the intimacy of the moment and the perceptible impact of physical exertion.
Noah Fever’s monochrome lighting is a key aesthetic aspect. He creates an evocative atmosphere around the performers without the use of colour, instead fixing our attention on the position, angle and scope of white light. Sometimes backlit by a single high spotlight, the performers and their movements are thrown into relief.
This lighting concept continues in the second work, Robert Glumbek and Roberto Campanella’s reworking of their acclaimed In Between. Featuring eight dancers (Poloz, van Veen, Sasha Ludavicius, Connor Mitton, Willem Sadler, Petra Toop, Carleen Zouboules, Marilyn Lula) and an eclectic array of music, it is an exhilarating piece that feels epic in scope.
A series of intriguing dynamics occur amongst the performers as each segment requires them to negotiate frequent tonal shifts. Erotically charged moments between pairs suddenly turn antagonistic or erupt into exhilarating communal events. In some well-integrated meta incidents, the dancers acknowledge the performance itself.
Two large cushioned blocks are a featured element as the performers climb, topple and get squashed between them. The interactions with these blocks are some of my favourite moments, innovative and playful. In one particularly hilarious bit, all eight of them precariously trample about the top of these massive props, arms and legs akimbo as they scramble for balance, individually and as a collective unit.
This tension between individuals, groupings and the whole is a crucial element. They bicker and encourage and compete. Sometimes their dialogue is audible and specific, sometimes it is an amorphous cacophony. Throughout, the piece retains a compelling momentum, a sense of impulsive and purposeful intensity I found quite thrilling.
Echoes of In Between
running November 8 to 10, 2024
Fleck Dance Theatre (207 Queens Qau West, 3rd floor)
running time: 80 minutes (no intermission)
Company of “Echoes of In Between”, Photo provided by the company