Claire Croizé 
Blowing-up 

Claire Croizé opened the piece in silence as a relentless whirlwind of movement, persistent and unremitting, eventually slowing to purposefully expose fatigue and introduce abrupt but beautiful spinning forms. Occasionally stopping to put on layers of winter coats, then removing them once again. The emotions evoked by “Blowing-up” were of anguish, struggle and obsession. Accompanied by the distant sound of music, the noise of feet, and lurching falls; beautiful cataclysmic shapes were perfectly paralleled by intensifying white noise. One disturbing, mesmerising highlight was a sequence with continuously shaking head. Her movements were tight but relaxed, creating a sense of detachment throughout the piece which heightened the feeling of being exposed. Kafkaesque in its extreme physical embodiment of the search for oneself and the sometimes nauseating battle with discovery. This was a tour de force.

Naked Fish Productions 
Fugue for a Furnished Flat  

Fugue for a Furnished Flat was a stylish and quirky parody of a mismatched couple, with a choral surprise amidst the audience. The woman neurotically demanding the mans attention. The man rejecting her, to play cards, but also wanting her to perform for the audience. When they did dance they were wonderful. He began alone watched by her, absorbed by himself, entertainingly speeding up with the music. Then both together, face to face but far apart, at times mirroring one another, at others, following. Him jumping to be held by her; later he drops her and she falls. Some moments were funny, others beautiful to watch, but there was no coherent whole and I am really not sure what it was all about.

In Our Own Company 
Aftermath 

The stage was delimited by two tables with laptops, other equipment emanating sampled electronic music, and a piano. Dylan Elmore began alone, developing a vocabulary of movements characterised by a disjointed continuum of undulating rhythms and open forms. Then Gildas Diquero replaced him with softer movements and lines, snapping out but always brought back into himself. Accompanied by unsettling voices talking of shifting appearances, locked doors and stealing objects containing memories. The piece culminated in both dancers joining together, interacting whilst keeping their distinct identities. With careful, intertwined twists and harsher moments of escalating violence, the dynamic between the two shifted between sensual and soft, and hurtful and aggressive. Dylan Elmore is one of the most free and expressive dancers I have ever had the privilege of watching. Coupled with Gildas Diquero’s intricate choreography and dancing, “Aftermath” was subtle, complex and compelling.