Compagnie Kafig - Boxe Boxe - Tour Spring 2014

[Jan McNulty]

Compagnie Kafig were at the Lowry last week performing Boxe Boxe.

 

In the past I have seen and heard people comparing boxing with dance in respect of the movement and Boxe Boxe puts this to the test!

 

This is such a clever work, full of humour.  It starts with the string quartet sitting on gothic style metal chairs around a very stylised small boxing ring with the dancers hidden from view until a boxing glove appears above the top of the ring and then another and another and another.  The boxing gloves are almost used like glove puppets such as Punch and Judy or Sooty and Sweep and it is fun to watch!

 

As the performance moved on I realised that the musicians and dancers are an integrated whole and the musicians being on stage and moving around (either on the chairs or on foot) really enhance the piece.  Once the dancers are freed from the ring there are various groupings from solos to duets to 8 dancers being involved.

 

There is a dancer whose costume is a padded out referee's uniform.  Some of his movements, because of the shape of the costume, reminded me of those toys that whichever way you push them do not fall over!  It was really very funny!

 

I've never seen street dance that used classical music before but it really worked! 

 

There was a super post performance Q&A at which artistic director Mourad Merzouki explained that he had  boxed for some years as a youth.  He also explained that the dancers had had a couple of weeks of coaching in boxing technique.

 

This production is inventive, amusing and captivating and I would highly recommend it!

[alison]

Thanks, Janet.  I think it's coming to Sadler's Wells some time, isn't it?

[Jan McNulty]

I think they are being presented by Sadler's Wells but the performances are in the People's Palace E1 and are part of the Spitalfields Festival. 

 

I published a press release a couple of weeks ago.