One of the most interesting performances of the festival was “On the Desperate Edge of Now” by Kari Hoaas Productions (Norway). Just male dancers, big, brutal men, without mannerism or politesse.

It all starts with the four men sleeping, roughly tossing about. Perhaps, everything that follows is just their dream. That is: the problem how to give vent to aggression and how it is reflected in the outside world. The aria of Nemorino from the opera “The Elixir of Love” doesn’t soften the tempers. Neither does the voice of Freddy Mercury. What is left is the rumbling with percussion. The power is highlighted in the movements. The intelligent question (is one necessary?) remains unsettled. But the athleticism drowns in depression. The bodies sometimes crawl, sometimes reach upward, only to fall down sharply. Flips and turning jumps (perfectly performed) refer to the sports. Even the relationship with clothes is no that easy. The boys tied their shirts together and now they are stuck with each other, and me, I vividly realized that it is really uncomfortable to put on trousers over the head.

What is it that we see: a post-war soldier syndrome or the permanent daily evil? The dilemma “to kill or to kill oneself” becomes the essence of the movement solution. And the beauty of the body on stage – the contrast to the pursuance of violence. – Maya Krylova

Source: http://www.teatral-online.ru/news/16153/

Photos: Daria Popova
From performances at Open Look International Summer Dance Festival 2016, New Stage Alexandrinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, Russia.