★★★☆☆
Three Stars
Ambitious in its literary referencing (T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land) – though at times disserved by noticeable discrepancies of aptitude within its dancers and issues with synchronization – this production deserves to be seen, if only for its extraordinary solos, imaginative, eclectic soundtrack, and the obvious talent of its choreographers.
Dull Roots, Spring Rain is a modern portrayal of the age-old experiences of maturation and loss of self, incorporated into the ancient Greek myth of Persephone. It is split into three distinct, but by no means insular, movements: “Spring”, “Roots”, and “Rain”. The first thing one notices about Emily Romain’s ambitious piece of contemporary dance is its musical track. Infused with a decidedly international mix of tones, its moods range from Afro-Caribbean to Latin and Southern European. Often extremely evocative, it is perhaps one of the most successful elements of an otherwise limited production.
The first piece, whose choreography was created by Martha Masoero, suffered either from the cast’s initial nervousness, or from the glaring disparities in level within it. Although these would somewhat fade away as the cast progressed through the various pieces, the movements of the ensemble were too often jarringly out of step, lending to what seemed to be a highly well-thought out choreographic construction an air of shabby discord. In brief, “Spring” tells of the conflict between two selves, the one older and disillusioned, looking back on the other: its more innocent, life-trusting past. The use of blindfolds, which the “innocents” place over their “mature” counterparts’ eyes, was interesting insofar as it began by hinting at the “Ignorance/innocence is bliss” truism, but ended up transfiguring the audience’s associative expectations by becoming cocoons in which the “hardened” selves were wrapped, in a foreshadowing of the reconciliation to come – which was, in passing, a little crude in its redundancy, all smiles and big hugs.
The second and third pieces, “Roots” and “Rain” respectively, were undoubtedly the high points of the production. In the former, the skill and engagement of Demeter and Persephone’s solos redeem any previous discordance, while changes in costume, lighting and music highlight the contrast between pastoral idyll – at times a tad on the twee side, though the costumes were wonderfully reminiscent of Pina Bausch’s creations – and hellish underworld. A special mention of appreciation to those dancing Hades’ “temptation” of Persephone, as well as to Persephone herself for her harrowing rendition of a young girl’s absolute disintegration of self. Indeed, a good allegory for the entrapment within an identity she does not recognize is the circle of white light in which she desperately dances, as well as the use of strobe effects, to convey the sense of loss, of character pulverization.
Worth mentioning too is the use of video in the background as another means of foreshadowing the change to come from innocence to emptiness, even if it may have been slightly overexploited over the course of “Roots”.
The third and final segment of this saga of self-discovery is a bravura piece of dancing, and an interesting, if a little heavy-handed, work of staging. The insertion of live music, with an offstage, though visible drummer was a remarkable idea, and extremely effective in its creation of the military, geometrically rigorous tone sought by Romain and Masoero. The energetic and imposing rhythms of the drumming, as well as a naturally increased concentration, contributed in giving the ensemble decidedly more backbone. The metaphor of the building blocks may not have been the most original analogy for a self divided, discombobulated, and then reconstructed into one pyramidal whole (a pyramid of blocks had literally been erected by the end of the performance) which echoed the tripartite construction of Dull Roots, Spring Rain overall – but it was a clear and accessible rendition of the themes which appear with increasing poignancy as the dance advances.
