Silvia Gribaudi A corpo libero (Free Style)
Eva Recacha Story Lines
Alenka Herman Questions of Intimacy
Just when you think you've seen every dance move known to woman (or man), along comes Silvia Gribaudi with the comedy bingo wing. We may be early in the Resolution! run but the sight of Gribaudi wobbling her fleshy bicep right on the beat is already locked in as a personal highlight.
Morphing from hem-fiddling wallflower to stage-owning siren, Gribaudi's solo A corpo libero (free style) was a joy from start of finish. Expressing more with a shrug or a roll of the eyes than most manage with full-on limb-flinging, Gribaudi ran on the spot to Iggy Pop's The Passenger, chased a capricious spotlight and turned belly wobbling and breast jiggling into uplifting poetry. She owned the stage: A corpo libero was a speeded up DIY version of How To Look Good Naked, happily minus Gok Wan yelling ‘Go Girlfriend!'. This sister is doin' it for herself.
Where Gribaudi left you panting for more, Story Lines could have don with a tighter hand on the controls. Eva Recacha conjured bountiful heart and charm in a duet which charted the life of a love story in a few scratch edit language and movement phrases. And she was well served by Antonio de la Fe and Lola Maury, who imbued the lovers with tangible warmth. But they overstayed their welcome, too much repetition causing the story arc to lose momentum. A re-mix could reveal a minor gem.
Sadly struggling to get out - of the theatre - was the only viable response to Alenka Herman's navel-gazing Questions of Intimacy. Though it boasted some evocative film images, the quartet of performers in front of the screen never came close to matching them. The idea, according to the programme note, was the sharing of inner worlds. But the choreography was introverted doodles, the dancers wrapped in a cocoon of self-obsession.
Keith Watson
It's Friday night, the working week has drawn to a close and what better way to welcome the weekend and its various excesses than through Silvia Gribaudi's satirical solo of "the female condition," A corpo libero (free style)? Framed by a spotlight, Gribaudi pulls, tugs and wrenches at her decorative print lycra dress, adjusting and readjusting the garment in dissatisfaction. Sidelights illuminate a pathway across the centre stage, triggering a ridiculous and hysterical convulsion to Iggy Pop's The Passenger - a physical homage, perhaps, to the gyrating sexagenarian himself. Gribaudi depicts a parodical Friday night disco, with a knowing wink towards female vanity. Just when it seemed that she had sated the audiences thirst for humour, she strips to reveal a (not so itsy-bitsy) red bikini and proceeds to shake her limbs, buttocks, thighs (and breasts!) in perfect synch to the backing track.
On a more serious note Eva Recacha Garcia's choreography was executed with pitch perfect precision by her dancers Antonio de la Fe and Lola Maury. Combining verbal and physical dialogue, the duo regress and progress through the fragmented tale of a girl, a boy, and a line. Their performance, slipping between the movement and its attendant emotions with a light touch and fluidity, was both animated and poignant. Repetitive in places, the piece would have benefited from a little concision.
The third - and what felt like longest - addition to the evening was Alenka Herman's Questions of Intimacy. The programme notes stated that "the dancers share their inner worlds," yet as they crawl and navigate themselves across the floor with sloth-like pace, embroiled in self indulgent solos, they ceased to connect or "share" with either the audience, or each other. The piece began limply, with blurry, incomprehensible video projections, the unyielding monotone music supplying an equally painful audio experience. There were some elements to admire; the dancers were technically highly competent, though the restrictive nature of the piece failed to utilise these skills - thus, the dancing lapsed into mediocrity.
Fiona Campbell
Silvia Gribaudi, A corpo libero, photo Alvise Nicoletti
Eva Recacha, Story Lines
Alenka Herman, Questions of Intimacy