Fringe Guru - Velocity ****
Rush lived up to its name!! Energetic, athletic, it started at pace and kept going as it explored commuter life; small moments of interaction on the tube were wary, distrustful and amusing. Harriet Macauley dances with strength and her duets with David Gellura were satisfying to watch. The hectic commuter life was matched by pulsing, industrial music interweaved with melodic horn.
Reviewed by Susannah Radford
20th August 2010 to 21st August 2010
The Shimmy Skinny @ The Edinburgh Fringe Festival ****
Dancers run purposefully, head down, across the stage, only to stop, turn around, and run back the other way. Others stand as obstacles; they get frustrated and angry. Sound familiar?
Pair Dance’s Rush is an abstract representation of the stressful yet monotonous, bustling yet empty daily commute. The choreography expresses this feeling incredibly well, progressing from pure, purposeful running to antagonistic partnering, dynamic, agitated solos and a section where the four dancers move perfectly in unison, executing a series of frantic kicks and jumps, before pausing, exhaling heavily in frustration, and starting again.
The original score by Richard Leonard, featuring dramatic violins, the incessant throbbing of an engine and the sound of wheels on a track, interspersed with people grunting, cursing, and moaning, compounds the tension built by the choreography, and elevates Rush from a solid dance performance to the momentary creation of an atmospheric, enveloping world. It forces our daily routines into sharp focus, making us examine what we are doing, and why, and if it’s really worth it.
What really puts the icing on the cake — or the fourth star on the page — is that, underneath the ostensible stress and clumsiness, the dancers are centred, assured and in complete control of their bodies, allowing them to express whatever they want with the utmost conviction. The only slight criticism of the piece is that the frustration and antagonism between fellow passengers is exaggerated: most commutes aren’t that bad. However, a bit of artistic license is allowed, as the exaggeration makes for a more dramatic, exciting performance.
Reviewed by Amanda Grimm
www.ballet.co.uk
14th August 2010 to 30th August 2010
Herald Scotland ****
Rush- Pair Dance/Harriet Macauley lived up to its name with a recurring pell-mell of bodies crossing the darkened stage....
Reviewed by Mary Bernnan
13th August 2010
The Skinny RUSH@Dance Base
Pair Dance choreograph the underground!
When Harriet Macauley explains her inspiration for Pair Dance’s Rush, she moves far away from the world of contemporary dance. “As a regular commuter on London underground, I was very interested in the monotony of the daily commute,” she begins, before listing the joys of the subway. “Bodies moving in the same direction: often flustered and centred on ourselves and our destination. The lack of space and natural light, narrow corridors and low ceilings creates this heated and often intense energy, with buskers playing instruments.”
As a dancer, however, she found herself noticing the natural choreography of her fellow passengers. “The non verbal communication between commuters is fascinating,” she admits. “The long glares, body language, hunching over, body positioning, smiling, and hand gestures.” From these subtle physical cues, Macauley was inspired to use dance to represent this modern hell.
Rush’s vision is pessimistic: Macauley acknowledges that it is “related to the monotony and regimentation of our daily commute but it also touches on the issue of time, relationships, environment and spiritual apathy.” Dance itself is a model of almost repressive regimentation, with the required training and rehearsal requiring a strict discipline. Macauley counters this with her creative process: “It has to be said that as a team we never lose sight of a light hearted and open approach to creating dance works.”
Originally formed as a collaborative vehicle for Macauley’s collaborations with composer Richard Leonard, after she left Rambert Dance Company in 2006, Pair Dance has developed a vision that includes increasing opportunity for young people. Rush, studying a subject rarely considered within dance, suggests that Pair Dance are one of the many companies considering ways to make dance more inclusive. Macauley herself is passionate about the possibilities of dance.
“Our mission is to create opportunities for artists and young people to play, explore and investigate an endless capacity for development through movement and sound,” she says. Yet this is not just about choreographing recognisable scenarios. “Our Creative Learning stream brings dance to a suburban area in Hertfordshire, making high quality dance performances more accessible to those who struggle to travel into the city.”
Despite the optimism of her vision, Rush refuses to blink at the crazed paranoia of the commuting grind: the underground becomes a nightmare of tics, twitches, noise and anxiety. At the point where words fail to express utter frustration and chaos, Rush captures the physical horror of mundane reality.
Posted by Gareth K Vile, Sun 01 Aug 2010
2nd August 2010 to 31st August 2010
London Dance
Pair Dance return to the festival with RUSH choreographed by Harriet Macauley, enthralling the audience from the start. On viewing this piece one has no choice but to become captivated by the intensity of the four dancers!!
The intuitive choreography cleverly interprets Macauley’s manifestation of commuter chaos, the four dancers each representatives of an individual, conveying their own inner personality and emotion. Moments of stiff and rigid movement reflects the nature of today’s society and the daily frustration in the anarchy of our social system.
'Fabulously executed, this piece was a highlight of the evening'!!
Reviewed by Susanne Allen
21st July 2010
RUSH
The piece takes the daily urban commute as its basis to explore how people interact with themselves and with each other. And if choreographer Harriet Macauley is to be believed we don’t interact very pleasantly at all. The dancing, shaped around heightened neurotic aspects of traits such as suspicion, disdain, wariness, and self-absorption was provocative, determined, and technically precise. With its smoky, dark stage and lone tuba solos Rush seemed to give the phrase ‘commuter hell’ a whole new embodiment. A sharp, focussed and breathtaking way to end an overall excellent evening!!
Reviewed by Lesley Perez
21st July 2010
People with Voices
Pair Dance’s exploration of the madness of commuter chaos RUSH is an epic, maniacally intense story that builds and builds.
The unrelenting beat of the music conjures the monotony of the daily commute, with the closeness of the dancers’ motion suitably claustrophobic. The quality of the partner work in the middle of the piece is excellent!!
Reviewed by James Corke
www.peoplewithvoices.com
19th July 2010
Critical Dance Magazine
Focused and talented, performances are slick and unfussy…powerful work
A striking example of how movement can carry strong emotional resonance...
...exhilarating and professional
20th December 2009
Ballet Co
...some bone-crunching dynamics as dancers hurl themselves around.
...helped mightily by Richard Leonard's music/sound collage
14th December 2009
Londonist
...a frenetic take on rush hour... both strong and relentless
5th December 2009
Dancing Times
Macauley can unfold a high extension with lavish ease then arch into a backbend without changing gears.
The flow of movement - complete.
Her dancing is sumptuous… superb
1st October 2009
The Times
…impressive. The dancing – tight and fast.
…well danced and nicely crafted
1st February 2009
www.article19.co.uk - The Awards
This new company to the wide world of dance stole the show at this years Big Mission Festival in Swindon. Excellent dance making with the just the right mix of pacing, music and movement.
A work that's over before you know it and leaves you wanting more, just the way it should be!"
1st December 2008
www.londondance.com
...a turbulent, eruptive piece
...with sublime technique
1st September 2008
www.article19.co.uk
...living proof that the festival circuit is the best place to look for new hidden gems from dance makers.
Most definitely a company to keep your eyes on...
13th May 2008 to 1st May 2008
