Kaleidoscopic Arts Fourth Platform
Wansworth Arts Fringe, Wilditch Community Centre, Battersea, London
The Fourth Platform from Kaleidoscopic Arts comes as a result of choreographers Lucia Schweigert and Konstantina Skalionta’s mission to promote and support female artists. The unconventional space of the Wilditch Community Centre in Battersea has been taken over by five vibrant female choreographers to form an evening of contemporary dance. The event commences with Jayne Ports, Pibroch Tales. The solo performance by Gordon Douglas Raeburn is rooted in Scottish tradition as it narrates a fragmented depiction of three 17th century tales of bagpipe music. Douglas Raeburn – with his ever changing kilts – embodies these stories with everything from mime to abstract movement. In spite of the work’s disjointed structure, it maintains animated storytelling with both humour and charm. It's muddled order challenges its audience to make connections and stay engaged with the content but ultimately the stop-start nature of the piece results in an unsatisfying lack of flow throughout. Next is Helen Cox’s duet of double pendulum – a work that does exactly what it says on the tin with Cox and Andrew Oliver elegantly swinging around the space. Cox’s choreography is clean and sophisticated with its soft Cunningham based movement. There is a continuous flow between the pair as momentum seems to constantly tether them together. They share a magnetic connection which develops into a hypnotic state that is both intriguing and meandering.
Lucia Schweigert’s Living with Sin is a female embodiment of how ancient sins affect future generations – with a core focus on Eve’s original sin. Soloist Kathy Richardson takes us on a cycle through sin as she progressively layers red and black clothing over her pure white costume. The initial stages of the work see Richardson at war with herself as she battles an internal struggle – a steady start that becomes frustratingly long-winded. But once Schweigert movement begins the work becomes brimming with primal and physical choreography that is full of emotive angst. The evening of dance closes with Feet off the Ground Dance’s thrilling and charismatic work The Way They Were Then. The choreographic quartet of Lucia Chocarro, Robyn Holder, Sophie Thorpe, and Patricia Zafra all perform to Alex Paton’s gripping live score. The company captures the short stories of iconic women from Eduardo Galeano’s ‘Mujeres’ through a series of altering power relationships. Their intricate contact work and acrobatic movement vocabulary seem to be second nature to these four women. Lucia Chocarro’s solo material is the highlight of the work with a unique movement vocabulary that is so animalistic, vigorous, and abstract that it resembles some sort of otherworldly creature. The collective provides the most exciting piece of the evening. It ticks all the boxes from impressive aesthetics with their complex virtuosic movement to emotive depth with their complicated relationships and character work that leads the audience on an enchanting journey. The live event is accompanied by Elisabeth Schilling’s photographic project, Stadtkörper. Originally created in 2013, the exhibition is a collaboration between dancer and curator, Schilling, and four photographers, Jenny Fitz, Carolin Ubi, Eunsun Cho, and Benjamin Kummer. The series of photographs depicts the architecture of modern day Berlin. The harmonious relationship between the animated dancer and the cityscape emphasises the traditional landscapes of Berlin as it is taken over by modernisation. There is a buzz of excitement that surrounds the Fourth Platform from Kaleidoscopic Arts Platform. The collective has provided an evening of diverse contemporary dance works which highlight the talents of this group of female artists.
©Maria Hardcastle 2017