Glued to the floor, the ear listened to Mozart but feet hanging up in the air were b-boying. They entered the stage performing ballet but the contemporary yearned to wriggle out of their bodies. Soon after, they danced to Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ but using the vocabulary of hip-hop. The audience watching Avant Garde Dance, a dance company from the U.K., perform ‘The Black Album’ recently, felt like they were part of an adventure, one that compelled them to witness both music and dance in new light.
Organised as part of the 8 Edition of The Park’s New Festival in association with The British Council's Impulse Season 2, ‘The Black Album’ brought the seemingly incongruous together and blended them into one effortlessly.
It was if their bodies would take any shape they willed. The three-part production began with ‘Omega’ that had five performers visualise the music for the segment in contemporary dance idiom. Each beat was understood in isolation and then articulated through movement. After a point, it did feel like one was watching music perform on stage.
This segment also evoked the urban everyday with ideas of routine and struggle expressed through dance.
Their costumes were simplistic and enhanced the role of their bodies. The centre piece was titled ‘Classical Break’ which was a modern’s take on the classical. The music for this segment was a compilation of classical masterpieces but the dance choreography was from the street. A ballet dancer in the centre was accompanied by two b-boys and together they wrestled with the classical. Eventually, head-stands and hand hops expressed Mozart’s notes. And how!
Before the final segment, the dance company did a collaborative piece with Bangalore Swingers, which was interesting.
The final piece ‘Dark Matter’ explored the idea of darkness through interesting use of light and body movement.
It was clear that in order to communicate, all the dancers needed were their bodies. Lighting for the show deserves a separate mention because it enhanced the mood of the entire production and was carefully choreographed.
As the company had hoped to achieve, it did seem like one was watching music and listening to dance that evening.
