IAM @ Tramway

IAM begins softly yet deliberately: as a couple pass through the group, their progress forces others to move in their wake. Through dance which is almost a caress or a graze of movement, the couple carefully carry and place each other in different positions using complex paths. What then follows is a compelling blur of movement which is both circular around the axes of their bodies, and linear in terms of the direction they follow. And yet despite this density of motion, the show in its entirety doesn’t live up to the promise of its beginning.

It may be that other relationships don’t develop to the same extent. There are various group compositions but this pairing is the dominant relationship, and the one that others refer to. The couple (choreographers and dancers Errol White and Davina Givan) are seemingly drawn to each other and reform with the larger group later in the piece. Here the dancers seem caught up, almost at the mercy of momentum as they weave throughout each other. There are moments of supplication, a raised chest, a raised hand, which are beguiling. 

Echoes of movement are prominent in IAM. In the above passage, the couple’s movement sequences are echoed again and again. In a short duet between Corey Baker (who dances with an efficient feline grace) and Nicholas Keegan, Baker’s parting gesture is repeated by Keegan as he exits. The resonance is truly pleasant to watch. This theme of marking is reminiscent of novelist Michael Ondaatje’s work. He often writes of the body’s cartography and the marks that are left on a body through living. In this instance, it is traces of movement which are left behind by relationships.    

Unfortunately IAM’s ending is disappointing. This may be just a matter of taste; many prefer form which builds in intensity before falling to a denouement. By restricting the last section to floor work, the piece grounded itself before it making an impact. 

However, there are moments in IAM that do draw that intake of breath. One such moment occurred when four dancers began to move with increased urgency, almost lifting off and soaring as the movement matched a melody emerging from the soundscape. Some of the costumes also embodied this motion. Like a fuchsia bloom, Givan’s red dress particularly ballooned out beautifully and when mobilised by any circular motion looked as if it could spiral up into the stratosphere. It’s quite a lovely image to be left with.