Review: Ossip & Daylight

Last week, Tangente began its Impulsions program with two works that stand on different ends of the spectrum. The first, visual artist Andrew Foster’s Ossip, is as static as the second, Dean Makarenko’s Daylight, is dynamic. Given their presence on a stage, it might not be too surprising that one faired better than the other.

Monique Romeiko in Andrew Forster's Ossip, photo by Andrew Forster

The two performers in Ossip are already walking up and down the stage when we walk in. Over the speakers, the sound of voices in different languages emanating from CB radios. On the stage, unusually shaped wooden chairs. The only typical looking one is lying on its side, and it is the one that Monique Romeiko uses for her dance. Instead of using the chair in a usual way, she lies on the ground to execute floor work. She puts her foot against the chair, which loses its function since it is not actually supporting her weight. It’s simply an optical illusion tilted 90 degrees.

Sadly, this glimpse is the only interesting moment choreographically. But this is not even about semantics. When I go see a dance show, I don’t even care if I end up seeing dance. I just love art, no matter what category it falls under. But even under the large umbrella of performance, Ossip fails to justify its presence on a stage. The use of the space is devastatingly poor. The misshapen chairs are the most intriguing aspect of the production and the performance adds very little to them. Ossip would make a lot more sense in a gallery setting. When it ended on the night of the premiere, no one clapped for the longest time and with good reason: it no more has an end than it has a beginning. Ossip is not a durational artwork; it’s a sculpture.

Dean Makarenko's Daylight, photo by Pat Baker

On the other hand, Daylight begins before we even walk in the room. Banging on pots can be heard down the hall, leading to the performers walking in and forcefully exclaiming “Hey! How are you?” or “Cold water!” What does it mean? Who knows, but they’ve got our attention. The entire stage is flooded with light and all the doors to the space remain open for the length of the piece, allowing the performers to constantly enter and exit the room. In Daylight, life doesn’t stop at the door. It overflows everywhere.

Daylight makes better use of the stage in a few seconds than Ossip during its entire length. It’s a breath of fresh air, a playful work that’s full of life. Different actions happen simultaneously all over the stage, allowing the eye to travel back and forth, trying to take in as much as it can while realizing that there’s always so much more lying just out of its reach. The dancers act like a bunch of graceless children and as a result the show looks like a product of pure id. It feels like anything could happen at any moment. The performers look like they’re having fun, and why shouldn’t they? We certainly are.

PREVIEW The Impulsions program will only resume at Tangente in April, but next week begins Meta/Physic. After impressing critics in 2005 with Aura et In side, Stéphane Gladyszewski inaugurates this program with Corps Noir, which you can catch from November 13 to 23. For more information, call 514.525.1500 or visit www.tangente.qc.ca.