Cathy Marston has an interesting track record as a dancer, and also now as a choreographer, and at Wycombe Town Hall on Tuesday we saw three works performed by the seven dancers she calls the Cathy Marston Project.
In the middle of this trio, and at the heart of the evening, was a remarkable piece - Before the Tempest . . . After the Storm, which was commissioned by the Royal Opera House in 2004. Both Marston's parents are English teachers, and Cathy herself has obviously inherited their feeling for literature. Fascinated by Shakespeare's The Tempest, Marston shows us what took place before and after the events of the play . . . the birth of Caliban from his witch mother Sycorax, and Prospero's freeing of Ariel with his dying breath. The birth is an electrifying experience, with Martina Langmann as Sycorax towering above the stage in the half-light, supported on the shoulders of the unseen Kirils Burlovs as Caliban. Once he is born they enter into a highly charged duet, clearly in conflict, yet bound by the invisible tie of motherhood. It is a writhing, twisting dance, much of it on the floor.
The second part almost equals the first, with Ariel - a totally whitened Kristen McNally - suspended or airborne above Dylan Elmore's Prospero. This is a fine piece of work to a score by Jules Maxwell which incorporates text from Ovid's Metamorphosis and W.H.Auden's The Sea and the Mirror.
Opening the evening was Traces, which Marston describes as "a dance soap-opera". It was based on friends in the Royal Ballet, and shows their fluctuating relationships, with one man always the outsider. There are many pieces like this around, but Marston has found original and interesting dances which enable this group of seven to show how accomplished they are in an entertaining piece.
Closing the show was Arcana (pictured, with Martina Langmann), which was commissioned by Channel 4 and inspired by a visit to Cuba. It wasn't quite the promised "fusion of colour and passion", but set aside such expectations and it works well enough.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article