Comprising of three different parts, Triple Bill was performed at SOTA Drama Theatre from 2 – 4 April, and with each and every dancer showing their dedication and effort to bring to life a concept that was very much open to interpretations.
Starting with “Remains remain”, the use of lightings, smoke and the sound of waves created a soothing tone, gradually building up like waves at the climax and crashing down before resuming back to peace. The fluid movements with a seamless interaction between each dancer showed individuality even in collaboration, although they were slightly lacking in bringing across emotions. Coupled with a Japanese narration that was initially creepy, it is only upon reading through the booklet would one understand what the dance was all about and full appreciate what they had seen.
The second piece, As Is, was more abstract and thought-provoking. Involving chairs and with the dancers themselves doing repetitive narrations, the piece was dark and involved lots of smoky effects, but was very reminiscence of emotions in a person. It was as if the piece was exploring a person’s state of mind, from the struggles to finally reaching a decision, and with the clashing of chairs dragged and strewn across the floor, the noise that echoed brought forth the silence that followed, presumably as the best and final decision that one has finally arrived at.
The final piece, Nexus, felt more zen but also provocative, with shirt tugging and pants pulling. While the audience let out a laugh or two, the effect wasn’t really brought out in full with the execution, which made it a little lacking in any punch that it intended for (if any). The use of a dancer undressing to reveal a bright red bikini suit while showing a bold side to the piece, felt a little flat, although it did reflect the firmness and determination of the dancer.
T.H.E Dance Company’s next production would be “Silences We Are Familiar With” which would be happening end May at SOTA Drama Theatre. For more details, do check out: http://www.the-dancecompany.com/productions/
(images credited to the respective photographers Bernie Ng and Kuang Jingkai and THE Dance Company)
