"INOAH" . DANCE: AT BAM, PART OF NEW WAVE FESTIVAL

"INOAH" A DANCE PIECE AT BAM, PART OF NEW WAVE FESTIVAL

"I*NOAH" at BAM
 Grupo de Rua's  had its debut at Bam on Thursday

The choreographer of this dance performance is Bruno Beltrao and the lighting designer is Renato
Machado. When the show opens on this vast stage it's so darkly lit that it's hard to concentrate on two figures clad in black highlighting the blackness and darkness of this piece.

There is nice little focussed light on these two dancers who stand still for a while and then starts to move.  They twist and turn their arms and their bodies in a mesmerizing way. They don't seem like dancing but moving in space while still standing still. If they were little less darkly lit it would be
easier to watch them but our eyes take a long moment to adjust to the darkness which surrounds the whole stage.

But I guess the bleakness of the atmosphere is relevant to the piece.  It seems like the story of street
 dance mixed with the hip-hop in urban atmosphere.  The dancers have incredible ability to slide on
, suddenly stopping and  going off stage as if they are gliding effortlessly on ice.  They are  all men and  their bodies are very taught and muscular evoking man power.  The background sounds, the sounding score is a kind of monotonous rumble.  The score is by Felipe Storino. The movements of this dance are very hip-hop style, sliding and tumbling, suddenly stopping and leaving and other performers entering sliding on heads, twist and turn and then suddenly come to a halt, performers frozen in strange positions.  Some time they stay like that for a very long time.  This show is brilliant,
created by a great talent but needs a lot of dedication on the part of the audience to watch. The movements of  dancers are so varied and seem painful as if they are suffering from some torturous regime.  It does capture fully the urban atmosphere and culture where there is always an immediate danger of a fight breaking up amongst the inhabitants.  This show represents amazing talent though the show is confusing at times.  More of a movement and performance piece than a regular dance with a coherent story.  I did enjoy the power of dancers over their bodies and their incredible skill and energy.

REVIEWED
BY
BINA SHARIF
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