Culture

Michael Clark Company: Barbican Theatre

by Mo-Ling

47mcbarbican1910

I knew little about Michael Clark Company when David brought me to the Barbican for his Triple Bill, and kind of expected it to look like a early noughties pop art music video. The next hour or so went from cool and engaging, to consistently Wowed (until the end video with Jarvis Cocker where I tuned out a bit). I walked away really impressed upon, it’s not often that a dance performance feels so relevant for me (my cultural experience anyway). The elements of dance and dancers, staging, lighting meet music and video rather masterfully. Dancers deconstruct formal ballet barre technique to the pared down melodies and dada pop lyrics by Scritti Politti. Bald androgynous prima dancer Julie Cunningham is the most perfect imperfect creature dancer – so totally mesmerising are her unique elongated lines, arched feet and buck teeth. Balletic rigour becomes android-like, then more intense and urgent, then slightly unruly, but never losing form. A balanced triptych, a memorable mix tape, an encapsulation of where contemporary dance should be.