Who we are, and what defines us has been a recurring theme in this year's Arches Live.
And it is an integral part of He's The Greatest Dancer, a tender yet intense collaboration by Ian Johnston, Gary Gardiner and Adrian Howells, that challenges our assumption that words are how we best express ourselves.
Gardiner - like Johnston, suave in formal dinner suit - takes charge of the speaking. He is a bit cocky-confident, whereas Johnston (who has some non-specific learning difficulties) is shy of talking. But when the music starts, and Johnston dances, he totally transforms. His moves are sharp yet lyrical, and while Gardiner struts in a showy way, Johnstone truly outclasses him because he is totally 'in' the music. And in those moments we see who Johnston is - not just a great dancer, but an inspiring one.
When composer/musician Greg Sinclair asked primary school pupils to explore Fluxus Instruction Scores and then create their own, the results - some of them enacted by Sinclair in I Do, Do I - ranged from simple, everyday actions to risk-taking stuff you would entitle My Last Ever Solo. As Sinclair vocalises whimsies, prances while playing cello or takes a bow after clicking a pen into its cap, there is such an ear-awakening sense of discovery the time flies by and even the trains above sound symphonic.
Sister is a work-in-progress by Amy and Rosana Cade that uses their contrasting personal experiences and lifestyle choices to explore aspects of the porn industry, female sexuality and feminism. The developed piece will be staged next year, but already the sheer heft of their unflinchingly naked frankness leaves you caught between laughter and tears.
Arches Live '13 ends tomorrow
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