Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Blaðsíða 50

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2015
July 11
– Oct 25,
2015
Ingólfur
Arnars-
son +
Austurvegur 42, 710 Seyðisfjörður, www.skaftfell.is
Skaf t fe l l – Center fo r V isua l A r t
Open daily
Admission is free
Jul-Aug
12.00 – 18.00
Sep-Oct
12.00 – 16.00
Þuríður Rós
Sigurþórs-
dóttir
And by appointment
18
However, while the production values
were top-notch, much of the festival was
somewhat inaccessible—much like most
contemporary art. Art is a peculiar indus-
try in that it’s not a product that needs to
be sold to an audience-consumer, which
is good because modern dance doesn’t sell
like hotcakes. But, as I was happily going
from one show to the next at an amazing
festival—one I had to continually remind
my Reykjavík-dwelling friends was even
happening—I started to think dance could
benefit from a bit more popular appeal.
Unlike Michael Bay movies or mon-
ster truck rallies, the success or failure of
art cannot be judged solely by ticket sales,
but rather by factors such as the unique-
ness or ingenuity of the work and the nar-
rative it communicates. Yet, success or
failure within the art industry is judged
by entertainment value, and yes, tickets
sold. “Every Body’s Spectacular” was a
resounding success filled with innovative
and conceptual pieces.
Each audience was made up of danc-
ers, actors and the general public, reflect-
ing the collaborative nature of the festival.
Some shows managed to appeal to all
three demographics without sacrificing
artistic integrity, and it makes me ponder
what makes a good dance performance.
Is it a show that wows seasoned dancers,
while leaving casual attendees amazed?
Or is it perhaps possible to find something
that both groups will equally enjoy?
‘‘Bríet’
I also attended a performance by Anna
Kolfinna Kuran, based on letters writ-
ten by Icelandic suffragette and women’s
rights activist Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir
(1856-1940). Entitled ‘Bríet: Up With the
Skirts’, the piece was staged as part of the
“Firsts” series, which brings together Ice-
landic dance and performance makers in
the spirit of the RDF and Lókal collabora-
tion.
In true Icelandic fashion, the show be-
gan a few minutes late, so when the doors
opened the whole audience was assem-
bled in the lobby of the small black box
theatre at Iceland Academy of the Arts.
We shuffled in, leaving no seat unclaimed;
clearly I wasn’t the only one interested in
the piece.
As we filed in, the four perform-
ers were already stood like statues on
the stage, surrounded by old suitcases
that would be used as props. They were
dressed in simple turn-of-the-century
clothing—think Downton Abbey maids on
their days off.
The show began with soft yet dramatic
violin music. For me, this was a welcome
choice, being both period-appropriate
and lacking the pounding rythm popu-
lar with many other performances I had
caught at the festival thus far. The move-
ment was subtle and breathy, and it made
use of flocking patterns. The first act had
the dancers moving around the stage with
suitcases, moving the bags from one spot
to the next: a less than discrete symbol of
19th century women’s baggage.
The set design for the section detailing
Bríet’s founding of Kvennablaðið, a wom-
en’s newspaper in Reykjavík, was visually
very interesting. The performers pulled
long pieces of parchment paper out of the
suitcases and painted a simple version of
the pattern found at Bríetartorg, based on
a sewing pattern designed by Bríet herself.
In my opinion, this was a great outcome of
the dance-theatre collaboration, one that
would likely not have been executed so
well were the show distinctly one or the
other.
The show had a few other high-
lights, including a section where three
Bríets taunted the fourth performer, now
dressed as a male editor, with paper air-
planes, as well as two segments that drew
connections to #freethenipple. I won-
dered what Bríet herself might think of
the campaign, and later put the question to
Anna Kolfinna. “It has come up a lot in our
time working on the piece. Although her
ideas were very progressive at the time,
she also held tightly onto tradition, and
was in a way quite conservative,” Anna
Kolfinna told me after the performance.
“I don’t think she would understand the
#freethenipple movement, as its values
really speak for and to the feminist ideals
of our time.”
‘Bríet’ dealt with an interesting topic
and incorporated good choreography,
music and set design. At times, however, it
could be a bit... well, dull. More than once,
I was distracted by the snoring of a man
sitting a few seats away, and I couldn’t
exactly see anyone sitting on the edge of
their seat. My companion called the show
“confusing,” and I found myself surprised
that only 45 minutes had passed when the
house lights came back on.
‘Schönheitsabend’
After craning my neck watching that
unconventional crane piece by Grótta, I
arrived at Tjarnabíó for a sold-out perfor-
mance of ‘Schönheisabend’ with Floren-
tina Holzinger and Vincent Riebeek. En-
tering the theatre I was struck by the size
of the crowd. It seemed like Tjarnarbíó
had expanded, but really I had just never
seen it more than half-full before. Packed
houses might be nothing special for music
festivals or plays at Borgarleikhúsið, but
contemporary dance doesn’t usually get
this much attention. Later, I learned that
this sort of turnout isn’t anything special
for Florentina and Vincent. “We always
say: we want everybody to get in, even if
we have to place out rows of pillows in
front. Don’t refuse an audience,” Floren-
tina told me.
