Joli Vyann - Anima

Last week I saw an amazing performance by the dance company Joli Vyann at the Southbank Centre. The company comprises of husband and wife team Jan Patzke and Olivia Quayle and the show I saw was called Anima, which is Latin for breath, life and soul.

Before I saw the show, I read a brief explanation of what to expect - that Joli Vyann's show was to explore the simple act of breathing in all its forms and how it connects us all. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was an amazing combination of acrobatics and contemporary dance between a sexually charged couple, accompanied by an amazing Japanese percussionist. The performers pushed themselves to their limits, exploring how breath affects our emotions and our physicality.

Olivia trained and competed in gymnastics for 15 years and then transitioned into dance. Jan was a stuntman before he made his way into the circus and cabaret. At one breathtaking moment, Jan plays the saxophone whilst Olivia stands on his head playing the flute!

Seeing these amazing gymnasts up close really makes you realise how strong they are! At several points through the performance Olivia, who is pretty petite, picks up Jan and swings him around!

To get a small feel for this amazing performance, you can see a clip of it here.

And you can find more tour dates here.

Sunny Sunday

Last Sunday was a beautifully sunny late February day and the perfect day to head over to North London  for a spot of lunch followed by a trip to the fabulous Sadler's Wells theatre. We headed to Exmouth Market for a mooch around and a bite to eat and decided to head to Panzo for hearty Italian food.

It was almost warm enough to sit in the pretty garden out the back, but we decided to sit inside, surrounded by the abundance of indoor plants and under the sunny skylight.

We were brought a lovely appetiser of olives and freshly cooked crispy bread, followed by a hearty lasagne and an eggplant parmigiana.

We then walked the 5 minutes to Sadler's Wells theatre to see a Pina Bausch performance.

Pina is known for her raw and bizarre expressionist contemporary dance and in the decade since her death, her company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch has only performed the work she created. Now, Norwegian choreographer Alan Lucien Oyen has taken on the challenge to create a new full length piece for the company called 'Bon Voyage, Bob', a meditation on death through suicide, disease and war and the emotions that come through that. Not the most uplifting of subjects, but beautifully presented in dance, text, music and sets, and often even wittily done.

As the audience took their seats, the dancers slowly gathered on stage, limbering up and stretching and chatting as if we were a fly on the wall, watching them limber up backstage before the performance started.

I compared it to a David Lynch film in its surreal quality and I loved the cinematographic quality of the lighting and costumes - women in 1940s tea dresses or silk ballgowns and the ever-changing, rotating set, lit with a sombre lighting.

You can see a small clip of the performance here.

Balletboyz

Last night I went to see a stunning performance by the Balletboyz, an all-male troupe with finely-toned bodies and amazing dancing skills which were energetic yet beautifully graceful. I highly recommend going to see them if you get the chance. 

Click here to see a taster of what they can do.