Introducing one of our volunteer dance reviewers, Ami Fullalove:
After graduating from Masters Performing Arts College in Essex, Ami appeared in many professional productions before settling in Devon to become a Business Relationship Manager within a wholesale dancewear company where she organised an annual conference for dance teachers at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London. After realising her love of Event organising Ami moved to a company to coordinate training for Social Workers. Missing the world of Dance Ami is thrilled to be reviewing dance productions for Dance in Devon.
Review of Ladies and Gentlemen | The Cholmondeleys,
by Ami Fullalove
Monday 23 October 2017 at Exeter Phoenix
Choreographer – Lea Anderson
Music – Steve Blake
Design – Tim Spooner
What can be said about this completely surreal, off the wall piece by Lea Anderson? It’s a real feast for the senses and a great evening out.
We arrived to see the stage lit to show a full array of props and musical instruments. Already we were curious know what they were going to do with the items. It had the audience giggling from the start, as we met the six characters, Man, Woman, the Twins, Pet and the Other One. Costumes were extraordinarily odd and yet perfectly utilised throughout the performance.
The characters played faded music hall acts of the past, evoking an air of nostalgia and hilarious failure. Walking around the stage in a precise choreographed manner whilst describing exactly what they were doing, it was as if the audience could hear and share their every thought. In a show of perfect timing, they stopped in unison to begin the next piece of the performance.
This is one of Anderson’s more theatrical pieces. Although it involves little dance, it still incorporates complex choreography and intricate interaction between the characters and their endless props, accompanied by the music and sounds provided by the performers. Incredibly detailed, it encompasses a whole range of movement, from the smallest eye twitch to a full splits. The cast were multi-talented, each one being able to act, sing, dance and play instruments. It was a faultless performance, bringing multiple elements together into a tightly interwoven spectacle.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable evening with more than enough to keep everyone entertained. My tip would be to follow one of the performers as they move between the ‘acts’ – Pet in particular has some very funny lines.
Top Image: The Cholmondeleys