Myth, modernity and tradition on show at Shaw House
Made At 101: Lives of Clay and Bonded, Corn Exchange Newbury and 101 Outdoor Arts’ free outdoor arts programme in the grounds at Shaw House on Sunday, September 18. Review by TONY TRIGWELL-JONES, pictures by PHIL CANNINGS
Performed beneath one of Shaw House’s ancient pine trees, Vidya Thirunarayan’s compelling Lives of Clay combines myth, modernity and tradition in an entertaining, thought-provoking and compelling 40 minutes.
The recorded soundscape is interpreted through Bharata Natyam dance, which is a traditional narrative form combining signed language, facial expression and movement. It is most frequently used to convey Hindu mythology and Thirunarayan is rightly regarded as one of its great experts.
In Lives of Clay, she tells the stories of Parvati, Shiva and the creation of Ganesh, alongside a contemporary tale of a peasant woman and her daughter. Parallels are drawn through acts of creation and clay work, beautiful pots, people and humble bricks – the functional, elemental and metaphysical.
Thirunarayan is constantly engaging, effortlessly throwing pots during the performance or transforming the space with garlands that mark the connections of people and their gods across time and space. These become great earthquakes, a battleground, or the twisting alleyways of a city which are all portrayed with inventive conviction.
After a short break and a change of location, we are treated to Alleyne Dance’s contrasting dance piece, Bonded. Opening with two dancers locked inside a narrow, translucent box, closed off from the world – it feels more safe than restrictive. They move together and around each other, until they come out into the world, the box now a partition.
The dancers introduce some British Sign Language (“how are you” and later “I can help”) to communicate across the divide; as one falters, the other pushes and supports as the box spins and spins – the couple trying to catch up with each other, almost two sides of the same whole.
The box is used with increasing creativity as the dancers occupy the spaces created either side, around, above and within. The performers’ impressive athleticism combines acrobatic circus, Kathak and hip-hop dance to create a unique contemporary language.
Their sense of longing, love and loss when separated is genuinely moving which, when combined with heart-stopping choreography, makes a physically emotional experience.
The piece was originally choreographed to be performed by artistic directors Sadé and Kristina Alleyne which, as twins, will have evoked notions of sibling connection throughout. Here, though, one of the roles was given to a male performer, providing a narrative of romantic love, which we followed from the first throes of passion to deeper, embedded and lasting connection between two souls destined to be together.
Both pieces were produced in collaboration with The Corn Exchange’s 101 Outdoor, at Greenham Business Park and performed for free.
It was a privilege to be reminded how fortunate we are in Newbury to have access to such rich cultural experiences.
Go to www.101outdoorarts.com to find out more about 101 Outdoor Arts.
