Eliot Smith Dance • Past & Future
Chelsea Theatre • 3rd July
I’d be the first to admit that, culturally speaking, dance is not my ‘first language’. That being said, I am constantly reminded that it is something I have always very much enjoyed. The look, the energy, the emotion, the physicality and, as it happens, the sound, as proved by tonight’s performances in Eliot Smith Dance Company’s current season ‘Past & Future’ which comprises of two pieces, Duet (choreographer: Paul Taylor) and Human (choreographer Eliot Smith).
At just seven minutes, the first piece, Duet, does not have long to make its mark, but make a mark it does. Having first been performed by the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1964, (this performance marks it’s 60th anniversary), there is something deeply satisfying in the knowledge that pieces like this enjoy both legacy and longevity beyond the creators lifetime, (Paul Taylor died in 2018), and tonight’s performers travelled to New York earlier this year in order to learn the piece whilst in residence at the Paul Taylor Dance Company itself, now under the artistic leadership of Micheal Novak.
The staging and lighting for Duet are the essence of stripped-back simplicity, the focus on the two dancers left undiluted by any extraneous detail. Within this stark setting Rowan Parker and Yamit Salazar work harmoniously throughout the piece, depicting an older, established love, played out to the music of Franz Josef Haydn. Whilst Duet would appear to have the more traditional tone of the two pieces, constrained it is not, as the two dancers’ lithe bodies become at times intertwined and then joyfully free to fill the space, their lyrical movement always working in physical harmony with each other as they dance the dance of a ritualistic courtship in a playful and coquettish fashion.
Whilst this could be considered the ‘past’ of the show’s title, Past & Future could just as easily describe Eliot Smiths piece alone. Human is itself a revival from ESD’s 2023 season in which Eliot attempts and, given the economic 30 minute run-time, surprisingly succeeds in taking the audience through the evolution of what it is to be ‘Human’, the performance, in three movements, taking us from cave to rave and, through a well-integrated rapid-fire slideshow towards the end, leaves the audience contemplating ‘what next?’ for the human race. (A question that would seem never more poignant than now).
Human is a solo piece, with Yamit Salazar returning to the stage once more, his range, fluidity and physical expression allowed to open-up to new levels through Eliot’s impressively inventive choreography, (although, during the Q&A afterwards, Eliot is the first to admit the contribution made to the piece by Salazar himself, and the importance of Adam Johnson’s exceptional soundtrack). Complimenting all these elements is some impressive lighting, the flat even tone of the first piece replaced by a darker, single source light picking out the taught muscular frame of a crouched Yamit who, animal like, brings his shadowy form to life through a series of jagged, disturbing movements. These mysterious beginnings are in stark contrast to the fluid club-style lighting and movement we eventually arrive at during the final movement, the stage awash with pulsating colour, the tribalistic soundtrack of the opening having evolved through a more lyrical middle section to a banging techno disco beat.
Whether Eliot leaves the story of our evolution as tribal as it had begun remains open for interpretation, and herein lies some of the beauty of dance for me, that the choreographer can lead us to a place where our own experiences will invariably begin to colour our perception of the work itself.
Taking all of that into consideration, this is live performance at its most raw, the heavy breathe, the dripping sweat and the heaving abdomen all a reminder of the sheer physicality and stamina of these impressive dancers. (Yamit’s own performance being a running dialogue of what the human body is capable of). So, do yourself a favour, even if you’re not sure whether dance is ‘your thing’, and check out the excellent work of the Eliot Smith Dance Company next time they are in your town… I think you might just like it!
★★★★★
review: Simon J. Webb