Review - In An Instant - 8/F Platform, Hong Kong Dance Company
24-9-17
By Rhian Widdowson
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‘In An Instant’, choreographed by Dorothy Sek, captivated every audience member’s attention from start to finish. The company is known for pushing boundaries and their originality and creativity. They experiment and play with movement to create beautiful visions, and this piece did not disappoint.
It was performed by four dancers in an intimate in the round setting. The piece ran continuously, consisting of various combinations of the dancers, with smooth transitions between sections.The costumes enhanced their movements but also weren’t a distraction and all were neutral in colour.
The piece began with all four dancers moving around the space so swiftly and up close you could feel the rush of air go past. The dancers immediately showed their connection with each other and began to share this with the audience too by smiling as if they were inviting you to watch. They played with their movements and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves in the space.
They were creative with their use of audio. From melodic music to the dancers using their own bodies to create the tempo with: clicking, clapping, stamping, counting etc. which showed off the musicality of the dancers. They were equally creative with lighting. It set the tone for each section and the choreography enabled the dancers to really interact and integrate the lighting into their movement, for example by creating shadows with their bodies.
A very intense part of the performance was when there was a no audio or light. I felt quite vulnerable in the space, not being able to see and only being able to hear my own breath.
They explored several ideas as well as having key themes that run through the piece. They used body manipulation in pairs that looked so natural I considered it might be improvised on the night. They had a theme of the use of cameras and perhaps ‘selfies’ along with looking through a lens made by their hand.
The dancers were all technically very strong, but for me, Libby Lui and Nicky Hu stood out as they really had such character and individuality to their movements. There was no cliche choreography or formations which were so refreshing. One could see how much thought and effort went into the development of the performance. There were no ‘filler’ movements or moments, and the originality of the choreography kept the audience entertained throughout.
Dorothy’s encouragement for people to share ideas and opinions on the piece afterwards in the space and her willingness to talk to the audience members really proved 8/F’s Platform’s dedication to their journey of discovery in dance.
A couple of the sections were not as strong as others, and although had clear themes and ideas, seemed to lack realness as the dancers didn’t seem as connected to their movement.
Overall, however, an original and engaging piece that intrigued me to what they are going to develop and create for their next work.
This production has now closed.
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