Tuesday 25th February 2014 at the Terry O’ Toole
Theatre
Riots & Men on a
Mission review
Taken from
their Facebook page Southpaw Dance Company create relevant, thought-provoking, and affective
hip hop dance theatre. As an
audience member we were invited to witness their latest work Riots & Men on a Mission presented
as a double bill. The group lead under the artistic direction of Robby Graham
(also a dancer for Bad Taste Cru) performed alongside three other male artists
and one female. The first performance Men
on a Mission featured all four male artists dressed in smart/casual wear –
trousers, smart shirt and socks. Before the piece I had no idea as to what
either of the performances would entail and so my imagination was left to run
wild. In relation to the style of the piece, I was told to expect Hip Hop fused
with contemporary based elements. As a developing artist I was very keen to see
what they would produce.
The movement was wonderfully executed and juxtaposed, in some ways, the way conventional Hip Hop (in particular B Boying) is often expressed with pace and sharpness. Southpaw however managed to delve deep into was is clearly a broad understanding of release-based form and free flowing movement. We were able to really capture each performer’s intent and emotion. The stage opened with all four performers present of stage facing the audience – we were introduced immediately and so a clear connection was made.
As the piece developed I, as I’m sure many other audience members did, were able to identify exactly what the piece was specifically about. One moment which made this quite noticeable was when the female performer stepped onto stage, pulled the belt from a male performer’s trousers and began to use the belt as a tightening aid often associated with a method to take drugs. It could also be claimed that the movement itself at times, often very loose and appeared as if uncontrollable, could also been a relation to drugs and alcohol misuse. Although many may ponder over the controversial narrative behind this performance I still feel it was brave and important for the company to address such current and problematic issues very common within our society. Overall I found the movement to be beautifully theatrical, crisply executed, dynamic and very innovative.
The movement was wonderfully executed and juxtaposed, in some ways, the way conventional Hip Hop (in particular B Boying) is often expressed with pace and sharpness. Southpaw however managed to delve deep into was is clearly a broad understanding of release-based form and free flowing movement. We were able to really capture each performer’s intent and emotion. The stage opened with all four performers present of stage facing the audience – we were introduced immediately and so a clear connection was made.
As the piece developed I, as I’m sure many other audience members did, were able to identify exactly what the piece was specifically about. One moment which made this quite noticeable was when the female performer stepped onto stage, pulled the belt from a male performer’s trousers and began to use the belt as a tightening aid often associated with a method to take drugs. It could also be claimed that the movement itself at times, often very loose and appeared as if uncontrollable, could also been a relation to drugs and alcohol misuse. Although many may ponder over the controversial narrative behind this performance I still feel it was brave and important for the company to address such current and problematic issues very common within our society. Overall I found the movement to be beautifully theatrical, crisply executed, dynamic and very innovative.
The
second performance of the double bill named Riots
still encapsulated the overall style of the company but expressed a very
different narrative. Throughout this performance in particular the company used
small LED lights to provide a very powerful lighting display which nicely
complimented the performer’s intent. Having such little light meant the
audience had to really focus and stay attached to a certain point for longer.
The company cleverly allowed us as audience members to make snapshots of specific moments within the piece – very powerful! The piece featured several unison sections often initiated by use of cannon or certain motifs. The individuality of each performer was delightful to witness and this was often expressed with the form of B Boying; exciting turns, careful weight distribution as well as catching/falling stunningly into the floor or other performer’s bodies.
In terms of a theme I believe it to have been centered around the current evolution of technology and how society is becoming ever more reliant on it. At one point the performers used the LED lights as a demonstration of a mobile phone, the audience could partially see the faces of the performers but the focus was very much on their hands and twiddling of thumbs to suggest that of a mobile device. The mood throughout was soft and gentle compared to that of the first one, it was much more intimate. Overall Riots was choreographed with detail and raw emotion which could be argued that they sought out to target and speak out about political and conformed social trends. We hope those who have witnessed their worked enjoyed it as much as we did. Please join us in supporting Southpaw by visiting their website, Facebook page and/or Twitter account.
The company cleverly allowed us as audience members to make snapshots of specific moments within the piece – very powerful! The piece featured several unison sections often initiated by use of cannon or certain motifs. The individuality of each performer was delightful to witness and this was often expressed with the form of B Boying; exciting turns, careful weight distribution as well as catching/falling stunningly into the floor or other performer’s bodies.
In terms of a theme I believe it to have been centered around the current evolution of technology and how society is becoming ever more reliant on it. At one point the performers used the LED lights as a demonstration of a mobile phone, the audience could partially see the faces of the performers but the focus was very much on their hands and twiddling of thumbs to suggest that of a mobile device. The mood throughout was soft and gentle compared to that of the first one, it was much more intimate. Overall Riots was choreographed with detail and raw emotion which could be argued that they sought out to target and speak out about political and conformed social trends. We hope those who have witnessed their worked enjoyed it as much as we did. Please join us in supporting Southpaw by visiting their website, Facebook page and/or Twitter account.
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