ABSOLUT Fringe 2012 | Wildflowers | Arcane Collective with Oguri and Adam Rudolph

Star Rating: 3/5

Venue: Samuel Beckett Theatre Space 1
Review by: Aoife Ryan

ABSOLUT(ely): Specialized
In a nutshell: Japanese dancer Oguri and renowned percussionist Adam Rudolph show off their latest collaborative creation
Best for: Anyone interested in different art forms
Not for: People expecting a more traditional style of dance

Working together for over a decade, Oguri and Adam Rudolph have established a legendary status for themselves in the dance and music world. Adam Rudolph is well known for his inclination towards world music- a mix of traditional and semi-traditional music from across the globe- and free form music like jazz. Oguri is likewise known for his outside-the-box style as his dance is largely based on the post WWII dance form called Butoh, which is a radical, reactionary dance that plays on societal taboos. In Wildflowers both join together again to express something quite unique.

As you would expect, Adam Rudolph's music is exceptional. The only thing that may put off audiences is his noticeably ethnic style of singing, which is not to say it is in any way bad or wrong but rather more simply surprising. Everything about Oguri's performance is concentrated and exact. Throughout the hour he moves from one measured, contained movement to another, with brief spasmodic outbursts in between. These deliberations and subsequent periods of frenzy are both demonstrative and yet elusive, as the audience can only guess what the emotion is directed at. Oguri's tortured expressions, though hard to watch, also add to this sense of harboured grief. It is unlikely something you will have seen before, but if you are not particularly drawn to modern, abstract dance the hour may be hard to endure.

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Friday 21st September 2012 | Theatre

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