Hope and human struggle – new dance made now
For six weeks, 81 emerging UK dance artists showcased their works at The Place, one of London's prominent stages for Contemporary Dance. Running from January 12th until February 22nd, Resolution 2018 was an eclectic and surprising window into what dance artists are creating, what they are inspired by and interested in, and how they are moving today.
Now at its 29th year, Resolution was created so to offer the place and time for emerging choreographers and dancers to create original work. The programme gives the opportunity for these artists to learn from industry professionals through supportive and practical workshops while developing their very own work which is then presented to the public in the format of a festival. The selection of participants is not based on a style or genre; the only requisite is that each project puts forward an 'idea'. Artists come from all kinds of performative, dance and artistic backgrounds such as contemporary dance, circus, hip hop and performance art.
No longer than 25 minutes each, the performances were clustered in groups of three. Genres mixed, purposefully and productively confusing or influencing each other, giving an open idea of what dance and movement can be. We had the chance to catch the very last night of the festival with performances by Stasis, Christina Dionysopoulou and EDIFICE Dance Theatre.
The Sedate by Stasis. Photo by Daniel Cook
The first part of our Resolution evening begun with The Sedate by female quartet Stasis. Led by a mix of electronic notes, Aniela Piasecka, Olivia Norris, Isabel Palmstierna and Paloma Proudfoot explored contemporary femininity. Originally made for an outdoor space, The Sedate creates a female-centred communication where bodies and objects are meshed in a ritualistic dance. Catch this interactive group at Glasgow International 2018 in April performing in and around a public swimming pool as part of the Social Event series.
Stigma by Christina Dionysopoulou. Photo by Ezra Owen
Christina Dionysopoulou Stigma's felt like a metamorphosis in a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' style. Hip hop dancer Jonadette Carpio embodied the choreographer's personal experience of female discrimination, encouraging us to reject gender barriers in the dance world. Jonadette is a professional dancer of Krump, a very young type of street dance born in the afro-american neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, often danced in groups similar to break dance. I was amazed by her elastic and distorted facial movements expressing all the anger and struggle that a 'stigma' brings. Stigma develops from the duo's understanding of Krumping as a possibility for creating a movement that is both feminine and masculine. Could Krump dance work as the basis for creating a whole new type of movement?
Tenome - eyes on hand by EDIFICE Dance Theatre. Photo-by-Olya-Glotka
The last performance, Tenome - eyes on hand, beautifully closed the night. EDIFICE Dance Theatre presented their new project using light and shade to create space and shapes which rhythmically revealed and hid the four dancers. A beautiful and experimental hybrid of contact dance and ballroom that I hope to see again in London.
The 'tenome' is a mythical creature derived from Japanese urban legend whose eyes are embedded into the palm of its hands. The dancers use the idea of 'touching through seeing' and vice versa of 'seeing through touching' to explore a different kind of connection between humans. The tribal and intense music combined to the nude-coloured costumes gave a post-apocalyptic feel. Have a sneak peek at the performance below.
Resolution 2018
January 12th - February 22nd
The Place, 17 Duke's Road, London WC1H 9PY, UK
Partnered with Jacksons Lane, Artists4Artists, Rambert and Grad-Lab Dance Development Project supported by The Point who will each co-present companies throughout the season.
