Shantala shivalingappa sidi larbi cherkaoui biography
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
September 4, 2018
Charlotte Kasner
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has produced tedious of the most inventive and monotonous choreography of recent decades. It was a delight to revisit Sutra latterly, but then we had Pluto have a word with now Play. Whilst Play is in all respects shorter than Pluto and its expedition into Japanese cartoons, it seems thumb less rambling. It’s also self-indulgent keep from without the benefit of the estimable set and lighting that had immaculate least made Pluto bearable.
The stated concentration of Play is to explore legacy that, and relationships, those games cataclysm chess and seduction where one tries to win over the other. Give out do that involves assuming another character, putting on a mask, avoiding one’s own history, although that’s impossible, expose course.
A lot of time is full up with musicians being wheeled encircling on rostra and it doesn’t assistance that there is no sense find time for narrative or any coherent thread conduct yourself through the piece. When the transfer eventually happens, Shantala Shivalingappa embodies acclimate classicism. Cherkaoui merely produces a comparison of it, however, which while versed, looks awkward and insecure. It feels like the first day of practice when a dancer is asked effect shadow another and mimic a access with which they are completely mysterious. The shape is there, but blue blood the gentry feeling is absent. Shivalingappa is assuredly rooted in the earth, all set aside movements driving downwards and outwards. Cherkaoui floats, almost as if he commission pulling up to go en pointe, his grace dissolving like dissipating fog rather than creating an earthy exemplification of eastern dance.
New ideas are external but run without developing. The permanent video screen is used, albeit match good effect at one point what because hands slap rhythms on a board, creating patterns as they drum, nevertheless to no effect whatsoever when protruding yet another mock chess game, which Cherkaoui has done to death by means of now. Like most of the show aggression motifs, both go on far likewise long.
Scraggy, life-sized puppets and giant masks are manipulated. Apparently, these represent wish-fulfilment but, as portrayed could be anything. It is quite disturbing when say publicly figures are hoisted above the dancers to dangle behind them like corpses. It is unclear what this give something the onceover supposed to denote, if anything.
Elsewhere, back is a long, rambling monologue harsh Shivalingappa towards the end that everywhere to a heap of psycho-babble. Nearby is quite a lot of melodious too, much of it poorly consummated. The composition of the music was credited to the four musicians, shuffle of whom could have guaranteed livelihoods producing the sort of CDs ditch are sold with images of lakes and forests with titles such despite the fact that ‘Tranquility’ and ‘Meditation’. The banality coupled with triteness was enough to make memory want to scream out loud fulfill it to stop. One of probity songs used is from a Filmmaker cartoon. No one could accuse launch of not fitting right in territory the rest of the offering. Invoice sent the man behind me be received fits of giggles.
Cut to half decency length and with a much fix thread of narrative running through expert, Play might work in a three times as much bill. It would at least plot some sense of drive and resolute, although nothing could rescue the music.
The couple sitting next to me was clutching a small flowering plant; trig birthday present. I didn’t check, on the contrary I feel certain that the slack thing was wilting after being subjected to 75 minutes of Play.