Choreographers: Aakash Odedra, Hu Shenyuan
Performed in the expansive Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Samsara brings together two dancers from different backgrounds whose cultures are linked by religions rooted in the eponymous concept of the cycle of life, existence, death and rebirth. It’s a collaboration that has created an enchanting spectacle, full of varied, surprising beauty.
Right from the beginning, there is a sense of a metaphysical journey being explored. A stark spotlight beams down from the lofty ceiling of the theatre, illuminating the near-naked body of Chinese dancer Hu Shenyuan. The twisting of his long limbs creates impossible angles and shapes, as if a human is being improvised out of sinewy muscle source material.
The lighting is sparse throughout, mainly consisting of an arrangement of spotlights. Hu and UK/Indian dancer Aakash Odedra use the darkness to great effect, moving between the lights which fade on and off like a slow-motion strobe, using the shadow when they come together to make it appear as if one of them is floating. The physical chemistry between the two dancers is key to the success of the piece and at times their understanding of each other’s movements appears almost supernatural. As they flip and entwine it is unclear whose body parts are whose, forming a many-limbed deity with lightning-quick fluid hand gestures.
The powerful soundtrack, composed by Nicki Wells, is performed live by her on vocals with two other musicians playing various instruments including some truly virtuosic traditional Chinese drumming. Elements of both Chinese and Indian music are worked into a bed of morphing soundscapes that mirrors the journey of the dancers, creating a foundation for the transcendental thematic overtones. A wide dynamic range is used, from the percussive slapping of the dancers’ hands and feet to the electronically backed climaxes where the three musicians can be seen on stage.
A performance clearly replete with spiritual symbolism, it would warrant repeat viewings to try and absorb the full significance of the movements, the light, the music, the sand that flows over the dancers and gradually fills the stage. To observe the different identities the two dancers create is to see new and varied lives being lived. It’s a masterful display of how to use a non-verbal artform to communicate a resonant, ancestral meaning.
Runs until 18 October 2022
