Review: VENUS, by Impermanence, Wilton's Music Hall

Impermanence Dance Theatre had quite the ride for their opening night (in London) of Venus: a quadruple bill of new work at the Wilton's Music Hall.

The programme is ambitious in both subject matter and execution - but occasionally misses the boat. Opening the night is Cosmic Yoghurt. A work by Impermanence director Roseanna Anderson discussing the surrealist painter Leonora Carrington. Wilton's Music Hall doesn't want for atmosphere, which helped with the mystique of the piece no end, but the surrealism was difficult to locate, apart from the opening moments which featured armless, off kilter human skittles. We learnt about Carrington through vocal excerpts where she scolded the interviewer for trying to find "mini logic" - proclaiming not everything needs intellectualising; things need to be felt.

I sensed Isadora Duncan everywhere. Through the billowing, soft costuming to the classical Greek influenced choreography. Beautiful moments indeed, but not "mini logic"-central.

Second was the film Feral by Impermanence director Joshua Ben-Tovim and composer Hollie Harding, inspired by the book of the same name and featuring the author himself, George Monbiot. Monbiot is an environmental and political activist, so Feral focused on the (ongoing) depletion of planet Earth. The film captured nature and the sentiment beautifully. Epic coastal and moor scenes felt truly cinematic - though projection onto a screen rather than a curtain would improve the visuals.

The movement was more atmospheric than codified, but the correlation to the tangible music scape by Harding created potent connections.

Closing the first half was Enemy of the Stars by Ben-Tovim. A duo for two men inspired by the novel of the same name by the Vorticist Wyndham Lewis. Vorticism, as a literary and artistic movement, was developed in England from 1912-15. The thinking: moving away from (19th century) sentimentality, and wanting to relate art to Industrialisation. The machine being god, so emphasis on the concept of sheer violence and angular aesthetics reigned supreme.

The two men had a competitive vibe throughout - the movement feeling like a contest, with a Capoeira-based underpinning that used all the space the Wilton's had to offer. Towards the end one of them had an emotional breakdown. Unsure why, it rammed home the fact that some narratives/concepts don't always lend well to dance. Overall; a cerebral work that wasn't quite realised.

Post interval and closing the evening was Venus, written by Peter Clements; a dance theatre work looking at the Suffragette Mary Richardson. Richardson famously slashed the Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez at the National Gallery in protest, later becoming a fascist and ultimately dying alone in Hastings. Venus tries to cover all of this and more, and whilst Richardson is clearly a fascinating character, the work was less captivating.

On the night there were some technical issues. For this reason it's difficult to review, as we didn't necessarily see the work in its entirety. The premise also had a futurist angle, taking us on a cabaret-style journey where different characters, or periods of Richardson's life were introduced. All cabarets need a compère, and though Alessandro Marzotto-Levy's effort can't be denied, the comedic flair and timing didn't always hit the mark.

Impermanence has great taste and artistic aspirations, but the execution needs some development. Not of the physical, but of the structuring of creative thinking. Too much "mini logic"ing?! Who knows...

Venus is at Wilton's Music Hall until 18 May

Photo Credit: Paul Blakemore

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