In the 1990’s I was a busy working mother of two, wishing that Plymouth was more like Brighton.
My Brighton life was mostly carefree. Plymouth was the settling of my new life,consolidating being a parent and doing a job that I didn’t care for to make parenting easier. The comparison was not kind to either city. In the 90’s two bands in particular kept me sane . The Verve, all dirgy, and melancholic and Daft Punk, Electronic Dance music with something extra
Plymouth was represented by the Verve.
Brighton got Daft Punk.
I love them both but Verve love is hollowed out . Daft Punk the love of escapism.
With tthe distance of time I can see that both loves have equal merit as do both cities
Which is a long preamble to natter about a contemporay ballet I was intoxicated by last night.
Body and Soul by The English National Ballet.
Source: BalletcoForum https://share.google/tSHdWk7W0gCG1ra6s
Two distinctly different choreographed ballets that might seem, and were unconnected . Maybe a pairing not for anyone but to me they made perfect sense. Both hugely expressive pieces using gorgeous, perfect human bodies to unfold a story or a feeling. The music of Part 1 was not at all Verve like but Androgynous dancers performing such mind blowing emotion took me to that hollowed out place that I felt as a newish parent in a strange place. I had no care for the gender of the dancers, just mesmerised by the places they were taking my head too. There should be more words for erotica and sensual.
Or maybe completely new words that describe sublime pleasure of being cocooned in the moment of contemplation by writhing human bodies who are just there to make you think, nothing sexual or intimate. Just thoughts.
Part two was so much closer to my 90’s Daft Punk vibe and similarly thought provoking. It was by its nature, bawdier,closer perhaps to sensual and erotic. With May Day vibes of flesh and lust sanitised by white drone like and sexless creatures. Just there doing their thing perfectly and simply to make us think.
Not knowing or caring what gender any individual dancer was, allowed for a huge amount of buttock envy. My goodness those dancers had the most amazing bottoms.
My head was quite properly blown. All that gorgeously stimulated thinking and some absolutely peachy bottoms. What a night out.
I am still thinking about it. Wondering at the ability to have my head completely taken over by movement and music. Loving the hollowed outness and the escapism in equal measure.
If only we could have two new words to express the joy of being made to think unexpected thoughts in a theatre by honed and expressive bodies.
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