Being Paris Correspondent for all arts beyond words, you’d naturally expect I see a lot of dance performance and I certainly do. So many that a lot of what I admire and think worth pursuing gets left in the folder awaiting Resurrection, just like the rest of us. So starting now, while I’m thwacking my magic wand against different style hat brims, muttering invocations to The Mother and testing incantations to tease out the Black Nail of murder love in preparation for the 15 August Exorcism of Putin and a Call for Normal Life, I’ll also be raising up some NAMES for Best American Poetry Beyond Words Empire of Deeds bucket lists (#BSTAMRNPTYBYDWRDSEMPR&DDS).
In notes on Echo, his third independent dance performance choreography (following on Abyme and Phase), Simon Feltz writes that he uses “correlations” of conversation and body movement to amplify the sense and musicality in language. As a spectator – enjoying the piece immensely – I felt it the performance as just the opposite of that: Echo reminded me the meaningfulness of words, music and gesture has its source, is generated by, body movement.
But movement chased out whatever narrative intention there may have been, leaving a feast of movement that begins, ironically, because Feltz goes so very deliberately about establishing a set of gesture and sound that, taken together, promote a unity (“correlation”) of music, language and gesture that should in turn create the possibility of varying intensities of the sense of an overall narrative.
From my seat, Feltz’ choreography worked like this: every move every member of the quartet made was controlled and precise – which makes sense if the choreographer is thinking that certain movements correlate with words and phrases. But it doesn’t make these movements words and phrases. Controlled precise movements with no label on them are just precise movements, attractive both because I can see performers control them and because I see them as precise.
And then performer movement doesn’t seamlessly correlate with sound (music); in Echo it sometimes seems to follow, sometimes, break, then, even lead or shape the rhythm according as to I read the tensions (emotions) of the dancing bodies. Music and body rhythm relationships are ephemeral constructs of movement and the things of movement: tension, speed, positioning. I’ve danced Gangnam Style as Zumba, Rock and a sort of Afro-hip hop Pogo with no ill-effect. I hope you have, too.
All this is no criticism of Simon Feltz’ choreographic work; I’ve already said I think it’s brilliant; see Feltz’ work if you can. Rather Echo points to a poverty in discourse about dance and, by the quality of its focus on movement, to the vital importance of coming to some critical understanding of it.
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“Echo”, dance performance by Simon Feltz
Performance venue, Carreau du Temple, 29 September 2022/ Performers: Pauline Colemard, Adrien Martins, Anthony Roques, Chloé Zamboni/ Music: Arthur Vonfelt/ Lighting: Thibault Sack/Production: Elissa Kollyris
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Author: Paul Tracy DANISON
