Lorna Irvine reviews a double bill from Dance International Glasgow.
Tamsyn Russell- Purging Suite #1 ***
New Zealand born dancer Tamsyn Russell's dark, gothic piece is inspired by re-birth, of assuming a new identity. Jemima Wilkinson, the American Quaker, recovered from typhoid and responded to another name. Russell's movements are feverish and sleek, with her lustrous Pre-Raphaelite mane of hair masking her face. There is a sense of unravelling, as Russell pulls a chord from her long black skirt. The ties which sever and bind emitting forth from her stomach. Occasionally she jolts as through fits.
Sarah Foster-Sproull's choreography is fine, if a little too reminiscent at times of 70s experimental practitioners like Lindsay Kemp.
For Now, I Am... ****
Marc Brew's haunting For Now, I Am... is almost too fragile to watch. A large sheet like an ocean engulfs Brew's prone body. Jamie Wardop's stunning projections ripple like aquatic patterns.
He is entirely covered, as with a shroud, before tentatively emerging. Referencing the car accident which changed him eighteen years ago, Brew's circular arm movements and gripping of his spine are heart-rending to observe, as though relearning his body, mapping the unfamiliar changes.
Yet he stands erect, defiant, gathering the entire sheet around him like a religious costume, before 'awakening' suspended by his feet.
An emotionally-charged, personal journey of incredible beauty. The ethereal soundtrack by Andrew Huggan and Claire McCue is also gorgeous.
Part of this year’s DIG Festival.
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