Worn
★★★★☆ Dusted with gold
Dance Base (Venue 22): Tue 16 – Sun 21 Aug 2022
Review by Suzanne O’Brien
Worn, White and Givan’s powerful new piece of contemporary dance, is at Dance Base for the middle week of the fringe only.
Performers and choreographers Errol White and Davina Givan take inspiration from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, when breakages and imperfections in pottery are mended and highlighted with gold or silver. It is a way of maintaining an object’s story and shows how the value of something can lie in its imperfections.
White and Givan perform Worn. Pic: Maria Falconer
White and Givan’s choreography shows that the body is home to all experiences and how it is constantly affected by the passing of time. The piece, performed to a slowly modulating soundscape from Tiago Cerqueira, includes controlled and painstakingly slow movements which show the body being challenged and are often repeated to reflect the time moving and ultimately the effect this has on the body.
The dancers have an effortless strength and ability to hold immense tension in their bodies which balances with a delicacy that convincingly conveys human resilience as well as frailty. There is a tenderness and feeling of intimacy throughout the piece and a real quality in each of their movements especially in the moments they lie entwined in each other.
Kintsugi’s inspiration reaches beyond the dance to the floor, designed by Yvonne Buskie and painted by Martha Steed, which is made to look like the surface of a pot with various gold and silver outlines on its surface. This design is also mirrored in Sophie Ferguson’s costumes, made of a similar coloured brown and textured material with shimmering gold embellishments and binding.
showcases imperfections
Simon Wilkinson’s lighting design adds yet another element to an already visually rich production, as cracks of light appear on the floor when the dancers hold each other, embrace, and support one another. All of these designs are work together to symbolize that the continued wear on our bodies goes beyond the surface and has many layers to it which aren’t always visible from the outside.
Worn showcases imperfections and emphasizes that what are bodies have been and will go through should be celebrated, not hidden. It is an intimate piece which invites the audience to engage on an emotional level whilst simultaneously challenging their perceptions of what beauty is.
Running time: One hour (No interval)
Dance Base (Studio One), 14-16 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU, (Venue 22)
Tuesday 16 – Sunday 21 August 2022
Daily: 19:00
Tickets and details: Book here.
Website: http://www.whiteandgivan.com/
Facebook: @whiteandgivan
Instagram: @whiteandgivan
Twitter: @whiteandgivan
White and Givan perform Worn. Pic: Maria Falconer
ENDS
