“Never quite finding stillness” was the theme of this year’s Bloomsbury show 'Déboussolé', a collection of pieces choreographed by students and performed in UCL’s incredible Bloomsbury Theatre.
When walking into a dance show formulated by bringing together individual pieces from various choreographers and dancers, it can be difficult to produce the effect of a cohesive performance. Admittedly, when walking into the theatre to watch this show I wasn’t convinced that 'Déboussolé' (meaning disbalanced or turbulent) and the accompanying theme of ‘never finding stillness’ would truly come through.
I am pleased to announce, they absolutely pulled it off.
'Déboussolé' was emotional, it was strong, it was cohesive and above all, it was truly art. The cast of 102 dancers, though ranging in technical ability, fed a shared feeling and energy to the audience; quite a feat for a cast of that size.
Assistant Director and Choreographer Auriane Milot reflected on the experience of building this cohesion, the roots of the theme and the directive process of ensuring that it was shared with the audience: "An important task for the directing team is to ensure creative continuity and theme accuracy through time. We were involved in choosing the choreographers for the show, and to follow their progress and make sure the meaning of their dance doesn’t stray too far from the theme”
The personal highlight of the show was the opening number, choreographed by Auriane Milot, Hatsune Sawada and Pola Aleksandrowicz. It featured a combination of pre-recorded videos of the cast in various styles, covering each other and themselves in paint as they danced, a beautiful ode to connection, joy and a love of movement. As the cast gathered on stage, the energy and enthusiasm they brought was palpable and the audience felt alive with anticipation. A singular lightbulb hung from the ceiling and was woven beautifully into the choreography.
A notable feature of the show was its unique use of the spoken word, which was strewn across the entire performance, highlighting key messages and themes. The choreography to accompany this was well thought out, with particularly poignant emotional movements at various meaningful lines.
On the theme of playing with sound, a particularly striking piece choreographed by Hatsune Sawada and Samantha Fisher saw a trio of tappers providing the percussion for a larger group of dancers to perform a short tutting routine to. A risky concept to execute but totally captivated the audience with its visual and audible creativity.
The audience remained engaged throughout, likely captivated — as I was — by the ever changing styles, emotions and incredible lighting sets. The music was also wildly varied, and despite the fact that some of the cuts between songs were a little harsh and forced in some pieces, largely flowed well.
An audience favorite was certainly the street interlude by Ethan He and Lucas which transitioned into ‘(S)he’ by Alisha Gail Bedeser, in which a dance battle set-up (where some outstanding individual dancers were really able to highlight their talent) was followed by a section of commentary on gender norms, much to the thrill of the audience.
Assistant Director Auriane details: “I want [the audience] to leave the theatre with the thought that they just had an experience, that they had an active part in the show. We will have done our job right if the audience feels misbalanced as well”. It is safe to say that through the risk-taking, intensity and energy brought by the dancers and choreographers, this goal was met.
Overall, this was a show to truly be proud of. A massive congratulations to Director Pola Aleksandrowicz and Producer Dean Phua, to the rest of the team, the crew, the choreographers and of course, to all of the dancers. The Cheese Grater is excited to see what you come up with next year.
Have a look at @ucldanceblooms on Instagram for pictures and videos.