The Stage

Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa

Published Friday 4 September 2009 at 12:20 by William McEvoy

Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa is chic, stylish, well dressed and has moments of true beauty. But there’s also a feeling of empty aesthetics at the heart of the two pieces in this programme, Sense Fi and Conquassabit.

Choreographer Cesc Gelabert puts himself at the heart of both pieces, controlling events like a latter-day Prospero. Indeed, in Conquassabit, he comes complete with a staff which he wields in the direction of his much younger co-dancers. But he is neither as skilled nor as explosively physical as they are, and his presence in both pieces is close to vanity.

The soundtrack to the first, Sense Fi, is an aggravating mix that sounds like a broken extractor fan at times. At moments of stillness, the company are most powerful, and a huge glowing white ball creates strong visual focus. Gelabert is adept at creating disjunctive, arrhythmical movements, movements triggering other movements in a domino effect, and this contrapuntal quality is striking in both pieces.

Conquassabit is performed to Handel’s music, which comes as a relief after Pascal Comelade’s industrialism. A huge, reflective silver cloth is dropped from the flies and is shucked or walked upon to stunning effect. The male dancers create jagged, broken movements, their bodies stopping or stalling before they reach fluidity. They avoid lyricism and expressiveness and the work is entirely unerotic.

Solo work alternates with company set pieces and Gelabert’s presence is unsettling, a magician commanding his performers. This is visually pleasing dance, but with little emotion behind it.