Review: POLITICAL MOTHER at Grand Théâtre

Hofesh Shechter's critically acclaimed Political Mother made a stop in Luxembourg last Tuesday and delighted the audience with a fantastic mixture of sound, light and movement. Shechter built on the success of his previous works, Uprising (2006) and In Your Rooms (2007) and provided a unique take into the world of politics and the relation between the people, their leaders and the concepts of political numbness and representation.

The ensemble was composed by ten dancers of remarkable talent, who performed complex sequences almost non-stop for over one hour. In between some of the sequences, the performers had to switch outfits, giving them barely any time to catch their breath. There were some solo numbers during the show, but this was, for the most part, a group effort that saw all members of the cast perfectly synchronized at all times. It is one thing to perform well individually, or to always make a movement in the right tempo. But to have the grace and group awareness to look not like ten bodies, but like a body of ten, that is indeed true art.

Also featuring in the background were drummers and electric guitarists, who greatly stirred the rhythm of the show. Once the guitars started playing you understood why they gave you earplugs at the entrance - these guys were not messing around. As part of the political and social symbolism, the band was present in moments of greatest tension, building up the atmosphere in a truly epic manner. Their outfits matches the message of any given number and they often seemed to play in accordance to the appearance of the leader. Recurrently throughout the evening, a figure would show up at the top of the stage, clearly in a position of power or control, grabbing a microphone to shout enthusiastic speeches. Although you could not understand a word, you could get the rhetorical or commanding tone, making him come off as an antagonist of the overall narrative.

Our sincere congratulations to the company and to Hofesh Shechter for their work.

Image credit: Gabriele Zucca

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