ABSOLUT Fringe 2012 | Constellations | Paperdolls

Star Rating: 4.5 / 5

Venue: D-Light Studios
Review by: Sinéad Finegan

ABSOLUT(ely): Visceral
In a nutshell: Watch a macabre cast as they spin, dangle and tie themselves up in knots before your eyes at an aerial dance show with a difference
Best for: Anyone who ever suspected there could be potential in the grittier side of aerial art
Not for: The faint-hearted – or anyone sensitive to very loud noise!

Just as the marketing material promised, Constellations features performers caked in mud, bound in rope and propelling themselves through the air, more in a bid for freedom than in celebration of it. The audience is seated all round the warehouse-like space of the D-Light Studios, where numerous ropes are suspended from the rafters and aerial shadow-dances are played out on the flaking, white-washed walls. The spectacle provides a constantly-changing vista of human forms struggling and striving not only with themselves, but with each other, the bonds that bind them and even the very air itself. There’s a real sense that the performers are testing the boundaries available to them, yet without the lack of polish you might associate with such no-holds-barred performance. With bodies writhing in mid-air, the atmosphere resembles the world of the Inquisition more so than the ethereal beauty we tend to associate with the phrase “aerial performance”. A truly immersive and unique experience. One word of caution: by their own admission, the levels of sound used during the show are both extremely high and of sustained duration; in view of this, they offer you ear plugs on the way in – take them, trust me you’ll need them!

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Sunday 16th September 2012 | Theatre

461

Comments

• No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!

Log in to leave a comment

Login or register to leave a comment

Enter your email:

Enter Password: Lost Your Password?