Seen at Festival delle Colline Torinesi on the 28th of October 2022
5 stars – praise of the doomed body
What happens when the body wants to dance itself free and cannot be stopped? Possibly, as the aftermath of a natural disaster, a famine or a pandemic. Some said it’s the devil’s work, other said it’s a neurological problem. There might be a higher stake.
In her solo, incredible show, Mette Ingvartsen recovers historical facts linked to the ‘dancing mania’. At times in history, this phenomenon kept re-emerging, his real causes still being unclear. On incessant music, the performer carries on her original storytelling, spanning through ages and spaces, while she never stops moving.
The stage of Teatro Astra became the floor of a club, the audience standing there. Some platforms emerged at its sides, but the organisation of space remained quite free. Nonetheless, the spectators were at ease enough so as not to push themselves against the walls: they dared occupy space, moving around and adjusting to the performer’s position above or among us, and, more often than not, dancing.
It is very hard to involve the public to such a degree. Mette Ingvartsen’s energy is contagious, her dance from time to time hectic or more measured, mostly dismantling sexiness and gifting her body pure freedom. The (dancing) public was enthusiastic.
28th and 29th of October 2022
Running time: 70 minutes
Venue: Teatro Astra
Tickets and Info: https://www.fondazionetpe.it/festival/the-dancing-public/
Company Website: https://www.metteingvartsen.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metteingvartsen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StagioneTPE
Butterwort 
Leave a Reply