Picture: Christian Altorfer
Rising - Aakash Odedra
Birmingham Hippodrome
****
Renowned Dancer and Choreographer,
Aaakash Odedra returns to the birthplace of his Rising performance for
one last outing of this show of dance and light.
Created in 2011 in part cooperation from the
Birmingham Hippodrome and Dance Xchange, this personal journey of four
very distinct pieces plots the ascent of man and is homage to his
classical roots in South Asian dance.
Under the development guidance of Akram Khan,
Odedra saught the help of three leading choreographers and the talent of
several composers and lighting designers to help make this quartet of
solos performances.
It begins with Nritta, a bare and honest
display of Odedras homage to the heritage of his Indian classical dance
roots. It’s a frenetic piece that relies on his lightning speed in an
almost martial art display of power and stillness that serves as a
fitting warm up to the more staged and creative pieces that follow.
Next is, In the Shadow of Man, with
lighting by Michael Hulls and a throbbing electronic soundtrack by
Jocelyn Pook. The piece is a question of our supposed evolution from
animals, are we evolved or does that primal animal still within us?
Beginning crouched and with his back to us, Odedra uses his form to give
the impression of a dislocated unrecognisable body before evolving into
the guise of a variety of animal like movements.
He uses his body to move in a completely
organic, yet unnatural manner under a grid of golden down lights
that separate his form as he uses the entire stage. It’s a dawn of
time effect with Odedra calling out the odd primal scream to
punctuate the driving soundtrack.
The next two pieces elevate the dance to a
unique captivating display of movement and light. Chorographer
Russell Maliphant created Cut from Kathak movements,
knowing Odedras capability. A single thin strip of white downward
light creates a curtain that isolates his actions as if caught by a
strobe. Odedras speed and agility uses this to create visual effects
that seem to hang in the air. The lighting again by Michaels Hulls
alongside Andy Cowtons industrial droning soundtrack, create a
technical machine like precision to the performance.
The final piece, Constellation,
sees Odedras toying with a fascination of the planets. Created by
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, lighting by Willy Cessa and Music by Olga
Wojciechowska, this engaging gentle mix of spectacle has Odedra
under a stage of glowing orbs that seem to mystically fly off in
unconventional directions when he engages with each of them. It’s a
spiritual piece that reflects the light within and without us. He
final takes one light and both kills the others and revives them
with it with what seems like a farewell to some mysterious spiritual
energy.
It all began a decade ago for this
Leicester-based dancer and in that time his performance and dance
ability has clearly matured. This is the final curtain call for
Rising with only one other performance remaining and therefore is a
fitting end for Odedra to dance these mesmerising pieces in the
venue that saw their creation.
Jeff Grant
16-11-21
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