Review- Wall- CCDC
5-7-15
By: Laurella Jose
Having read the programme prior to seeing it, I made out that Wall was a piece about how cold-hearted place Hong Kong is and how it seems the city lights are powered by indifference and claustrophobia, at times.
Part of the Real Showcase series Wall, choreographed and performed by Fiona Zhou, is her first full-length dance work and perfect for such a minimalist setting. It consisted of mostly white tape on black floors and walls; it was quite a resourceful piece. The use of light and chalk was something I could really appreciate, aiding us to both visually and emotionally understand what she was putting across.
With four scenes, Fiona guides us through the story that starts and ends at her bedroom, constantly brewing a struggle that ever so often spills out throughout the ‘day’. It really conveyed to me how cyclical days can be in the city but how each day has its own unique mental torture.
This show has free seating and no chairs. I enjoyed the "plop your butt anywhere" philosophy but ladies might want to refrain from wearing high heels or short skirts when seeing this production. Having talked to Fiona after the performance, she explained how the seating was to extend to the audience how she felt about the constricting atmosphere most are left when living in the space Hong Kong offers.
With an hour run time, I think this show amply covers the subject, although some guests might find the piece repetitive or tedious in spots. At one point Fiona got into a long passionate argument with her jacket about whether it went well with her angst. All I could think was it wasn't helping our case that girls take a long time to get ready in the morning.
Her technique throughout the piece was well polished. The movements were flowy when they needed to be and sharp when the piece demanded. She used the space and props to support her movements – walls, chairs, light bulbs all seem to contribute to the message she was trying to convey – Hong Kong is small and sometimes sucky.
I enjoyed how she played around with sudden internal conflict in her movements. From controlled soft fixation, to sharp turns and jerks building up to her resignation. Anyone with a day job would silently shout “AMIRITE” at at least one point in the show.
Wall reached out to anyone who had experienced moving to a new place. It’s never what you expect and her piece really brought that out.
Wall is playing through July 5th. For more information, click here.
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