The show had three acts, respectively
based on ‘Scheherazade’ (1910), Vaslav
Nijinsky’s 1919 final performance, and ‘Af-
ternoon Of A Faun’ (1912). Each act started
from the Ballets Russes classic, and went
on to update it for a modern audience.
At the turn of the century, these perfor-
mances were considered wildly erotic
and violent, but with today’s theatrego-
ers jaded by HBO and other uncensored
media, they do not elicit the same shock
as they once did. Florentina and Vincent’s
choreography was able to stay true to the
fundamental quality of the original works
through choreography, music, costume,
and intended effect on the audience.
Before reserving a seat for this perfor-
mance, I noticed the odd disclaimer on
RDF’s website: “Attention: This show has
explicit sexual content. Audiences under
18 years are not allowed.” As a sexually lib-
erated twentysomething and a supporter
of #freethenipple, I assumed this message
was quaint reminder to older generations
and mothers of seven-year-olds want-
ing to see ballerinas in tutus and pointed
shoes that this performance would have
nudity and suggestive movements—much
like the shows it was based on did.
Boy, was I wrong.
During Scheherazade’s duet with the
freed slave, Florentina and Vincent di-
verged from Fokine’s original choreog-
raphy when Scheherazade donned a
strap-on and anally penetrated the slave
on stage. Apart from being shocking and
sexy, it was actually one of the better duets
I’ve seen.
As a dance-loving teenager, the bal-
cony pas de deux from ‘Romeo and Ju-
liet’ ruined me for duets—I decided I’d
rather watch paint dry than one more of
the kneeling squats Prokofiev called a lift.
However, this was a very good duet, pen-
etration and all. Both dancers were obvi-
ously amazingly strong and technically
gifted, and the strap-on created a dynamic
where the dancers were forced to remain
connected at all times (literally). In the
third act I was equally surprised to see a
nymph tie the naked faun up in complicat-
ed bondage. But again, it was a technically
and visually interesting duet that essen-
tially had the same effect as the moment in
the original choreography when the faun
tangles himself up in the nymph’s veil.
I was left wondering how art like this
performance, which includes explicit
sexual acts, is received in a country where
strip clubs and pornography are both
(technically) outlawed. “People seemed
pretty open-minded during the show
and comfortable with sexual references
or pornographic imagery. We really felt
most people went along with it and got the
chance to look behind it too,” said Floren-
tina.
Every Body’s Spectacular.
Truly.“Every Body’s Spectacular” was
truly spectacular, and wish I didn’t have to
wait for the next festival to see new and in-
teresting dance in Reykjavík. The festival
provided an eclectic mix of performances,
largely due to the interesting collaboration
with Lókal. But it is always a risk inviting
outsiders (read: not dancers) to contem-
porary performances. ‘Crisis Meeting’ by
Kriðpleir was more of a Lókal piece than
an RDFone, leaving the dance critic in me
confused and alienated at times. I am sure
that this is how outsiders feel watching
modern dance performances that slant
heavily towards the abstract end.
The final performance I attended was
‘Love And Lack Of It’, a part of the ‘Eter-
nal’ series by The Professional Amateurs,
led by Steinunn Knútsdóttir. Starting with
a one-on-one scripted interview between
an 11-year-old and a woman reading me-
diocre love letters for 40 minutes, it was
an epitome of the sort of unapproachable
performance art satirised by many of the
festival’s other works.
While these sort of performances can
be neat and interesting for those deep into
the theatre or dance community (or those
who don’t understand it and want to pre-
tend they do), they are indeed extremely
unlikely to find favour among the general
public. As choreography has developed
and evolved as an art form it has become
less about stunning an audience with im-
pressive steps and lavish sets, and more
about the choreographer’s artistic vision
and journey. Often this yields a unique
performance that incorporates interesting
journeys, such as the vision for ‘Song Of
Cranes’, but too often they can’t see over
the lip of the stage and fall prey to the cli-
ché that all pop art must be bad art.
Florentina put it best: “Popularity in
dance is very relative... yes people from
the scene know you, but still the ‘scene’ is
pretty small, even quite elitist. We always
wonder about our audiences, whether and
how to reach other people than just the ‘in’
crowd.”
Every Body’s Spectacular,
Whatever You May Think
Of Their Art
As August faded away into an early winter, the Reykjavík Dance Festival (RDF) and the Lókal
International Theatre Festival combined their efforts to stage a fantastic five-day event under
the heading “Every Body’s Spectacular,” packed with exciting performances and exhibitions.
I tried to take in as much as I could manage, and was glad that I did: Each act was creative,
professionally put together and well performed—I don’t hesitate to recommend the festival
to any fan of the performing arts.
Photo Vasco Celio, Casper Hedberg
Words Anna Manning
REYKJAVÍK DANCE FESTIVAL