The Past is a Foreign Country
Review of PAST & FUTURE by Eliot Smith Dance
‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’ – L.P Hartley, The Go Between.
Eliot Smith Dance’s PAST & FUTURE opens with a brief but delightful trip to 1964, in the form of Paul Taylor’s DUET. The 7-minute duet is a fantastic example of American Modern dance, with a focus on shape and line, set to Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ”. Dancers Rowan Parker and Yamit Salazar cope tremendously well with challenging choreography; their technical skill and high level of rehearsal is evident with each shift of direction, extended leg, quivering foot. There are some lovely quirky moments, especially the partnering, and the natural lighting originally by Jennifer Tipton and recreated by Elliot Nelson provides a gentle warmth to match the tone of the choreography.
Photograph by Fabrice Herrault
The dancers accept a well-earned applause, and it seems a shame that it’s over so quickly. Catapulted into the future, HUMAN opens with Yamit Salazar curled on a small podium, the open back of his black costume revealing a pulsating torso. His posture calls to the past, to Martha Graham, but the hiss-groan of electronic sound and glow of orange light places us firmly in the future.
Pulsing turns to gagging, a voice strangled in his throat, Yamit rises gradually from his plinth, like an island surrounded by darkness. Adam Johnson’s cinematic score creates high drama and tension, though the choreography doesn’t quite reach this level yet. There is a definite urgency as the dancer ventures downstage, tense and writhing, and his level of physical control is engaging to watch. As a performer Yamit gives 100% commitment to every moment, perfectly on the music, athletic and detailed. The stripped-back choreography leaves space for questions, and as the first vignette comes to a close my curiosity is definitely piqued.
The second section of the work disrupts the building energy somewhat, with an onstage costume change that feels slightly out of place leading to a slower, more theatrical second act. The soundscape is less cohesive, with jarring changes of volume and tone invoking a sense of chaos, which contradicts Yamit’s softer, more pedestrian movement. There is a sense of learning, exploring, discovering, with a refreshing introduction of facial expression that takes the piece in a new direction.
Photograph by Will Allen
With another costume change, this time donning a body warmer and cargo pants, we enter act 3 and the choreographic language totally transforms again. This section is filled with recognisable stylistic references – voguing, disco, house, jazz - I am again struck by the dancer’s full-bodied commitment, but there is a sense that the choreography falls short of the performer’s capabilities.
An enlightening Q&A with the Company helped to give context to some of the choreographic choices in HUMAN, as well as highlighting the depth of embodied learning that went into restaging DUET. Whilst the two works couldn’t have been more different in their movement language, they both explore what it is to be human; to love, to live, to learn, whilst also emphasising how much dance has evolved since 1964. The double bill struck the right balance of being thought-provoking without alienating the audience, and the skill of both dancers made for an entertaining and engaging evening.
PAST & FUTURE will continue its tour across the North East and to London:
I found this an engaging, enjoyable and informative read. Pagan clearly knows a lot about dance and uses some historical references, which gives the review more depth. Her writing shows great insight and she brought the performances to life, with detailed description of what was happening on stage. I also thought the photography very good, adding much to the writing....................Dave S.
Another great post. X