Talent for the tightrope

As the audience watches, planks are leaned vertically in a row against a bleak wall, their different shades of brown gleaming under a line of single light bulbs. Across the room more boards are stacked, with a mannequin slouching against them. 

The five performers begin the show by warming up in the manner of their own artistic background, then proceed to move, for the most part engrossed with each other as if deeply in love – as well as lust. 

They dance on the flat ground and make clever use of the surroundings, jumping onto and disappearing behind the woodpile and tiptoeing across the standing planks.

 Drawing inspiration from Jean Genet’s controversial silent film “Un Chant d’Amour” (“A Song of Love”) and poetic essay “Le Funambule” (“The Tightrope Walker”), the show interweaves concepts of untamed love and the high-wire risks that artists take. 

We hear a transvestite’s mad laughter, circus-like announcements, and lines from a poem comparing romance to blossoming acacias and the sea, while veteran choreographer Jitti Chompee explores raw and wild love, his cast taking on the ape-like mannerisms of primitive humans. 

Homoerotic scenes from Genet’s movie are beautifully paired with parallel gestures, from subtle caresses of the shoulders to sensual shakes of the hips. 

Despite their differing stage backgrounds and physical appearance, the 

 performers work harmoniously. British magician-actor James Laver has had no formal dance training but looks confident in his movements and helps tighten up the ensemble’s acting overall. 

The four Thai dancers – trained in classical, Latin, hip-hop and ballet – get to display their own styles and yet at the same time effortlessly execute the steps in Jitti’s choreography. 

Beyond the risk of mingling different disciplines, it’s apparent that Jitti carefully created an interesting dance vocabulary. All of the cast members can manage the movements, which are mostly rooted to the ground and focused on the joints. 

Jitti also uses the full masculine physique to the best advantage, including thrilling acrobatic movements that require great upper-body strength.

However, when khon dancer Anucha Sumaman dominates the scenes, things start to look contrived and he seems out of place. True, the gestures are exquisite, but at times they feel like a token Thai addition, used only to distinguish the show from Western productions. 

Moreover, seeing khon masks in a homoerotic context is somewhat unsettling. Despite being plain white, these are still unmistakably the masks revered by masters and students of the art form. I don’t usually fret over propriety, but seeing a performer remove his mask and then bury his head in another male dancer’s shirt is perhaps an unnecessary risk. 

Risks are often worth taking, in life as well as art, but not always. Daring acts can be admirable – as long as the rationale is sound.

 

TWO MORE SONGS

“A Song of Love” continues tomorrow and Sunday at 7.30pm at PT Gallery and WARP Studio 54 on Soi Charoen-krung 30, close to the Si Phraya Pier. 

 

There are a a few lines in English and poetry in French without Thai translation. 

 

Tickets cost Bt800 (half price for students) at www.TotalReservation.com. 

 

Learn more at www.18MonkeysDanceTheatre.com.