“Brucelles”
A table pour Danser
Journal“Le Devoir” may 2003
In a stage set that seems belonging to a team of “ Maîtres d’hôtel”, and restaurant servers, waiters, five men and a woman are in activity. One introduces his elbow in the eye of another meanwhile another lifts a finger without any consequence of being followed. And although everyone is in his place, each gesture has a function in this curious horse-gear. But the almost infallible mechanics is frequently disturbed, like if the incongruitable attitude of their actions is being imposed to this cortege of servants and servers. The body’s going about in all directions seem not to be able to respond to the gestures. Welcome to the delicious and surrealistic universe of “Brucelles” in the dance-theatre choreography of the Belgian Karine Ponties, presented at the gathering of the Vooruit Danse.
A truly human chain of dance where the gestures and the bodies are perfectly encased into one another, the choreographic frame is being taken to a very joyful disorder. Objects and movements are continuously taken of their true context and veritable first aim, and also the second one. The table napkins are constantly folded up an unfolded in a completely unproductive chain of work; a bunch of dishes is being used as a podium to perform and an aute-contre gets on top and starts singing (in a background of reggae music).
The use of table forks, knives and spoons is stealthily perverted, they become musical instruments, a concentration game, in which the participants steal one another their tools like a bunch of dogs fighting for their succulent bones. The table accessories are then used to construct and decorate the stage scenery, sculpted in a huge candle still, or suspended on the tissue hold at the back of the stage. They set of the table correctly once in this crazy gathering, but on the ground and as soon as it is made is being destroyed.
The accomplishment of this staging piece is to give back the dance his full value, consistent, and independent of all other supposed meaning that could be giving to, like the way contemporary dance is normally achieved. Because this business is in any case vane since a strong sense of extravagant delirium is at all times present here. In the middle of this cacochoregraphy solos, duets and trios appear, are produced, a fluidity bringing gestures of ordinary life magnified by the dance. In this mixture of grace and grotesque approach of “Brucelles” is at the time properly human, pathetic and sublime; to bustle about, build, nothing really matters, the immediate aim is to give life a meaning.
(Translated by Jordi Granados)