uk tour 2010 5th nov * 11th nov * 16th nov
SEE TRAILER
SEE DETAILS OF UK TOUR (November 2010)
with Lara Guidetti
BOH
choreography Lara Guidetti
words Sarah Chiarcos
music Marcello Gori
BOH is the answer you give when you can’t explain.
BOH doesn’t mean anything, but it says something for sure.
BOH is what you say when you have no words to say.
BOH… it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.
BOH cuts to the quick.
BOH is simply BOH
Movement, action and music work together to tell the story of a character, Miss L,
inside herself, following the irregular rhythm of her thoughts.
During this journey Miss L faces her fears, memories and daydreams.
A will help her in dealing with what she cares about,
with what she can hardly stands and with what she’s not able to store away.
To lead her, finally, to tidy a little up.
Moving dance exploration of women’s roles
This solo performance piece created by the Sanpapié theatre-dance company opens with a women sitting in a kitchen-like space munching on popcorn, a faraway look in her eyes. From time to time, props and bits of costume are fired out of a wardrobe at the back of the set.
Tying an apron around her waist the performer becomes a housewife and embarks on a routine that incorporates wagging fingers and miming stirring cake mix. Donning an outsized leather jacket, her movements become louche, full of attitude. Her discovery of a man’s suit jacket leads to a lovely extended slow dance, the performer’s face buried in the cloth.
The attention to detail in the movement here is impressive: at one point the performer peels off a white T-shirt to reveal an identical, though slightly smaller one underneath, which in turn is removed to reveal another, even smaller T-shirt. The gradual removal of all five garments with slow, painstaking progressions becomes almost mesmerising. While the exploration of women’s roles – domestic, lover, mother – seems fairly obvious, the piece is beautifully performed and shot through with a sense of loneliness and loss that makes it, at times, incredibly moving.
****The List
Boh, on the other hand, does not pull on any particular past, using contemporary dance as a vehicle for confusion and crisis. A single dancer rotates personalities, flirts with a cupboard that holds memories of lost love and hope, hurling herself across the stage and channelling superb technique to a series of buzz-cut sketches. Italian in origin, it escapes the problems of translation by dealing with familiar matters – romance and social pressure, loneliness and the need for glamour – without ever being trite or obvious. Again, a specific story is told, making the particular comprehensible and expanding the debate around the pressures of female identity.
Editorial Sunday – The Skinny by Gareth K Vile
Startled by a sudden light, Miss L (named only in the programme) sees a mysterious red wardrobe, and a red handbag which becomes a music box as she dances to its moody refrain. When its sounds cease, a white apron is flung from the wardrobe – putting it on, she becomes the busy housewife, dancing delight in domesticity.
As again and again the music stops and more garments appear, she expresses afresh her yearnings for happiness, but ever more rapid changes make her whirl in confusion. Changing the mood, clasping a man’s jacket she dreamily weaves her memories of romance – then vanishes into a red box, yet still dances on, seeking her true self, as the wardrobe moves mysteriously – and amusingly – around her.
Across a spectrum of movement styles, dancer-choreographer Lara Guidetti brings wit, energy, and truly imaginative expression as she creates this intimate quasi-surreal world, set to Marcello Gori’s wide-range classic to Italian pop soundtrack. Dramatist Sarah Chiarcos invisibly complements as wardrobe operator, in Milan-based Sanpapie company’s engaging innovative dance work.
The Stage
A great show does not always need to be lavishly decorated with hi-tech lighting, a jam-packed soundtrack or complex props to be any good. The beautifully contrasting set and costume colours of black, white and red in ‘Boh’ proved that sometimes less really is more. Through stunning choreography and an upbeat yet emotional musical score, the poetic and private world of Miss L, played by Lara Guidetti, is revealed. The use of a magical red wardrobe enhanced the theatrical enchantment, while, amongst the intimacy and intensity there were also several comic moments, such as that featuring a ballet-dancing red box, which had the audience in fits of giggles. A graceful and moving show, interspersed with some well-executed humorous moments. Simple but effective.
Three Weeks
