Sat 8 Feb: DanceLab Collective, Lily Armah and Maria Sole Montacci

DanceLab Collective Letting The Light In

Lily Armah Fashion Sense

Maria Sole Montacci Soledad

DanceLab Collective kicks off this in-the-round triple bill with Letting the Light In, a tender meditation on grief. Scrolls placed on the floor are unrolled by the goading feet of a trio of women as they recount their stories of loss, unfurling personal tapestries like audio tapes. The little absurdities of loss are explored charmingly: treasure-hunting through piles of possessions, fussing over the bereaved with endless layers of jumpers. Of course there is despair too, Pam Woods crumples under the weight of the loss of her husband, her cradled head peeking out through trembling fingers. Ultimately it’s hope that reigns supreme as arms mercifully reach out, embracing all the pain of the past with gentle care. A humble, fresh, moving piece of dance theatre.

Soledad, a contemporary solo performed to live music, explores the frustrations that come with expression through language. Choreographer Mariasole Montacci flits through gestural poses to the recording of an untranslated monologue in Italian, her crisp movements punctuating Riccardo Militerno’s ticking score. Her weariness is palpable as Montacci listlessly slips about the borders of the space. Ironically, owing to the lack of translation, there is a real murkiness to Soledad. A sand-timer prop, swinging pendulum motifs, and Militerno’s looped score all allude to the act of waiting. Are we waiting for that moment of sudden understanding or fluency? It seems only Montacci knows. While narratively unclear, it’s Montacci’s clarity of movement and sparky accentuations that lure us in.

Lily Armah transforms The Place into a rave-cum-runway in Fashion Sense. Here, five swaggering dancers prowl their territory, like lioness supermodels looking for a bump at a fashion week afters. Armah’s team of costume designers create some very bombastic, frilly looks, and for the most part, the clothes cooperate nicely - phew! But, the winning aspect of this piece is the alluring atmosphere: dancers writhe in the glowing blue lights to thumping beats reminiscent of the heyday of Chicago House (the score is excellent). The cast ooze with confidence as they strut and glare, providing that necessary level of haughtiness — this is especially captured by the commanding Lisa Robinson. The artful synthesis of these various elements makes Armah a promising directorial voice.

Eoin Fenton

Last night’s triple-bill is set in the round. The trio Pam Woods, Kerry Chappell and Lizzie Swinford pick us up on a journey of losing a dear family member through speech and dance. Moments like Swinford playing with grandma’s knickers, and more British cultural references—knickers, jumpers, and the weather—lighten up the serious subject. The lighting design, with its cracked spotlight, mirrors the emotional journey, shifting from despair to joy. By the end, Letting the Light In felt unexpectedly uplifting, a reminder to cherish loved ones while they’re alive. Thought-provoking, DanceLab Collective shows a beautifully crafted performance for the immersed stage.

MariaSole Montacci’s Soledad is an exploration of connection and how we express and understand spoken language. I saw Soledad at the Laban Theatre on a traditional stage (proscenium stage)—where the audience views the spectacle from a single direction. That was a fantastic show; my expectations last night were high. Riccardo Miltierno’s live music—beatboxing, harmonica, and bass—is eclectic entertainment, enhanced by Irene Fiordilino’s colourful lighting. However, the choreography and staging are not fully adapted for the theatre in the round: I can only see the dance when Montacci moves on my side. The mesmerizing impact Soledad made at the Laban Theatre is sadly lost. I love the idea of seeing Montacci’s performance in the round, however, the staging needs development for this type of audience-enclosed stage.

Fashion Sense reimagines a fashion show, perfectly timed with New York Fashion Week. The labels dancer and model are used interchangeably for the cast: Lily Armah, Andrea Louca, Mercedes Prevatt, Lisa Robinson and Kato Thomas each embody a unique character in stunning haute couture costumes by Evegniia Galeeva, GU:ZI, Matilda Allen, Melissa Tida, and Momoyo Wada. Each dancer radiates individuality while Armah’s choreography incorporates dancing in perfect synchronicity, creating a dynamic showcase for the bold, vibrant costumes. Though the staging is still frontal centred, it feels immersive even from the sides. You sense the decisive steps and stomps of the model/dancers. This is how to present fashion!

Sumi Xiaomei Cheng

Pam Woods, Kerry Chappell and Lizzie Swinford introduce themselves, welcoming the audience to their performance Letting the Light In. In doing so they set a heartwarming tone for their moving, gentle and hopeful performance, a tender, sweet and sometimes gutting reflection on individual and collective experiences of bereavement. Unfolding stories articulated in words and movement recall the traumatic, absurd and even comical cycle of events surrounding the death of a partner or elderly parents: where they were, what they were doing and how they came to terms with loss. Softly danced, anecdotal movement embellishes the women’s personal narratives, triggered by objects and nature: dad’s pile of smelly old jumpers, mum’s hoarded bags of knickers, the sun breaking through clouds or a flock of geese. Every part of DanceLab Collective’s poetic performance brings a ray of light to an otherwise difficult theme, without giving way to sentimentality.

MariaSole Montacci’s esoteric movement style is stressy, sassy and sharp. Seated at a table under a harsh spotlight, she performs tightly choreographed fragmented gestures that develop into larger phrases of rolling floor work and finally travelling steps. She responds to the rhythmic base of live music played by Riccardo Militerno, whose chilled vibe on the electric guitar couldn’t be more different to hers. As Montacci’s quirky performance expands across the stage, she continues experimenting with twitchy gestures and jarring body language that remain unfathomable to read. However, although the performers are like chalk and cheese, together they craft something that looks original and potentially exciting in Soledad.

Finally, Lily Armah and her sensational troupe of dancers transform the stage into an experimental catwalk with their fashion-led romp. The House Music begins. Hello, Saturday night. The fantastically cool costumes intended to both distort and extend the body send the performers cavorting all over the space in outbursts of headbanging freestyle to highly controlled, sculptural movement. Each develops their own personal movement style and attitude in response to the outfit they’re wearing – architectural folds (Andrea Louca), a flamboyant white corset (Lisa Thomas), casual, elegant crochet (Armah herself). Fashion Sense brilliantly embodies Armah’s fascination with the connections between dance and fashion. I hope to see more of this union.

Josephine Leask