Sally McKay

On Wednesday Charles Linehan Company performed at Laban. The Fault Index is a series of connected and unconnected events, in a different order at each performance. The music is lyrical, one beautiful episode danced by Greig Cooke and Theo Clinkard to a soundtrack with bird song transports me to fields in sunlight, I think of DH Lawrence, The Rainbow,  “Their life and interrelations were such; feeling the pulse and body of the soil… the young corn waved and was silken, and the lustre slid along the limbs of the men who saw it.”

The Fault Index 

Connections are made between the dancers throughout the episodes, through eye contact and gesture but no physical contact, when finally two dancers briefly hold each other their touch has so much power, sparks almost fly.

The Clearing was originally conceived as part of Dance Umbrella 2010 as an installation in The Borough Hall in Greenwich. See the drawings on my blog, October 2010.  These sketches made 6 months later in another venue with alternative, atmospheric lighting hold a different quality; certainly it was dark and I had no idea what I was drawing. I’m not sure which is truer to the choreography but they are both true to what I felt as I drew.

The Clearing 

The choreography of Charles Linehan is a kinesthetic experience of great power which will touch you for days after.

Charles Linehan Company will perform this program at The Place on 19 May, post-show Q&A with Siobhan Davies and at Northern School of Contemporary Dance 14 May.

Last week I was at Sadler’s Wells to watch and draw AfterLight, choreographed by Russell Maliphant. My 14 year old son and I saw an exert of this dance, AfterLight Part 1, (the first section of AfterLight) in the theatre at Laban in December 2010, (see December 7th). At the end of the dance I asked Jerome what he thought

“It’s amazing he spins like the floor was turning him but it’s all coming from his body. He’s dressed as a teenager, he’s wearing clothes I wear, a red hoody and a beanie, you could imagine that his skate-board is just out of view. When he starts to spin – it’s the way I feel, I find it hard being still but I have to be still in school, but in my head – my imagination, I’m constantly moving. This is how it feels when you’re a teenager. The ground is full of shadows, they look like leaves so maybe he’s meant to be outside in the park or maybe that’s what he’s imagining – where he’d like to be… skating, constantly in motion.”

Amazing Daniel Proietto 

Daniel Proietto joined by Olga Cobos and Silvina Cortes

 Drawings of AfterLight from my sketchbook, which I hope to use as research for painting.

On 22nd March Lewisham College Access to Dance course performed their strong annual show of six dances including contemporary, jazz and hip hop at Trinity Laban. Here are some of my drawings of the really enjoyable event.

For drawings of their rehearsals see, see https://blog.sallymckay.co.uk/2011/02/.