The Legend Lin company

The songs of pensive beholding
By The Legend Lin Dance Company
Choreography: Ms Lin
Length: 2 hours

Touring:

Maison de la Culture d’Amiens 10 november 2011 / 20:30

Theatre National de Chaillot 17 et 18 november 2011 /20:30 – first coming at Chaillot !!!

Maison de la Danse Lyon 23, 24, 25 and 26 november 2011/ 20:30 except on wed 23 at 19:30

More on http://theatre-chaillot.fr/danse/legend-lin-dance-theatre/chants-de-la-destinee

Retour aux sources…

In the cultural center of Kaohsiung, was presented on the 23-24th July 2011 the last part of Ms Lin creation dealing with humanity and earth. In this third part, she tries in a very symbolical and beautiful esthetic manner to make us aware of the degradation related to the damage we, as human beings, can cause to the Earth, our pairs and ourselves. The performance in which one does not feel any desolation or despair questions us on how we can find a balance in life, without destroying ourselves and the world like we are used to do actually…

The choreography is based on very measured movements – we can barely see the dancers moving towards us, in very precise and deliberately slow gestures, during the first part – contrasts with the contemporary musical flow – the music reminds us some Dead Can Dance ritual and tribal songs -. In the very beginning, one can see under a white lighting, many female characters with candles, they invite us to listen to a story, our story: the lost of our human concern for our selves, the others and nature in our modern society dedicated to material beholding… And we can see different scenes with suffering characters who shows us the (necessary) metamorphosis of humans (through the main character, the very white and half naked one wearing a big black hat, looking like a desperate animal captive of its abysmal instincts, the ones that lead us towards unhealthy and harmful choices of being). Between those scenes, there is a beautiful love scene between a warrior and the white woman, magic and powerful, especially in the very sensual movements of their arms as if they were tending to transcend their differences, as if love had reunited them into one being, under green-blue earthy like lights… But the following scenes present the death of both the white loving woman – lost in or killed by society- and the warrior- after a fight with another male character-, both carried in a long piece of white – for the woman- and red -for the man- tissues. Because of the society rules and human cruelty, real love cannot survive or ever last; even (hardly) find a place to exist and flower?

‘The songs of pensive beholding’ seem to tell us we have to born again to life, like butterflies, to enhance the future… Is it by a return to the spiritual ancient faith lying in tribal dances and music? The second part, using warmer lights, with an excellent live drum music session- fascinating performers, especially the one near the gong, describes a tribal fight; the rhythm of the music in opposition to the slow movements of the warriors, except the four ones dancing faster and faster to encourage the feline fighters, make us feel the ritual thrill but also the damage caused by some ancient rules, by using red lights color – omnipresent during the show, even by little stroke, like the red long nails of the white woman, the red color on the top of the war long weapons… The use of white -symbol of lost- and red – blood color- or ‘natural’ colors like the green and the blue – symbols of vitality and purity- is not genuine, on the contrary… For example, at the end, when the female dancers come back with their candles, meaning the end of the story, the whole color of the stage is green and blue, hope for a better future through love and spirituality, a path towards more humanity. The movements of the dancers reveal to be a little faster as if they had found the good balance at this moment. The way to get rid of this human suffering the very slow movements of the beginning makes us feel, as if our, humans, had at first a heavy weight on our shoulder to carry on and throw away by finding ourselves the balance between our animal and spiritual part, our soul and body, our and the others, to be completely human, be able to give and preserve our humanity and the Nature…

This high quality show – in the choreography, the dancing, the music, the lightings and the art design, with beautiful costumes made by Tim YIP, using very traditional colors, materials and forms in his manner-, has been applauded by the audience, a young audience who really enjoyed and appreciate the performance even if at the beginning, the slowness of the dance we are not used to can make us feel outlandish, seeming so peculiar and odd but so true… DVDM