North by North East: Norway meets Tibet

STOCKHOLM, DANSENS HUS: The enigmatic title Not Here/ Not Ever is a fitting start to this strange and beautiful journey. Tibetan-born, Chinese-trained choreographer Sang Jijia who is resident artist with prestige Chinese companies; LDTX and Guangdong Modern Dance Company is working for the first time with Norway’s premiere contemporary dance company, Carte Blanche. Hopefully this will lead to further collaborations as this man has a lot to say and delivers it in powerful dance language.

Throughout its 70 minutes length, the message is unpredictability. Not Here/ Not Ever is a work on the move that constantly excites the senses. Shifting from solos to blocks of ensemble movement or to travelling sequences that skim the stage; the dance flows in a constant stream.

Indrani Balgobin’s costumes are casual: dresses, shirts and trousers, all monochrome but with textured variants in the fabrics. In common with the choreography and the dancers, the interest in the piece comes not from theatrical glitter but from intelligent concepts, mulled over in depth and executed with eloquence and honesty.

A minimal set of shifting screens, designed by Adrian Yeung, provides surfaces to display projections. At times these beam the live action from the stage below, then split the images so each dancer becomes a multiple image following the move with a split second difference to create an instant corps.

A silent scream on video dissolves and the sound is then picked up by a dancer who translates it into a laugh. The playful interchange of ideas between mediums is a constant delight.

Jijia’s choreography is challenging. The Chinese dancers he regularly works have an amazing skill set but Carte Blanche dancers rose to the occasion. They are well used to working with a variety of choreographers and tackled Not Here/ Not Now with commitment; finding the flow in the movements and the strength in the positions.

The cast of ten have clearly defined male/ female identities adding a frisson of emotional tension that found expression in the many duets and trios.

The powerful score from Dickson Dee (CASH) provides more than mere accompaniment as he drives the dance forward on waves of rhythm. Lighting by Adalsteinn “Alli” Stefansson, also joins in the action. Columns of neon lights march in punctuated patterns across the set and whole areas shift from shade to illumination.

Like the master in a three ring circus, Jijia juggles the various elements with fine-tuned artistic judgement, always making technology compliant in the pursuit of art.

Maggie Foyer
19 December 2013