Burble, burble, snooze…

Carol Brown Dances
SeaUnSea
Dance Umbrella 2006 (I)
Friday 13 October, Siobhan Davies Studios

SeaUnSea is a collaboration between choreographer Carol Brown and architect Mette Ramsgard Thomsen. The piece has grand aspirations emerging from a subtle concept. Understated fluid and serene choreography for three dancers evokes the drifting movement and interplay of creatures and plantlife beneath the waves whilst shadowy images of the dancers are simultaneously projected onto two video screens, one suspended from the undulating ceiling of the Siobhan Davies’ roof studio and one as a backdrop. The dancers’ movement triggers computer generated, constantly shifting patterns which emanate organically around them accompanied by a calming sub-aquatic soundscape.

All you really need to know about this is that I keep dozing off throughout. Very nice dance when it happens and nice relaxing swooshing sea type soundtrack and pretty visuals but oh, yawn…

The digital technology involved is impressive and quite captivating to watch. Shifting sands and rolling waves seem to ebb and flow around the shadowy figures but the effect is to distract from, rather than complement, the actual dance performance. It is difficult to experience both at the same time with any perspective.

Billed as a cyclical and interactive installation experience it was also disappointing that the division between performance and audience interaction time was clearly delineated and linear, thereby excluding the audience from anything but a meaningless playtime afterwards.

Thank goodness it was only 40 mins long.

Take: people you really don’t like then stand them up at the last minute so they have to watch it alone and/or your dancey friends who grab every opportunity for self expression in front of a crowd.