THIS REVIEW IS GOING TO SOUND
AWFULLY STRANGE
BUT BEAR WITH IT.
AWFULLY STRANGE
BUT BEAR WITH IT.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE
THAT WAS A JOY TO WATCH.....
AND WAS ACTED OUT
WITH SHOPPING TROLLEYS.
THAT WAS A JOY TO WATCH.....
AND WAS ACTED OUT
WITH SHOPPING TROLLEYS.
What's It All About Then?
A dance performance held on Saturday 19th May at Marina Square, Brighton Marina.
Trolleys was created by Australian choreographer Shaun Parker and London’s C-12 Dance Theatre.
Trolleys was created by Australian choreographer Shaun Parker and London’s C-12 Dance Theatre.
Described as "a new street ballet for five supermarket trolleys… Five shopping trolleys randomly appear in a public space. Two meet and fall in love. One grapples to find a friend. Three others revolt and ignite a dance of anarchy. Part street dance, part ballet, part acrobatic spectacle, Trolleys is a high-octane, highly physical and humorous outdoor performance – on wheels!".
So Is It Any Good?
+++ Dramatic Performance +++
The tagline of "new street ballet for... trolleys" is perfectly fitting. This is a dramatically-acted piece about five trolleys which interact with each other in weird and wonderful ways. The performers move themselves in perfect co-ordination and make the trolleys spin in beautiful patterns.
At points, two trolleys will take centre stage - playing off one-another and featuring some tense, spectacular moments - which all revolve around these cages of metal on wheels.
The performers show some fantastic acrobatic skills during the course of the show - such as flips, cartwheels and twists - all over the trolleys. The pictures here show some of the moves being performed and there was a lot more where that came from.
This was all weaved in with little sections where different scenes were acted out - one trolley being singled out and isolated from the others (which presented in a sheep/sheepdog type movement) - others where serenity would be shattered by the sudden flipping, spinning and swerving of a few of the group. Each was placed for maximum effect - so that a slow section would suddenly burst into action all around. It was wonderful to watch and really breathtaking.
At points, two trolleys will take centre stage - playing off one-another and featuring some tense, spectacular moments - which all revolve around these cages of metal on wheels.
The performers show some fantastic acrobatic skills during the course of the show - such as flips, cartwheels and twists - all over the trolleys. The pictures here show some of the moves being performed and there was a lot more where that came from.This was all weaved in with little sections where different scenes were acted out - one trolley being singled out and isolated from the others (which presented in a sheep/sheepdog type movement) - others where serenity would be shattered by the sudden flipping, spinning and swerving of a few of the group. Each was placed for maximum effect - so that a slow section would suddenly burst into action all around. It was wonderful to watch and really breathtaking.
 |
| Almost captured him doing a back flip off the trolley. |
The playful way that the performers weaved around each other was great to see - they had smiles on their faces for the majority of the show and as a result I found myself smiling too.
The careful precision, along with some daring moves while standing on the trolleys and a little smile to show they were enjoying themselves, meant that I thoroughly enjoyed watching these five trolley/human hybrids elegantly working their way around the square.
During some of the sections, when all of the performers picked up the trolleys and swung them wildly around in the air, there was the added element of danger for the crowd. There was no barrier between the dancers and the audience - so one slip of a hand could have led to a trolley flying into the onlookers. It was an added thrill that made the performance all the more intense!
I had serious health concerns for shoppers at the Asda down the road though - the amount of trolley-related injuries through amateur dancing must have skyrocketed following this show!
The careful precision, along with some daring moves while standing on the trolleys and a little smile to show they were enjoying themselves, meant that I thoroughly enjoyed watching these five trolley/human hybrids elegantly working their way around the square.
During some of the sections, when all of the performers picked up the trolleys and swung them wildly around in the air, there was the added element of danger for the crowd. There was no barrier between the dancers and the audience - so one slip of a hand could have led to a trolley flying into the onlookers. It was an added thrill that made the performance all the more intense!
I had serious health concerns for shoppers at the Asda down the road though - the amount of trolley-related injuries through amateur dancing must have skyrocketed following this show!
+++ Violin Complement +++
To round it all off, the violin soundtrack which accompanied the piece perfectly matched the movements being shown. The violin was used in slow, drawn notes during the peaceful sections and rose to sharp, short notes that increased in intensity as the action built to a climax.
It fitted the tone and feeling of the show so well that it almost faded into the background as I became more absorbed with the performance - just washing over me as I let the flowing patterns formed by these everyday items hold my attention.
As such, every part of the show worked well together - there is virtually nothing that I can complain about. I can only praise the idea, choreography and execution of the performance - and hope to see more from these fantastic dancers/writers in the future.
It fitted the tone and feeling of the show so well that it almost faded into the background as I became more absorbed with the performance - just washing over me as I let the flowing patterns formed by these everyday items hold my attention.
As such, every part of the show worked well together - there is virtually nothing that I can complain about. I can only praise the idea, choreography and execution of the performance - and hope to see more from these fantastic dancers/writers in the future.
Conclusions
I found this to be the most interesting thing I have seen so far at the Brighton Festival 2012.
It had personality, flair and showed off some incredible skill. The dancers seemed to enjoy performing the piece and I loved watching it.
Seriously amazing stuff - I really recommend seeing these guys perform if you get the chance.
It had personality, flair and showed off some incredible skill. The dancers seemed to enjoy performing the piece and I loved watching it.
Seriously amazing stuff - I really recommend seeing these guys perform if you get the chance.
Any images in this review are taken by Brighton Games Trader.
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