Double the Fun

 

An admission of complicity
I regard Tom Pritchard and Jack Webb as friends – not in the Facebook sense, but as people with whom I have spent hours discussing the meaning of dance. While we disagree on particulars, such as the role of the audience in performance, or the purpose of dance within society, I have a great deal of affection and respect for both of them.

A summary of the double bill
Jack was up first, improvising to the Fuck Buttons and contorting himself. This piece is a step away from the closely choreographed work he presented at New Territories, reflecting his time with the European Live Art Theatre makers Via Negativa, heading into less structured movement. Tom finished with a solo made on him by Tommy Small, out of Smallpetiteklein. Both pieces are atypical of the artists, and while Jack’s is a work in progress – he is touting these improvisations around Scotland, exploring possibilities – Tom performed something more formal than his usual collaborations.

A critical quandary
It would be nice for Tom and Jack to be told by their mate how great they are. However, supportive criticism – call it advocacy – only goes so far. Telling the truth, as I see it, is more important: both for anyone reading this who might want to know whether they ought to go see the boys kicking it, and for the performers themselves. A critique, however much they may deny it, is a crucial aid to artistic growth. Only I worry how it is going to be, the next time we do coffee.
This is a more common problem than you might imagine.

Respect is due
Both artists are out of their comfort zone: seeing Tom in a more predetermined piece sets him up nicely before he moves into the next stage of his experimentations with improvisation and collaboration: Falling Man has a clear narrative, and message about the way art can organise the messiness of real life into something aesthetically pleasing. And Jack’s improvisation is a fascinating insight into his process, especially for obsessive dance fans.

A revelation of ability
It is no surprise to discover that Jack is pushing his body beyond the basics of dance technique. I recently compared his work to ballet – not facetiously, but to suggest that he works within a defined dance aesthetic. This improvisation goes beyond that – I felt like it was a direct riposte to my review. Jack structures this as Live Art: repetition is crucial, testing a particular set of moves, examining how they lead to further movement ; the visual analogy is with abstract art, with no heavy meaning explicitly attached to the movements, forcing the audience to work; beginning, middle and end are not clearly signposted.
It is surprising to see Tom revealing a more immediate dramatic flair to his dance: Small’s choreography brings out his intricate muscle control, capturing the sense of a body falling through space, even as he remains rooted to the ground. The inspiration, photographs of men jumping from the burning twin towers, is removed from an iconic image to something real, and horrific.

A Caveat
Both works were greeted with whoops and applause. That is fine for Jack – he was showing what he could do. But for Tom’s piece, a more contemplative response would be appropriate. Falling Man invites serious questions about how art can transcend reality, and replace a tragic death with beautiful poise and meaning: Tom shouts about the falsehood behind the photographs of apparently elegant suicides. These were not moments of Zen acceptance, as the still implied, but the climax of a brutal choice: death by fire and smoke, or splatting on the sidewalk. Did this message get across, or were we too impressed by Tom’s dancing?

A Conclusion
These boys are both rising stars. It isn’t so much their personal charisma, but their technical skill and theatrical presence that impresses. Tom is clearly expressive through his entire body, and the sense of challenge that Jack brings to even recognisable sequences of movement takes his improvisation beyond intellectual exercise. They deserve larger audiences. Their ability to engage an audience is the foundation of their practice. The double bill was a glimpse at two artists pushing themselves towards something greater.