Watched the Vacant House today with Esther! And Elizabeth was performing in it. And, I promised to write a little report and offer an interpretation of the dance and the experience.
It's part of the Lasalle showcase which is part of the dan:s festival going on at the esplanade now. The Vacant House raises issues about human experience, particularly the nature of our memories and how we come to terms with separation, loss and betrayal. (And, of course, this goes against the theme of love.) There are moments of frenzied passion that I suppose are meant to depict strife and inner conflicts between notions of self and reality. Dancers whisper throughout several movements and coupled with the canons, the sibilance and resonance created suggest ominous and unseen forces at play, while foregrounding at the same time that human experiences are cyclic and layered, as opposed to the perceived linearity of time as observed from the individual, hence the portrayal of these entities as "ghosts" that haunt and constantly recreate the past.
Also, slow-paced, tension-filled moments similarly probe at the issue of meaning and existence, leaving the audience to fill in the gaps and spaces in time with their own interpretations and thoughts. In many cases, this is heightened by the minimal, perfunctory and disjointed movements made that result in interactions and conflicts among the characters. The pieces of white paper scattered around the perimeter of the performance space not only serve as props and to create boundaries to evoke a sense of constriction and restriction within the Vacant House, it also becomes a motif for our memories, when they are shuffled through, tossed around, and sometimes cradled tenderly.
Thus, in many of the aforementioned ways, the vacant house is perhaps a metaphor for the human psyche, where memories lie scattered and disorganised and where the id and the superego are in conflict. It raises questions about the validity of our interactions and experiences, complicates these matters, and then leaves them mostly unanswered in the eventual and inevitable fading out of events. However, it does offer a glimpse of a resolution at the end when the characters are back in their original positions, broaching on the fact that things have come full-circle, and when the remaining masculine character realigns the feminine, it returns the sense of balance and harmony from the initial chaos and expectations of a descent into madness.
Actually, I rather liked another shorter dance piece that was meant to about depression and the disconnect it causes between the individual and loved ones. There is a solo at the start, and I like how a sense of melancholy is created by utilising the windows and the backdrop of marina bay, where the dancer's gaze extends beyond the horizon as she brushes her fingertips across the glass. Later, she is joined by another two characters dressed similarly in black. At times, their movements are in sync and in harmony with one another. However, the duo never interacts with the solitary dancer, who does make attempts to connect. The symbolism here is simpler, but it rings true to real life and our emotions.
(Okay, your boredom should end here.)
Later, we went to Canele for dinner. (Actually, we skipped dinner. This was dessert.) We stood in front of the cake display and picked out the truly fascinating and intriguing pastries and cakes and sponges. I had to use elimination to pick out a cake because the process of choosing was near impossible given our wide-eyed amazement. In the end, we had a Le-something, a tiramisu and a chestnut and chantilly cream thing, that was rather unpopular with us.
(PICTURES AREN'T UPLOADING CRUDDDDD.) Okay I shall post pictures tomorrow or something.
Anyway, my meals today are so screwed-over, once again. Breakfast was normal, then there was brunch, then we had a late lunch but no one has brunch and lunch together on the same day, so we called it high tea, and after that I had some popcorn and then I didn't know what to make out of it. Now I'm feeling bloated and a little nauseous, so argh I hope I don't fall sick yet.
