CARLOS ACOSTA: ON BEFORE | STAGE REVIEW
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Fri 3 July
On Before consists of six pieces of choreography, created by an impressive spectrum of choreographers and performed by Carlos Acosta and Zenaida Yanowsky (a principle at the Royal Ballet).
On Before is a revised version of Acosta’s 2011 show, Premieres. The show included a mixed media collaboration with Ahh…Arts Igniting Minds, whose slow motion film projection took up the whole WMC stage.
Accompanied by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Chamber Choir and using an often limited set, the overall feel of the show was abstract and dark in atmosphere. The reoccurring use of profile spot lighting meant the audience’s attention was always on the movement and this created intimacy on the grand stage.
At times the performance seemed to have a fluid narrative but this is likely to be credited to the sophisticated storytelling ability of these two world class dancers.
On Before gives the fans of Acosta and Yanowsky an opportunity to see their striking range of styles in one show. The best example of this was during Acosta’s solo piece, Memoria, which favoured twisting, backbends and headstands over the usual ‘leaps and extension’s we’d expect to see from him. Acosta seemed more like a tortured holy man: entranced yet sublimely present all at once.
When he wasn’t contorting and swiping through the air, it was his stillness and incredible presence in every moment that allowed the powerful pieces to breathe. It is often mentioned that Carlos Acosta has the ability to make every audience member feel as though he is dancing for them however Yanowsky, with whom he shared the stage, definitely possesses this same quality. Her solos were emotive, strong and athletically challenging. She brought character acting to each piece and told a story with far off gazes and brought purpose to every movement.
Falling Deep Inside – the title piece for the slow motion film, shot at 800 frames per second – explored the relationship between a couple. The examination of ever changing emotions through movement brought a pleasant change of pace and media to an already mixed menu.
When they weren’t singing, the members of the chamber choir of the RWCMD were used as a bustling crowd, a Greek-theatre style chorus or simply to create spatial depth on stage. Rather than standing in the same place and performing on cue, they were reactionary and immersed in the performance. Their closing piece of song was mesmerising and harmonies, absolutely stunning.
On Before is an ambitious show much like its director/performers and reverberates Acosta’s’ statement: “I don’t care about failure; I just want to grow as an artist” – an important and humbling message for all young artists to consider when creating new work.
words SINNEAD ALI
