According to director Blanca Li, this is the first theatrical show based on electro dance, a new style that has evolved in Paris over the past few years. Li, a widely experienced producer, director and choreographer, told me she decided to make a show based on Electro Kif after coming across dancers in a Paris Park. But the eight young men she has picked are from the very top of the tree; multiple competition-winners and incredibly fit, they must have spent years in various sorts of training. The show is terrific, completely fresh, with enormous energy, great to watch and also hugely enjoyable for the performers.
Although the dancers jump around a lot, this style is mainly concerned with the upper body, and the arms in particular. Hands and arms twist, revolve — often behind the head — at great speed. The arms seem to have a mind of their own, ignoring what you might think physically impossible to knot themselves in extraordinary positions.
But the background of these dancers is solo competition. What Li has done is weld their individual talents together in a show that’s fast moving and very entertaining.
Eight tables and chairs are a major part of the work. The boys seem to be in school — we see them bored by a maths lesson or eating their lunch to loud recorded crunching. In between these very funny set pieces come the dances, for the most part at high speed, but at one point surprisingly lyrical, to an electronic version of a Chopin nocturne.
Much of this is done in unison; it must have taken an enormous amount of work to get these formally untrained individuals to learn the same steps, hand and arm movements, and to perform as a team. But, finally, there’s a long sequence of solos, in which each of the dancers shows us his own particular tricks.
This is very impressive, but most of all it’s fun.
There is a second performance of Electro Kif tonight. 01865 305305 (www.oxfordplayhouse.com).
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