First there were seven solos for women. Then there were seven solos for men. It sounds a bit like a jumbled up version of the story of creation. In fact, it looked a bit like that too. T.E.S.T. II is the Gergye Krisztián Társulata’s poetry about what it is to be inside the body of a man.
The Central European Dance Theatre is wonderfully atmospheric and even slightly surreal. Walking through its corridors you could be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally stumbled onto a German Expressionist film set. It does a great job of getting you ready and in the mood for whatever’s coming. Not that that’s necessary when you know that what’s coming is “only solos for seven man bodies”.
On the stage of this delightful venue, there is a world that demonstrates, very convincingly, that the mind and the body are in fact one and the same. Both of the T.E.S.T. productions manage to evoke memories, feelings and images through a physical poetry that reminds us how central the body is to human experience.
The stage is bare, as it was in T.E.S.T., but instead of strips of light flicking on and off to punctuate the solos, there is a circular patch of white dust in the centre. A lot of the action happens around this circle, so that as the piece progresses, the dust becomes dispersed across the stage and over the performers – a very simple and subtle idea, which makes it all the more powerful. The dust covering parts of the stage and the performers, or caught by the light hovering in the air, gives the atmosphere an archaic edge, which is especially effective in the one or two solos where the men portray warrior types. To the others, it gives the effect of a soft focus which transports us to another world.
What it is to be a man is explored on many different levels – we encounter seven very different types. Some reminded me of particular character types, ranging from A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Puck, to the soldiers out of Julie Taymor’s Titus and from Star Trek’s Spock, all the way to Jesus of Nazareth. As in T.E.S.T., each solo is special in its own way, and focuses the audience on the tiny nuances of character and type that make every human being unique.
Both T.E.S.T.s are characterized by a certain captivating creative ingenuity of style and form, and both pieces, as a whole, are very special experiences. I was a little bit disappointed to find that the choreography of T.E.S.T. II was more focussed on skilful, impressive movement, and had less of the deep, searching and longing, well developed characters that we encountered in T.E.S.T. Costumes and music were exceptionally well chosen, and played an important role in the setting of each solo. The choreography supported this setting, but did not always manage to take it to another level, as I had seen it done in T.E.S.T.
So, unfortunately, I still cannot say that I know what it is to be inside a man’s body. Perhaps it is for the best. Besides, I can’t deny that T.E.S.T. II is a very pleasurable theatrical experience. The performances were mesmerizing and beautiful, and the company’s aim, which is to create something that is “not just dance”, was easily achieved through vision that demonstrates a thorough understanding of how to create art through simplicity that is meaningful, complex and complete.
Central Europe Dance Theatre
Tel.: +36.30.378.5045 / +36.1.342.7163