Poetry in motion

CHENNAI: Poetry is seldom associated with fierceness and strength. Poetry brings to one's mind images of gushing waterfalls and chirping birds, or maybe even battlefields filled with dying soldiers. The National Dance Company Wales, UK, defied every common notion with their performance of By Singing Light. They danced to famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’s poetry with such agility and vigour that the audience went back home with completely different and newer perspectives of poetry. With words from Thomas’s In my Craft or Sullen Art sung to beautiful Welsh folktale-inspired background music, the dancers explored the insecurities of an artiste on stage. The dance, split into two styles by American choreographer Stephen Petronio, had fluidic and forceful movements that merged with movements that were more ordinary and structured.  In the slower portions of the routine, the dancers heavily depended on each other for support, moving and working together as a unit. Even as they climbed on top of and slid off each other or when one of them was thrown into the air, they were constantly linked, fitting into each other like perfect pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. At one point of the dance, when a petite female dancer was launched into the air, she let out a sharp shriek. It is easy to assume that her fears caught up with her on stage, but when one does think a bit more about it, it might have as well been a part of the choreography, suggesting the insecurities artistes face, especially in trying to make sense of their own works. As the tempo of the music picked up, the dancers made complete use of the stage, moving in twos, threes and and groups. They formed textured patterns on stage. The fast movements were juxtaposed with the succinct group work, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions from the ostensible symbolism of the work. The strength and dexterity of the dancers, especially in the male partnerships, were astounding. The female dancers, equally strong in their performances, brought a certain grace to the piece, providing the much necessary balance. As the pulse dropped, they gathered together again, to form human building blocks and work as a team. The fact that each dancer was important, as both a dancer and an individual, irrespective of sex or ability, came through. By the end of the evening, most of the audience would definitely have walked away with a feeling of the need to introspect.