dresses. That makes me use people in a completely different way. If everybody is dressed the same way, whether it’s all in suits or all in dresses, no matter who they are, it changes a lot of what you see and how you see it. It’s very detailed, very complex and very ‘ loud, and also very busy and very fast. So you’re looking at patterns and shapes more than you are the sex of the person dancing.’ The inspiration for Precious is alchemy, the transmutation of base metals into gold. Progressing through four sections identified by colour — black, white, red and gold — the show
Egan...
is topped and tailed by the two companies dancing together, while in the two middle A pieces they dance alone. ‘I think that if you’re m not using words. it’s really hard to describe in
terms of stories, narrative and characters,’ says -
Anderson. explaining that while alchemy was T H E , S her starting point, it isn’t necessary to have an _ __ _ . "Uderstamfing 0f the finer POMS 0f chemistry (III) ll K 81‘ R I": I'll EDI N BURCH EH8 9J0 to appreciate the show. ‘Dance is not a verbal '1‘ [g Hg Hun; H ()3 1 “663 3456
art form. It’s like music. Perhaps in music you’ll have a sense of where it’s going, its
development and some kind of satisfying
ending. but it’s not necessarily a story per se.
Within each section there’s a progression and a different idea that’s developed, and the whole 5' N c R show itself is a journey so it does feel like
you’re going somewhere, like there is some
logical INTERNATIONAL IIYPNOTIST
With this piece, Anderson has accepted, embraced and pushed forward her penchant for s H M extreme stylisation; the mannered, flat-looking work that once she tried to escape, is now too funny for her to resist. Her choreography has always been praised for its attention to detail, but now that detail has become even more concentrated. ‘In one section l’ve chucked out anything that’s not to do with tiny movement,’ she explains, acknowledging the terrific strain this puts on the dancers. ‘lt’s just layered, concentrated, tiny, tiny things which have the
effect of thinking that either you’re mad or ’ POWER BEYOND BELIEF
‘Dance has got this aura of ditflcultness, that it’s a serious art and it’s not going to
be very pleasant - and usually it isn’t.’ Thursday 2
But for all her meticulous, precisely-crafted work. Anderson remains committed to the idea m
of dance being a dynamic, popular form. She’s o o
enthusiastic about the new audiences that .' S televrsion can attract — citing her own Tights, Camera, Action! as a prime example — and is all for dance companies flirting with the glossy magazines for publicity. Dance, she says, is merely designed movement, be it the R0 al ' ’ Ballet or a movie car chase. ‘I have a pas)sion for dance,’ she declares. ‘I think it’s an
incredibly moving and powerful medium and I and I
get really frustrated because whenever I go to dance performances in London it’s always the 7. m
same people there. Where’s everyone else . that’s interested in what’s going on and new ( . ) work? They should be here, but they’re not, because dance has got this aura of difficultness, that it’s a serious art and it’s not going to be very pleasant — and usually it isn’t. I get
frustrated when I see work around me that I ° 'I
find boring or tedious because it gives dance a l’ a b fr
bad name and dance has so much potential. I i ’ ' " ' .3
want to make dance that I would like to see.’ ~ ‘ 5
Precious, Tramway, Glasgow, Wed 17—50! 20 3 I' i .l I
M ) ' or. g
The List ll —25 March l99311