Very Demure, Very Mindful: Occupational Hazard handles a sensitive subject with expert care and laugh-out-loud humour.
Review of ACCA Dance Theatre at The Arts Centre, Washington.
“Just snap your fingers, and we’ll bend over backwards to satisfy.”
Is there anything more demurely feminine than air hostessing? Service with a smile and a tight fitting skirt; on this ACCA Airways flight we are greeted by Becky and Linda, whizzing about with a giddy yet graceful energy, arms floating at their sides, toes pointed, heads poised.
The cosy performance space at the Arts Centre Washington has been transformed into a fuchsia frenzy; a large curtain in the centre, a row of folding chairs, all manor of luggage items (including giant inflatable flamingos and a set of skis) and a wheeled trolley for the all-important drinks and snacks.
Becky and Linda tidy up and introduce us to their world. A world, much like many others, where men crack jokes and women laugh nervously. Where women in service are undressed with the eyes, subjected to “accidental” or “friendly” touching, and are forced to smile through the inappropriate “compliments”.
Image by Solomon Charles-Kelly.
This insidiousness arises gradually, with the duo deftly relaxing the audience into a false state of security through excellent physical comedy, slick choreography and entertaining scriptwriting (Julie Burrow). I had almost forgotten what the show was really about, too busy enjoying the fun playing out in front of me, until the gut-punch arrived.
Red lights pulsing, a ringing in the ears - we are blindsided the way Becky is. This is the most accurate representation of assault and its aftermath I’ve ever seen on stage, not relying on realism or gory details, but with a clever use of sound (Will Hearne), light (Mark Baker), and simple staging, we feel all the pain and shock that poor Becky does.
Performers Charlotte Arnold and Anna Cabré-Verdiell Bosch shift their physicality with impressive precision, to bring emotion and intention to the forefront, saying with their bodies what they can’t with words. Tremors of repressed rage building to a full-bodied thrashing, a stifled sob wrings through the spine. The dance seems to swell and escape as a natural consequence of their feelings, never forced or over-choreographed, but still utilising all their facility as skilled dancers.
With an expert handle on the storytelling, Linda somehow steers us back into the surreal comedy, now a lawyer beseeching us, the jury, to question “Not how this happened… But WHY it keeps happening.”
Despite the energy flagging slightly in the final 20 minutes, and some less-than-enthusiastic audience participation, the show ends on a high as we are roused into battle, bringing us perfectly back around to the absurd, lighthearted energy we opened with. This balance of humour with hard-hitting emotional punch is the result of ACCA Dance Theatre’s skilful use of physical theatre, allowing them to deal with an incredibly sensitive topic in a unique, entertaining and emotive way.
Occupational Hazard continues its tour to:
Slung Low Leeds - Saturday 28th September
Edge Theatre - Saturday 19th October
Colchester Arts Centre - Wednesday 13th November
Website: www.accadancetheatre.com