Bristol-based Kompany Malakhi performed their touring production Boxin' on April 2, 2009, as part of East London Dance's annual season, Dance Currents. Here are two reviews by emerging dance writers Theah Dix and Jo-Ann Hamilton.
Review of Kompany Malakhi's Boxin by Theah Dix
Kwesi Johnson’s Kompany Malakhi’s ‘Boxin’ continued its explosive tour at Stratford Circus, London on 2nd April 2009.
The five strong cast members from a variety of dance backgrounds including jazz, ballet, street and Irish step dance combined their skills along with Johnson’s innovative choreography, to tell stories of misunderstanding and misconception faced by people in today’s society. Tales of peer pressure, acceptance and inclusion were communicated through hip-hop, mime, capoeira and contemporary dance.
Johnson integrated elements of parkour into the choreography. Parkour uses obstacles as vehicles for movement. Complimenting and assisting the routines, an understated set design transformed the space into an urban playground, with performers vaulting off of railings, winding themselves around lampposts and running up walls. A bench was turned into a balance and became an object of imagery in conveying the shift in power between lovers as they flirt with one another. Huge elastic panels were woven together to create walls of the inside of a room which were reactive to the performers as they literally bounced off the walls during a scene of drunkenness.
The cast performed with talent and energy, demonstrating a great awareness and connection to each other and the space. A hypnotic love scene was carried out on a raised tilted platform. The duo danced with control, displaying a fluid and lyrical performance. A female soloist embodied her angst and confusion at being accepted into a new community and performed her sequence with conviction.
At moments, the performers used spoken word to answer questions in response to a voiceover. The speeches delivered a deeper insight into the characters’ minds and were supported by subtle movement. An alternative method of communication may have proved more engaging as the spoken word interrupted the rhythm and pace of the action which slightly weakened the overall impact of the piece.
With a supporting soundtrack of heavy hip-hop tunes, hardcore dance tracks and even a funked-up version of Oliver’s ‘Who Will Buy this Wonderful Morning’, Boxin is an exciting and energetic piece of dance theatre, which dynamically and imaginatively maintains the company’s trademark ethos of breaking down cultural and social barriers through dance.
As an introduction to the event, a pre-show performance was given by students of East London Dance and Newham Sixth Form College. Showcasing the collaborative work explored between Kompany Malakhi and the students through a series of workshops, the students were well focused in delivering a sound understanding of using dance as a narrative tool. The stairs and landings in the foyer created the idea of a block of flats. The audience’s position in the middle of the performance space encouraged a feeling of involvement in the action. The movement was supported by rhythmical breathing, clapping and sporadic intimidating vocals which punched the air and heightened the tension helping to set the scene for Kompany Malakhi to follow.
Boxin Griography by Jo-Ann Hamilton
Thirteen students from the University of East London and the Newham Sixth Form College set off the evening with an alarming visual display in the foyer of the Stratford Circus Theatre. Their bodies stared into space as they slowly moved towards and around each other, baffling the onlookers. They banged with aggression and screamed into the air. A dancing battle commenced among them, appropriately setting the scene for Kompany Malakhi’s Boxin.
With the stage characteristically set up as a housing estate the dancers circled each other under the dim lights of the gloomy theatre. It was equipped with a shopping cart, decrepit benches, steel railings and lamp post for special effect. A confluence of eclectic sounds, jazz strikes, acoustic melodies and hypnotic tunes complimented the mixture of contemporary, hip hop and jazz movements. The five artist’s aplomb and well assembled, delivered a message through the artistic expression of movement.
At first Boxin appeared to be a typical theatrical dance piece within the broader world architecture of performing arts. However, with time, it exploded into a thought provoking imitation of youth life in present day London. The Muslim female and the braided-hair black male, young men and women searching for meaning in an otherwise confusing reality. Part one, began with a fracas and seemly stereotypical misjudgement. There was rock and roll music, party scenes and heart beating reverberations, all capturing the emotions of the audience. Active, energetic and comedic at times this combination of theatre and dance truly embodied a new experience. The violin played for a sweet but short moment as love ignited its flame between an ostensibly odd couple. The dancing characters, revealed what it is we are all searching for and at times threatened by. Is prejudice a result of the society we created? Or is the society a result of our prejudices? In an insouciant manner one of the male characters responded to the voice projected over the stage, “I am not a racist I have many black friends.” As the voice continued prodding to understand what spurred the initial riot he again insisted, “I am not a racist, I am doing multi-culturalism at work.”
For a theatrical dance piece to challenge the notion of identity, culture and a sense of belonging in less than two hours is an arduous task. “We need to look out for our own.” “They are taking our jobs,” very topical in any conversation regarding nationality and migration. Solo pieces also explored the identity of each character within the larger context of the production. One of these was to the backdrop of Arabic music before ending with Nina Simone’s, “It's a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me yeah....and I am feeling good.” As the male dancer stroked his skin with a red marker and his fellow dancers wiped the floor, there was much room for imagination. One can only hope that through such a robust presentation the viewers walked away inspired and more self aware, Boxin was unquestionably crafty in movement and tactically wise in concept owing to Kwesi Johnson’s mission as a griographer, conveying a message through choreography and not simply dance.
