Be Your Self

Wow! Be Your Self is an explosive piece of madness, intrigue, humor, elegance and thought provoking athletic movement.

The work really has to be seen to be understood, words can't really describe the enormity and the agility of the piece. The only words in this work are a dribbling, tumbling flow of words that fall from the mouth of actor Annabel Giles as if she’s been switched on or programmed. These words are descriptive anatomical names that are lengthy and not in ‘laymen’s’ terms; we not only learn of the complexities of the body as it moves in motion but also the art of the words, which make up these movements.

Artistic Director Gary Stewart says he drew inspiration from different sources but also from Buddhist philosophy. ‘Central to Buddhist philosophy is an ontological deconstruction of the self.’ This work really makes you think about yourself, your mind, your body as object, you projecting your body into the world and it also allows you to be reflective and think about the world around you and yourself in it.

Be Your Self is simple in its visual form and delivery; the dancers are in white, the stage is flat and white and there is a raked stage with a checkerboard appearance. As the piece goes on we discover the checkerboard squares are actually material openings that allow the dancers to dive in and out of these patches almost like a birth or rebirth process. The dancers put sections of their limbs through the squares and form shapes, allowing us to see the body in compartments, separate from other sections of the human body. This makes you think about your own body in sections as opposed to a whole.

Stand out artists were Kimball Wong, who slices the air with agility and force. It appears he is suspended when he leaves the ground, as if you’ve picked up the remote and pressed ‘pause’ at the height of his movement. Paul White is the other mention, a consummate performer who seems to be born to do this type of work.

ADT shows no sign of slowing down and this dance work is a reflection of Garry Stewart’s continual, unrelenting quality. The company of ten generates the force and power of an army of dancers and delivers till the final moment without fatigue or frailty. This is a must see work full of depth, power and sweat.

Emma Bell