THE ALEXANDER WHITLEY DANCE COMPANY BROUGH MOTION CAPTURE, PROJECTIONS, AND EVEN AI TO THE SADLER’S WELLS EAST STAGE

By Sophie Clark | Muck Rack Portfolio ⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

The troupe performed two pieces. The first, Mirror, a duet which explored the impact of technology on romantic relationships. The second, a tech-infused version of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

I found Mirror to be a really interesting experiment in intertwining tech and dance, where the dancers, clad in motion sensors, danced together and also “with” the projected versions of themselves.

As one dancer became disillusioned with the technological ‘mirror’ of herself, the other got more and more sucked into the projected world rather than his real partner. The score by Galya Bisengalieva was propulsive and exciting.

Not all of it worked. Sometimes the projections served as a distraction from the live art; when the projections moved away from mirrors and into more generic images the concept was less convincing.

But, it was a truly original way to combine the tech we have at our disposal with live performance.

The Rite of Spring was shakier. If I hadn’t just seen Mirror, I would have been more engaged with the similar motion-capture projections behind the, again, sensor-clad dancers, but unfortunately, they were not different enough from Mirror to stand out, nor did they tie into the piece in the same way.

I enjoyed when the projections were used to create a large ensemble of dancers behind the five on stage, but otherwise, they were more distracting than thought-provoking.

Additionally, the mesh screen in front of the dancers was incredibly frustrating. Its use in Mirror was interesting and engaging, but in The Rite of Spring, it just served as a barrier between the dancers and the audience.

If choreographer Alexander Whitley was trying to make a statement about how dance and technology can work together, all that I learned is that tech prevents the audience from feeling fully engaged in the art happening in front of them.

People are still choosing to leave their homes and their devices to see live performance art because it provides a different, more present sensation than digital entertainment, so to be physically separated from that art by a screen felt like a missed opportunity.

Overall, the choreography for The Rite of Spring was not particularly compelling. Although in fairness, I am fresh to modern dance reviewing, it felt overly repetitive, at times slightly baffling, and failed to emotionally hit home.

The first production of The Rite of Spring inspired such extreme emotions that it caused a riot. This production sadly didn’t muster the same passion.

The Rite of Spring/Mirror was performed at Sadler’s Wells East on Wednesday 18 March.

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Photo Credit: Oskein