Lorna Irvine reviews Ultimate Dancer's latest.
Louise Ahl, aka Ultimate Dancer, is as much about theory, concept and provocation as creator of movement.
So her latest project, Holy Smoke, is part soundscape, part shamanic ritual. And sadly, tonight, there are a few walkouts from those not willing to give it a chance. Their loss.
She and her robe-clad crew (Jer Reid, Fritz Welch, Divina Kneist and Rachel Gammon) sing, loop the voices, whirl endlessly into an ecstasy, bang big fuck off gongs and play with ideas of hippy rock star appropriation, purification and transcendence. And there's lots of smoke and pyrotechnics.
It takes a while to hit its stride, but is atmospheric, cheekily humorous, and (ultimately) mesmerising. But you have to bear with it.
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