dThe acers not only respect the past, they can live in it. In this solo (ISH) triple building, Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova steps into the shoes of two great female icons of modern dance, Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan, perhaps absorbing some of the pioneering spirit.
On Graham's maze errands, Osipová is screaming for the devil – explicitly Marcelino Sambe's Minotaur is also the inner Minotaur – with the power of kicks made from her powerful ankles to ears. It is a dance of strength and sharp accents, geometry and gravity, and Osipova's character simmers with power and fear. Five Brahms Waltz, like Isadora Duncan, is a homage to Frederick Ashton, announced here in a new film by Grigory Dobridin, shot vigorously and beautifully lit. The handheld camera chases Osipova under a flowing chiffon scarf, capturing her dizziness and wild freedom, with close-up details looking at the vulnerability of the heart. The sensuality of movement is feminine, but also has a childlike quality in its abandonment and certainty of one's existence at the heart of the world. It's a film that does ballet justice.
That's the first half of Oshipova's offering. The second half branches prejudice from something historical to something present. JoStrømgren is a Norwegian choreographer, playwright and director whose exhibition is part of the Comic Dance Theater. The two arrive at the gallery: well-maintained Osipova and the crude Christopher Acrylic. She speaks Russian, he is English. There are mischief and misunderstandings, and the two are hampered by their inability to understand each other and drawn into a strange, reinforced relationship.
I don't know where this piece is heading, but it dances fascinatingly about connections, prejudice, art, beauty themes, and what the body can and cannot say. Even if you don't understand Oshipoba's words, her animated chatter has a naturalistic and cheeky personality. We know she is a good dance actor, but her speech is different. That's an incredible fluctuation for Osipova, who might want to be who she is or become a performer. This is a Triple Building, celebrating legends from the past, while saying that Osipova is determined to be his artist.
