Lapped Translated Lines is the latest dance choreographed by Rosemary Butcher. The stage is dominated by a large twisted linear structure, designed by Melissa Appleton and Matthew Butcher, reminding me of a Richard Deacon sculpture. Solo performer, Elena Giannotti, moves across the diminished stage in linear patterns to a soundtrack that opens to the sound of waves rushing in and out over a shingle beach, like breath.
As a viewer I became immersed in the movement played out in front of me in the small intimate space of the Lilian Baylis Studio. Following linear patterns across the floor, Elena Giannotti’s physical strength come across in a very gentle human way. Her movement felt at times heartbreaking, as she walked on her hands and feet, reminiscent of Muybridge’s ‘Paralytic Child walking on all fours’ or the Francis Bacon painting inspired by this. As I watched it was if an evolution of movement was unfolding in front of me, from hands and feet to shuffling, walking, standing, turning, rolling.
A screen is above the performer, filmed previously by Daria Martin showing Giannotti in constant movement, often focussing on her hands and feet, so she becomes dwarfed by the film of herself and the twisted steel sculpture above her. Below she echoes the movement in the film but only rarely is it the same.
