Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s EXIT ABOVE offers a cacophony of experimental dance, layered into an exciting mixture of blues and electronic music
Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker has made a definitive name for herself in the contemporary dance scene since the inception of her dance company Rosas in 1983, which is now an International Associate Company of Sadler’s Wells, where Exit Above was staged. Her choreography is known for its taking simple, seemingly pedestrian movements and adding careful and complex layers. In EXIT ABOVE, we witness the act of walking reinterpreted in ways wholly unexpected.
Walking is something we think of as a guarantee, an innate aspect of our existence. Those of us who are able-bodied walk without considering the almost miraculous amount of activity within our own bodies and mind that converges to pursue this activity. Walking is seen as a relaxing, mundane act. We go on a walk to clear our heads, to get some fresh air, to move from one place to another. Walking in EXIT ABOVE, however, takes on a whole new identity.
Equally as important as the choreography in this piece is the music. De Keersmaeker turned to blues and electronic, seeking songs that reference the multiplicity of walking, synch as Walking Blues by Robert Johnson. The upcoming Flemish singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees performs the music, accompanied by Carlos Garbin on guitar. The musicians were not only a part of the piece as the musical component – Mees and Garbin are an integral part of the choreography itself. Mees’s haunting voice is chilling in the best way, a performance that would be as exciting to watch all on its own. Garbin’s excellent manipulation of the guitar displayed something beyond skill, a true artistry that was thrilling to witness and hear.
The artistry and inventiveness of the choreography is excellently embodied by the company of 11 dancers on stage, who oscillate between synchronized patterns created on stage, weaving between each other as they walk like you have yet to witness walking and moments in which we zero-in on two or three dancers as they seem to converse with one another, angular snippets of humor and horror. The choreography itself is ardently experimental, both challenging and exhilarating to watch. The dancers were truly a joy to witness, embodying the wild choreography with vivacity and a keen understanding not only of the physical needs of the piece, but the emotive needs too.
While some might describe the choreography inaccessible and abrasive, De Keersmaeker’s EXIT ABOVE presents audiences with an exciting opportunity to rethink the way they move with a thoughtful and often humorous exploration of walking.