Archive - Dance Umbrella 2005

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COMPAGNIE MAGUY MARIN (FRANCE)
Umwelt (UK Premiere)

South Bank Centre: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sat 22 & Sun 23 October

Influenced by the work of playwright Samuel Beckett, Maguy Marin has created a work in which the audience is compelled to critique its own reflection.

The performers disappear and reappear on a set comprised of monolithic mirrored slabs which shake and shudder as if caught in a storm. Carrying out a series of actions depicting the innate habits of sex, violence, survival, destruction and waste, Umwelt eloquently depicts a hypnotic and colourful rear-window view of Marin's sense of the human condition.

The soundtrack by Marin's long term collaborator, Denis Mariotte, perfectly complements this exquisite and often humourous hour-long cycle of inherent activity.

‘Ms. Marin’s ingenious brand of dance-theater is never devoid of the pungent image; it has the arrow of insight that plunges straight to the heart.’ The New York Times

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