CoisCeim's "Boxes" - My Pick of the Month

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDzzVKxSAtQ
The trek out to Tallaght's Civic Theatre was well worth it last night to see the premiere of CoisCeim Dance Theatre's fantastic revisitation of "Boxes", the kernel of which came into this world in 2000, in Trinity's Player's Theatre - when it featured none other than David Bolger himself, and Sean Jeremy Parker. The choreographer has stepped out of its current reincarnation, and let his playful duet for 2 men and a pile of cardboard boxes accumulate a wealth of zeitgeisty 2009 resonances - are they packing up their work things? And there's the addition of a 3rd, totally cute animated dancing partner. Jym Daly's wonderfully playful and humorous animations are at times mesmerising, and always delightful. Get a load of the agile stick-man (inspired by the original drawings Bolger used when first mapping out the choreography) whose head rolls off into a football a la Roger Rabbit. The muscular, and rather substantial live performers - Broadway boy Jason E Bernard, and Lee Clayden give that stick dude a run for his money. Throw in a bit of clubby music, and it at times drew me into a similar eye-popping world to the one my pal Catherine Owens creates with her animated screen-backdrops for U2 Concerts. That fits with the dropping in of a motivational "we are going to beat this recession" speech from Obama! Later, just when we thought we found a recession-free zone, "we are living beyond our means" comes out of nowhere, a little sneakily. No, no-one, no-one will be spared! Not even Contemporary Dance Shows. Well, all art responds to the world it's living in.
It's a long journey from the mad, complex, and very populous world of "Dodgems" to "Boxes" - back to simplicity, clean lines, and an almost pure focus on movement and gestural vocabulary.
Words may lie, and betray us all, as we are learning to our detriment in the "pre-boom" currenteconomicclimate, but bodies don't. So go and tune in again to the truth, and the humour of the body! You will laugh, oh yes you will. Avail of this opportunity to switch the incessant barrage of bad news off, let your mind go, and dance. Or how about "just be"... Touring to a theatre near you. Nationwide, pretty much everywhere except Limerick - unfortunately for Limerick. See www.coisceim.com