Dark somber movements around a potato sack, an imbalanced dance, and a puppet opera were showcased in the final piece ending the three week RedCat NOW Festival.

(Steven Gunther)

In “Sack” by Michael Kouakou and Daara Dance, the loud speakers blared of deep rhythmic tones.

The stage was sparse with only a potato sack that was filled to capacity with an unknown substance, tied with a rope and holstered up on the left side of the stage.

Actors came out one by one and lifted up their shift above their head and stood in a trance like state.

The movement was concentrated on one dancer who moved in rough passionate motions across the stage.

He weaved sometimes between those who stood still, and sometimes in the middle of the stage. Towards the end the rope around the sack is undone and the dancer uses the force of the swinging sack to capitalize his movements—dipping and diving to avoid being hit.

Actors still stood on stage motionless.

Their eyes hidden by cloth, only their stomachs moved as they breathed in and out.  The music continued to go in-and-out of the speakers keeping the pace of the dancer movements.

Exaggerated dance movements took precedent in Victoria Marks Piece “Medium Big Inefficient Considerably Imbalanced Dance.”

The imbalance was pronounced in how the dancers used every once of their body to twist and manipulate in ways not usually shown in more graceful pieces.

The beauty came in the visual shapes the dancers created.

The dancers could have their shoulders bent all the way forward while the back arched backwards. Their legs were twisted downward in positions seemingly so unnatural yet they could still move with ease.

The dance used all levels from moving crab -like on the floor to leaping with the entire body spread sprinting across the stage.

The music played from loudspeakers and varied the pacing of the performance. The dance easily shifted from fast sprints to slower methodical movements. To offset the imbalance was one dancer who was perfectly straight and balanced. She moved upright as a stark contrast to all the other dancers who never stood perfectly upright the whole performance.

(Steven Gunther)

At times, the slowed movements allowed the audience to appreciate the exaggeration and  just enough time to process how the dancer managed to stay in that position and still move.

The Puppet Opera combined original music with its own mini orchestra section in “Zoophilic Follies.”

The comedic moments of the show came easily to the cast of singers whose exaggeration lends itself well to this piece. The entire stage was used starting with the musicians who sat in the left section of the stage. The right had a mini labyrinth for the puppets.

The actors made full use of the opera, including one number where the actor sashayed from the balance down the stairs and onto the stage captivating the audience with his every step.

The puppets were used to showcase depth, especially when a character fell. It transitioned easily and flowed from puppets to actors without disruption of the story.

While every piece may not be fully understood or loved, the New Original Works Festival at RedCat continues to give audiences performances that cannot be found anywhere else, and provides a forum for creativity to be nourished and explored.

Reach Reporter Tallie here.