You never quite know what you are going to get at the Korzo. With different shows every day in three different spaces it presents established performers and newcomers. There is a lot of music but the theatre’s reputation was built on contemporary dance and other movement related acts, most notably circus.
After a very short summer break, last night’s Here to Move You was a showcase of the new season with a handful of acts presenting teasers for their forthcoming appearances. Between the acts, to a packed house, various Korzo backroom staff gave information on what we can expect at the theatre over the next few months.
First up, after latecomers had been squeezed into any available space, was Clara Köpf (pictured) performing For Me as Woman, For You as People, a seven minute contemporary Chinese pole act which Ms Köpf states, draws its inducement from gender inequality. The feats of balance and strength displayed would have even a monkey scratching its head wondering how she did them. It occurred to me at one point that perhaps Korzo had found a way to switch off gravity for the duration of the act. In fact the pole was sitting on a Persian carpet, maybe a magic flying carpet . . .
Reinier van Houdt’s appeared on a stage dramatically lit by three spotlights. Sitting at a grand piano with, to his right, a crate laden with keyboards, speakers, amps and lots of wires, he conjured up, with the aid of some spoken word in French, a world full of mysticism and intrigue. Mesmerizing stuff.
After another presentation of some of the season’s upcoming attractions the next act was a video projection on the theatre’s giant back wall. In Biomorfica, Jan-Bas Bollen plays the HyperTheremin. That’s right, a HyperTheremin – and yes, you may well ask. Well, it is some sort of computer motion sensor that enable Mr Bollen to conduct with hand gesture the soundtrack as well as visuals which are projected behind him. Form and gesture are interpreted and transformed into audio-visual poetry with rich sound and image projections that reveal our complex relationship to technology. This worked really well and I really fancy seeing the whole show.
An extract, with three dancers, from Zino Schat’s Whispering a Prayer performed by the Fractal Collective was next up. The piece came about after a trip to Japan where Zino was inspired by the Shinto faith and the symbolism of the Mitsudomoe sign, which is seen as a symbol of protection and balance. For this show, he collaborates with Daijiro Hama, a Japanese visual artist from Kyoto although this aspect was not included in this short clip.
The last act again involved a dancer/acrobat and a pole. Billed as a “A body and an object in search of moments to send and receive potential energy” Henrike Lechler performed with a flying pole – a four meter pole that constantly revolves around the stage, hoisted and lowered to different angles. This was much more dance related than the opening fixed pole act. Ms Lechler, in a flowing silky dress, rose and fell, twisted and turned in an act which sometimes put me in mind of an old Busby Berkley movie.
So, with these performers, and the ones that were trailed by the various speakers, this looks like an exciting few months at the Korzo and I would advise you to have a thorough look through the programme to make sure you don’t miss anything. The Korzo seldom disappoints. Michael Hasted 8th September 2024
