|
|
|
|
|
|
Dragons Birmingham Hippodrome ***** In a half century of theatre reviewing I can honestly say I have seen nothing like Dragons. It is hard to decide if it is an assault on the senses or a celebration of them, with acclaimed South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn almost becoming a Samuel Beckett like figure in creating what could be described as dance of the absurd. As modern living make the world smaller the wealth of cultures that emerge make it richer and Dragons brings its own fusions of street dance, circus tumbling and acrobatics and elements of traditional Asian dance and movement to the stage, all performed with meticulous precision and vibrant athleticism by the real . . . and sort of real dancers. Sort of being the high tech wizardry that gave us six hologram dancers on a stage filling scrim to augment the seven live dancers on stage, with Eun-Me Ahn herself making a solo appearance which portrayed both her philosophy and her way of creating dance. The live dancers and often giant video holograms from Taeseok Lee mirrored each other at times. At times told different stories and in a finale created a single developing . . . what could only be described as a clapping dance. The technique created a surreal combination of real and imaged dancers as well as an overlay of video images which added a new dimension of interest to this remarkably inventive dance piece. The one thing missing, at least to Western eyes, is dragons. Dragons is perhaps an odd title as there are none to be seen but dragons have deep meaning in Asian culture. Not so much in here, where we have Puff, the magic one, and the legend of St George who killed one, while the Welsh have y Ddraig Goch, the red dragon on their flag, and that’s about it. In Asian culture dragons are associated with life, with water, winds, rain, good fortune, good health, in some cultures revered as Gods, and while the performance is abstract, with no narrative, it creates themes, feelings of happiness, joy, overcoming difficulties and the like which in Asian eyes would be seen in the symbolism of dragons. To Western eyes it perhaps seems a little disordered, even muddled at times, but everything is done with such energy and invention with changes coming so quickly that you are carried along with the flow, which is almost a torrent at times. And everything is done to the pulsating score from Young-Gyu Jang which mixes pop and electronic techno music with some Asian themes for an eclectic mix. The music might not be familiar but it is worth remembering South Korean pop has exploded into the west in the current century. Added to the mix are walls of draped, silver, flexible tubes, the sort you see in industrial ventilation set ups and collections of them like giant Slinkys used as props. Lighting from Jinyoung Jang adds to the drama and there are some fascinating creations using two dancers to create a single figure – quite brilliantly inventive. The result is a world of magical creative fantasy, visually dramatic and performed with changes of pace from frantic to serene, fusing tradition, invention and contemporary dance into . . . and that is where the problem comes. Whatever it is it is though, dance of the absurd or whatever, it is certainly impressive and dares to be different. To 26-03-25. Roger Clarke 25-03-25 |
|
|
|
