The Cold Perfection of Bakht

Virtuosity is an ambiguous thing; just as it can mesmerize, it can also make it difficult for the audience to connect to a work or a performer in any meaningful way. It is with this feeling that I left Natasha Bakht’s series of solo performances at Centre Pierre-Peladeau last night.

photo by David Hou

The opening piece, Shobana Jeyasingh’s Triptych Self, uses the musicality of language as its aural backdrop. Bakht’s limbs unfold in straight lines while she finds curves in her pivots and movements across the stage. The footwork moves between lightness and heaviness with jarring consequences.

There is a noticeable improvement in the second section when the stage becomes bathed in warm lighting and the voice in the soundtrack leaves more place to the electronic music, seemingly resulting in a more energetic performance from Bakht. But the work remains highly technical and the metallic grey costume she wears becomes reflective of the coldness that still permeates the piece, which I have to admit left me… cold.

It is then followed by an excerpt from Roger Sinha’s Loha. One of the best works in the show, it demonstrates that if one is going to display virtuosity, one should go all the way. It finds its best moments when Bakht’s surgically precise movements are performed at high speeds. Still, it is during this piece that I thought to myself that the dance would gain from a bit less virtuosity and a bit more imperfection and emotion. In other words, a bit more humanity.

After the intermission, we finally get into Bakht’s own work as a choreographer. White Space is a lot more atmospheric than its predecessors, both in music and staging. It opens with Bakht dancing behind a white screen, her black silhouette commanding our attention.

When she comes out from behind the screen though, we are greeted with a distracting skirt made out of large, white curls. Since the movement remains highly similar to the first two pieces, I wonder how much of my appreciation for this particular one is due to Alexander MacSween’s rich soundscape.

I also cannot help but wonder how much of my experience is a result of the large room that is Salle Pierre-Mercure. It does not seem to lend itself nicely to the intimacy that solo work usually requires and I have yet to truly enjoy a solo that I have seen there. Each time, my mind wanders through fantasies of seeing the same work I am supposed to be paying attention to in the more humble-sized space of Tangente.

The final piece, Obiter Dictum, gives us somewhat of a book ending. It reverts back to the coldness of Triptych Self despite its red costume and lighting, further enhanced by Indian music. There is no doubt that Bakht is a great dancer but, as is too often the case, perfection ultimately leads us to a very sterile place.

Natasha Bakht performs one last time Saturday, December 8. For more information: 514.987.6919.