So Blue - Louise Lecavalier - Southbank Centre (July 2, 2014)

I've been going to see a lot of dance this year and last night I went to see Louise Lecavalier perform her first choreographic work, So Blue at the Southbank Centre

I'm a big advocate of professional dancers who are older than thirty. Especially female dance artists. There aren't that many of them around. So when they perform, I go. 

Louise Lecavalier
Image courtesy of http://www.ottawacitizen.com/

For So Blue, Lecavalier used what she calls 'spontaneous movements' (aka 'everyday') as foundations within the choreography to expose, 'something true and beyond our control.'* She discussed this during the post show Q & A where she said she wanted to use movements that were less 'dancerly' as she feels that such movements can sometimes alienate an audience.  The repetitive nature of Lecavalier's 'everyday movements' which form the basis of this work is something which I discuss in my academic essay; that of spontaneous everyday dance as being rooted in repetitive, performative movements.

Throughout the hour long set, I marvelled at how she turned these 'everyday' motions inside out, so that they became enhanced and compulsive to watch. It was as if she was magnifying the ridiculousness, rhythm and odd beauty of the random gestures that proliferate our lives. The way Lecavalier tied all these motions together in pulsating alignment alongside a great score and lighting was testament to her skill and experience. 

I think I held my breath for the whole hour. 

                   Southbank Centre promotional clip from Youtube

Afterwards, Louise and her fellow dancer, Frederic Tavernini sat for a post show Q & A, chaired by dance critic, Donald Hutera. One particular question asked by an audience member made me wish I had an audio recorder on me. Instead the following is written from memory:

Guy: 

Some of the choreography in the show looked really specific and worked on, whilst there where other moments where you two looked really casual and fierce. Like you were randomly dancing at a club, which I liked. How much time did you two go out dancing at clubs to pick up those moves, as opposed to how much time you spent in the studio rehearsing?

LL: 

Well I don't really have the time go to clubs anymore. I'm a mother, I have kids now so I don't go out that much to dance at clubs. I used to. But I also don't need to because I already have the movement.  It's in me. We all have it, it's in all of us. People think that if they go to a club, they'll pick up the movement but you don't need to go to a club. You just need a bit of space anywhere to move as it's already in you.

It was a great answer and instantly made me think of all the people throughout my research who told me that they don't 'go' dancing anymore.

She's right though isn't she? We don't need to 'go' to the dance to find it. It's already here.

Inside us.

* Taken from show guide